JAN UARY 2017

Your guide to self-publishing

T.J. Slee Wins the BookLife Prize in Fiction The Self-Publishing
Year in Preview Indie Scouting Report 50 New Titles Listed

Bending
Genres
And
Giving
Back
T.J. Slee was
awarded the
inaugural BookLife
Prize in Fiction
for his novel
The Vanirim
BY NICOLE AUDREY SPECTOR

H
T.J. Slee

38 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

ow can we empathize with

a character who has no
ability to feel? Its a question you may ask yourself while
reading The Vanirim, T.J. Slees
fantasy novel and the winner of
the BookLife Prize in Fiction.
Surely its the kind of question
that Slee (who declines to give
his real name or any identifying

BOOKLIFE PRIZE
information, other than hes living in Denmark) might have worried would one day be asked about
him.
The incognito author says he
left his previous post in counterterrorism to save his emotional
sentience. I got out because I
found myself becoming an emotional dead zone, Slee says. That
person I was becoming, that is
who I channel when I write about
Tully McIntyre [The Vanirims
central character], and I am still
fighting to not be him.

Cooking with Genre

Part of what makes McIntyre and

his supporting cast so intriguing
is the fantastical world around
them. There are ancient Nordic
gods, a post-apocalyptic-future
setting, and concepts of mind
reading and human reprogramming. But youve also got, at the
core, a fast-paced crime thriller.
Slee says the first draft of The
Vanirim wasnt a sci-fi fantasy
novel. It was a crime noir serial
murder story.
Last year when I decided to
publish it, I dragged it out into
the light and I realized it was a
three-legged dog. I had the idea
for the main character and the
supporting story, but the rest was
just an orthodox crime novel. It
was missing something, Slee says.
The Danes call it pift: that
little something that makes your
recipe different. I remembered
a lesson from a master chef in
a writing class who challenged
us to take something we wrote
in one genre, and rewrite it in
another. So I thought to myself,
okay, what if you gave your crime
noir story a sci-fi/fantasy angle?
To rewrite ones entire novel in
a different genre sounds like a

complicated, even overwhelming,

task. But, for Slee, who maintains
a master chef way of thinking, it
was an experiment in trusting
his instinctsand his tools. I
approach writing like I approach
cooking: take a whole lot of ingredients you dont always see in the
same recipe, throw them together,
and see what happens, Slee says.
Clearly, the experiment worked,

Im a bit of a

workaholic, and
Scandinavia is a
place with long,
dark winter nights
ideal for writing.
and Slee is continuing the Midgard
Cycle. The sequel to The Vanirim
is among his many writing projects for 2017. Im a bit of a
workaholic, and Scandinavia is
a place with long, dark winter
nights ideal for writing, he says.
Slee doesnt reveal what it is,
but he says he has a day job that
pays the bills. Any proceeds from
books he donates straight to charity.After winning the BookLife
Prize in Fiction, he instructed
BookLife and Publishers Weekly
to donate the $5,000 writing stipend directly to Doctors Without
Borders.
I walk with a limp from all the
shit I carry on my shoulder, Slee
says. When I check out of here,
I wa n t to h ave b a l a n c e d my
account. The writing itself isnt
redemptive, but I hope the result
will be one day.

Slee also says hes writing and

publishing for love, not money.
But this doesnt mean that hes
without the ambition to build his
brand. Slee is nursing a bigger
dream.

Giving Back

I want to be a catalyst in making it easy for all authors to give

a little back, no matter how big
or small, Slee says. Ive literally
just had an idea for a concept I
call #readerzero. The pitch is
this: what fiction fan wouldnt
like to be the first person in the
world to read a new J.K. Rowling,
Stephen King, or Dan Brown
book? The concept is simple:
writers auction/raffle the opportunity to be #readerzero, the
first person in the world to read
the first edition of their upcoming novel, before it is even sent
to reviewers. Winners sign an
NDA and get two weeks to read
the book before it is sent out as
an ARC. Profits from the auction/
raffle go to the charity of the
writers choice. Slee is building
on the idea on a Facebook page
and plans to test it out with the
sequel to The Vanirim.
For now, Slee will continue to
self-publish (hes had a heck of
a debut year, after all), but if the
right agent or publisher were to
come along, one who could help
build his readership meaningfully,
Slee would sign on. I dont expect
my own fund-raising efforts alone
will make the big difference, he
says. But to find ways to collaborate with others, Ill need to
build a big mailing list!

Nicole Audrey Spector is writer

whose work has appeared in
the Atlantic, the New Yorker,
and Vice.
B O O K L I F E .C O M

39

YEAR IN PREVIEW

Self-Publishing in 2017
New opportunities and challenges
await self-publishing in the coming year
BY ALEX DANIEL

s 2017 begins, indie authors

and publishers are having
to navigate a fast-growing
industry filled with new opportunities, but one that also presents challenges related to that
expansion. To find continued
success in self-publishing, it has
become more important to expand
the definition of self-published
author to encompass new roles
and new formats.
Self-publishing continues to
expand, with ISBN registrations
jumping 21% from 2014 to 2015
(the most recent data available),
according to the bibliographic
solutions company Bowker. New
services have made it easier than
ever to launch self-publishing
projects, and as the landscape
gets more crowded, it becomes
more difficult for authors to stand
out and make a profit.
We can expect 2017 is going to
continue to be a challenging market for all authors and publishers,
says Mark Coker, founder of
Smashwords. He attributes this
to the flood of titles that have
entered the e-book space.
The growing supply is creating
one set of difficulties for authors
who are trying to get their titles
d i s c o v e re d , a n d C o k e r s ay s
Amazon has not made anything
easier for indie authors bottom
lines with KDP Select, which
requires participating authors to
publish e-books exclusively with
Amazon and allows titles to be
40 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

eligible for Kindle Unlimiteda

program that provides unlimited
book s for readers who pay a
monthly subscription fee. He is
critical of the online retail giants
shift from compensating authors
per books sold to a system based
on the number of pages read.
R o b i n C u t l e r, d i r e c t o r o f
IngramSpark, says that as a result
of this drop in revenue from
e-book content, indie authors
who had previously focused on
digital are looking to publish in
print and other formats. Getting
their titles into brick-and-mortar
bookstores as well as into libraries continues as a goal for many
indie authors this year and into
next year, says Cutler.
Joel Friedlander, book designer
and publishing consultant, seconds that, emphasizing that while
getting print books into stores
is not always easy, successful
indie authors will be those who
think outside traditional formats.
Authors are starting to understand that the world of book
publishing is much bigger than
e-books and print on demand,
he says.
Looking beyond the most common for mats can also mean
expanding a books reach into
new mediums. This includes
continued growth in the audio
segment.
Although many indie authors
have joined the audio bandwagon,
there are many still sitting on

the sidelines, says Sally Dedecker,

a self-publishing business development and marketing strategist.
She expects many audio holdouts
to move into this segment as DIY
audiobook services become both
more professional and more
affordable.
For some authors, expanding
beyond traditional publishing
formats may even lead to television. In November, Wattpad signed
a d e a l w i t h Un i ve r s a l C a b l e
Productions to produce streaming
video programs based on some
of the self-publishing platforms
popular stories. This followed
additional par tnerships with
media giants, including Turner
and Paramount.
Wattpad is more than reading
and writingits entertainment,
Wattpad cofounder and CEO Allen
Lau wrote in a post on the company blog. Hundreds of Wattpad
stories have become blockbuster
movies, hit TV series, and bestselling books.
Lau mentions another way that
authors can receive money through
Wattpad. Our native ads help
brands reach consumers around
the world with entertaining and
engaging stories that dont interrupt the experience theyve come
to know and love on Wattpad,
he says. Though Wattpad doesnt
sell books, its writers can make
money through sponsored content.
Last year, the platform partnered
with brands including Coca-Cola

YEAR IN PREVIEW
L. to r.: Joel
Friedlander,
Sally Dedecker,
Robin Cutler,
Mark Coker
and Ashleigh
Gardner.

and H&M, which paid to have

their products mentioned in the
stories of some of the platforms
top writers.
The important thing is to pair
the right brand with the right
writers, says Ashleigh Gardner,
head of partnerships at Wattpad
Studios. The brands we work with
arent too controlling about what
the writers write, the writers are
happy to get paid, and readers
are happy to see more content
from their favorite writers.

New Roles and Smarter

Marketing

Just as 2017 will likely see selfpublishing expand into different

formats, it may also be a time
when authors have to find ways
to expand their own roles. They
are adding such words as consultant, publisher, and marketer to
their business cards and passing
on lessons for success to other
authors.
They typically begin publishing their own work and through
that experience learn how to
establish a publishing business
or service to help other authors,
says IngramSparks Cutler.
Friedlander predicts that more
indie authors will become indie
publishers by assisting other writers in bringing their books to
market in 2017. They figure out
book publishing on a small scale
with their own books, and then
they say, I could help Jane out

with her books, and its a natural

evolution, he says.
This year, Friedlander expects
to see indie authors delve more
deeply into marketing their books
and helping other authors do so.
In the last year Ive seen a lot
more sophisticated Internet marketing from authors, he says.
Im seeing more multiplatform
launcheswith, say, 50 affiliates
promot i ng a book launch to
people all over the world.
Friedlander compares this with
several years ago, when I was
telling people, I only have one
foot in publishing, and the other
in Internet marketing, but this
is getting much more typical now,
with authors making their business model turn on a direct-sales
approach. He points to Aer.io,
which was purchased last year
by Ingram. The service allows
small presses and authors to sell
books through social media and
to include direct links to allow
for the purchase of books in one
click. Selling direct to these
customers is what these indie
authors are best at, allowing
readers to deal with someone
they recognizenot Harper or
Houghton Mifflin, but the guy
who writes the books they love,
he says.
As authors are getting savvier
with their online marketing, they
are also expecting a higher quality of data about their readers
and the performance of their

books. Were starting to program with larger companies

with the goal of providing data
of what people online are reading and helping make informed
decisions of what people want
to see, says Wattpads Gardner.
The services Writer Analytics
Dashboard gives readers such
data as the number of unique
readers by chapter, number of
reader votes by chapter, and the
ages and locations of readers.

More Global

Through growing tech tools and

a wider array of services, it is
easier than ever for indie authors
to go global. Cutler says that this
year IngramSpark will be offering
more tools to allow customers to
more easily provide multiple
formats to customers.
We are looking to offer easier
ways to make titles available
globally this coming year so that
one list price can be converted
into multiple currencies for global
markets, says Cutler.
Gardner also sees huge opportunities from a global readership.
We are seeing a lot of our audience coming from Southeast Asia
and Europe, reading not only
local, but English-language content, she says. Ive been most
i mp re s s e d by t h e g row t h i n
Spanish-language writing. I think
were going to see Spanish become
the biggest language on Wattpad
in the next year.
Though the fast-growing selfpublishing market is creating its
share of challenges, there is no
shortage of exciting ways for
self-publishing authorsor publishers or marketersto find success in 2017. 

Alex Daniel is a freelance

writer living in New York City.
B O O K L I F E .C O M

41

BOOKWOKS_HALF_V_0715_Layout 1 7/24/15 10:10 AM Page 1

Calling all
Indie Authors
What can BookWorks do
for you:
Help You Find Your Reader

Post Excerpts from Your Book

for Peer Review
Get a Featured Author Cover
Medallion for Your Book
Chat With Our Experts

Showcase and Sell Your Books With

Direct-to-Retailer Links
Find the Best Editors, Designers,
Illustrators, Marketers, 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 true
how to make it fun.

JOIN NOW!

bookworks.com
42 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

Ready to
Launch
Authors can make online
courses powerful prepublication marketing tools
BY JANE FRIEDMAN

or a while now, industry pundits have predicted

that online education would become one of
publishings biggest growth areas. Occasionally,
trend articles report on publishers dabbling in
online courses, but no major trade publisher has
made a convincing long-term effort.
My career began at F&W Publications (now F+W
Media), a midsize enthusiast publisher that excels
in online education. Its both book publisher and
magazine publisher, and once upon a time it also
ran consumer book clubs and correspondence
courses. Once the Internet came along, those correspondence courses were transformed into online
courses (and the book clubs became online storefronts).
When creating online courses, F+W held an
advantage: it had deep knowledge and experience
in teaching its audiences through a variety of
mediums, and it had the company infrastructure
to support the creation and administration of online
education. Few publishers are able to make that
kind of commitment or knowledgeably advise
authors on the opportunities available. But this is
where authors can do something meaningful on
their own to move the needle on book sales, without publisher assistance. Authors in nonfiction
categories should be looking at online education
free or paidas a key component of their book
launch or marketing plan.
Last year, I discussed author-driven online courses
with David Moldawer, a former editor at Penguin
who also worked at CreativeLive, an online education program by Adobe. He said that many authors

BOOK MARKETING
ConvertKit are good tools for creating drip courses
email newsletters that can be set up in advance
and delivered on a specific schedule.

2. Create a free webinar series leading up to your book release.

dont recognize the potential of online education

in their fields of expertise, simply because theyre
not hearing from other authors on the same level
who are successfully pursuing it. Plus, most people
have aspirations of writing a book, not teaching
a course.
There are many potential oppor tunities to
exploit in the area of online education (especially
courses that can pay more than your average
book advance), but, for now, I want to focus on its
use for a book launch, when you offer content for
free to help market and promote visibility for your
book.

1. Create a free email-based course

leading up to your book release.

What could you teach readers in an email series?

What kind of tip series could you create based on
content from your book?
The emails dont have to be lengthy (or give away
all your best stuff): brief tips that are easily and
quickly understood are ideal for email. You should
time it so that the last course email goes out just
before your book launch, so you can include a call
to action that drives people to buy the book. This
is a strategy that worked well for David Kadavys
book launch for Design for Hackers.
How do you get people to sign up for the email
course in the first place? Look for guest post
opportunities at websites or blogs that hit your
target market, spread the word on social media,
and ask influencers in your community to tweet
or link to your free email course. MailChimp or

Similar to the email strategy, create and schedule

a series of webinars that teach people lessons from
your book. During the final webinar, you can close
with a discussion about your new upcoming book.
This strategy works best if people register for the
series with their email address, so you can follow
up with the book release announcement. For tools
to facilitate and manage the process, consider
Leadpages combined with GoToWebinar. Michael
Hyatt recently offered a free webinar series as a
promotional tool, although not for a book, but a
paid course.

3. Offer an interactive online education opportunity to readers who buy

your book by a particular date.

Share a limited-time opportunity for buyers of your

book to join you for an interactive learning experience. Make sure you publicize this opportunity
leading up to your book release date, and encourage purchasing during your first week on sale.
What should the interactive experience be?
Whatever makes sense for your content and readership. Some authors set up a Facebook group or
create a private forum to build what may become
a long-term community; some develop a formal
online course with additional material; and others
offer group Q&A sessions or even one-on-one time
(for a limited number of people, of course). You
can alsoonce againuse an email course as a
supplement. Author A.M. Carley recently offered
such an opportunity to early purchasers of her
book, Float.
Over the long termand beyond the book launch
ambitious nonfiction authors should pursue the
development of courses that people pay for. But
you can start to dabble in a very satisfying and
effective way by focusing on how online education
can complement your books entry into the marketplace.

Jane Friedman teaches digital media and publishing at the University of Virginia and is the
former publisher of Writers Digest.
B O O K L I F E .C O M

43

BOOKS TO WATCH

Scouting Report
Welcome to our new roundup of the best-reviewed selfpublished titles from the past month. We kick things off with
historical fiction, a fantasy adventure, a memoir of the AIDS
epidemic, and a psychedelic tale about Abe Lincoln.
Isabella and
the Tale of the
Unanswered
Question
LINDA WHITTAKER

Plot: This YA-style fantasy

follows the adventures of
11-year-old Isabella as she
ventures to a place where animals speak and dangers lurk.
PWs Takeaway: Whittaker delivers wisdom with
style in this brilliant examination of the consequences of choices, and readers may begin to
question their own deepest secrets and dreams.
Comparable Titles: Chronicles of Narnia; Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland
Sample Line: Long ago in a forgotten land and
forgotten time lived a little girl in a forgotten
village.
Read the review:
publishersweekly.com/9781494833060

Forest Child
HEATHER DAY GILBERT

Plot: In this second book

in her Vikings of the New
World Saga, Gilbert focuses
on Freydis, the daughter
of Eirik the Red, and the
expedition she led with two
Icelandic traders to Vinland.
PWs Takeaway: Gilbert deftly
fleshes out Freydiss struggle while remaining
true to the historical record.... Gilbert crafts an
engaging story depicting timeless human struggles with faith, love, loyalty, and leadership.
Comparable Titles: The Far Traveler; Viking: The
Green Land
Sample Line: But there will be no redemption
for me. I will become the most unmerciful of
murderers. I accept my fate.
Read the review:
publishersweekly.com/9780997827903

The Sea Is
Quiet Tonight

Abe Lincoln
on Acid

Painted
Trillium

MICHAEL H. WARD

BRIAN ANTHONY &

ROBERT BRANDT

Plot: An intimate
memoir of the
early days of the
AIDS epidemic.
PWs Takeaway: Ward never hesitates when peering into the abyss
of this traumatic time.... A courageous and necessary addition to
the canon of AIDS literature.
Comparable Titles: Borrowed Time;
Body Counts
Read the review: publishersweekly.com/9780996710336
44 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

BILL WALKER

Plot: The immortal

ex-president battles
J. Edgar Hoover
during the Summer of Love.
PWs Takeaway: Readers will
delight in this fun, frivolous
indulgence.
Comparable Titles: Pride and
Prejudice and Zombies; Abraham
Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
Read the review: publishersweekly.com/9780989745772

Plot: A portrait of
the struggles of a
young woman living
in Union-occupied
Tennessee during the Civil War.
PWs Takeaway: Brandt explores
the complexities of the Civil War,
handling war, race, and gender
with brutal honesty.
Comparable Titles: Cold Mountain;
The March
Read the review: publishersweekly.com/9780996787857

PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS

New Titles from

Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 50 selfpublished titles below, with descriptions provided by their authors. Some of these
writers are waiting to be discovered; others have a track record and a following and
are doing it on their own. If you are a self-published author interested in listing titles in
this section, please visit publishersweekly.com/pw-select for more information.
Fiction
Catch a Falling Star:
The CASA Chronicles, Vol. 1
Keith Julius. Keith Julius.
$13.99 paper (314p),
ISBN 978-0-99696072-4; $2.99 e-book,
ASIN B01GKQKWLY
Amazon, BN.com

Aleisha Turner is a heroin addict. Following

an overdose, her children are taken from
her. She struggles to restore normalcy to
her life and bring her family back together.
Chance on Safari
Mark Piper, illus. by
Grange Wallis. Kavanagh
Press. $1 e-book, ISBN
978-0-9874700-3-4
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Kobo

Chance is a 13-yearold boy who lives and works on a vast

cattle station in northern New South
Wales. Set in Depression-era Australia
of the late 1930s.
Echoes of My Clan:
A Gypsys Story
Rocio Vargas Herrera.
Xlibiris. $19.99 paper
(330p), ISBN 978-15035-9239-1; $4.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-

46 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

5035-8618-5
Amazon

Amazon, BN.com,
BookBaby, Kobo

This is Carlotas journey from the horrors

of the Spanish Civil War and World War II
her clan will take the reader through it all.
Killing the Kardashians: A Satirical
Novella of Modern Day Banality
Todd Houghton.
Anonymous Capitalistic
Publications. $8 paper
(138p), ISBN 978-0692-80282-3
Amazon

When sociopathy
meets stupidity,
Keeping Up with the Kardashians suddenly becomes Killing the Kardashians.
Not All of Me Is Dust
Frances Maureen
Richardson.
CreateSpace. $15.95
paper (333p), ISBN 9781-5153-5882-4
Amazon

A young Jesuit priest

struggles to find his lifes purpose while
supporting his two sisters through their
crises of faith.
Nqobile: The Story of Becoming
Mandhla Mgijima. BookBaby. $15.95 paper
(354p), ISBN 978-0-7974-8760-4; $2.99
e-book, ASIN B01MG9BBH2

Troubled by feelings of
racial inferiority,
Nqobile, a Zimbabwean
student in America,
fruitlessly searches
for meaning in black
consciousness ideas and religion until
he searches within.
Stargazer Lilies or
Nothing at All
Stephen Lomer. Port
Nine Publishing. $5.99
paper (114p), ISBN 9781-5405-1971-9; 99
e-book, ASIN B01NBI4GKT
Amazon

A collection of short stories that has a

little something for everyone.
Wanna-Bes
Mark Connelly. Mark
Connelly Productions.
$2.99 e-book,
ASIN B01FJAQWE8
Amazon

Failed screenwriter
Winfield Payton
becomes the lone white employee at a
black savings and loan. Skating
between the worlds of white and black,
Payton flies high until the inevitable
crash.

PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS
Wives of the Saints
Kathy Cecala. Diamond
Spring Press. $14.99
paper (240p),
ISBN 978-1-54058691-9
Amazon

Restless wives versus

stodgy husbands: Can love conquer all?
The Year Santa Stubbed His Toe
William M. Hayes. William M. Hayes. $2.99
e-book,
ASIN B01MFXJA2Y
Amazon

ISBN 978-1-53713601-1
Amazon

Blake climbs into the

skin of a cantankerous, eloquent Native
American called
Yellow Hammer,
who stares with unblinking eyes at the
staggering history of the American
Indian.

Mystery/Thriller

Defiled
Mike Nemeth. Morgan James Publishing.
$21.95 paper (346p),
ISBN 978-1-68350001-8
Amazon, BN.com

An intractable renegade, his exploitative

wife, her capricious
twin sister, and one
dogged detective become entangled in
a case that cannot be resolved in a
courtroom.

Champ: The Misanthrope of the Year

Erik Pollet. CreateSpace. $19.99 paper
(561p), ISBN 978-15335-6784-0
Amazon, BN.com

Elvis the Gunslinger

God & Other Poems: Final Poems

Champ is at best a
poor excuse for a
human and at worst a
private detective.
As a man who can
feel no physical pain, hed rather be
the man whos left alone with his hutch.

Paul Carroll. Big Table Books. $9.99 paper

(88p), ISBN 978-1-5334-6011-0
Bigtablebooks.com,
Amazon

A gunslinging, dogriding cat (a blend of

James Bond and John
Wayne) is on a mission
with his sidekick to foil
mobsters who are
holding the only son of
a wealthy family for ransom.

The CleanSweep Conspiracy: A Matt

Tremain Technothriller (Dystopian
World Chronicles, Book 1)

Santa injures his toe

so badly he needs the
aid of his best elves to
make the deliveries on
time. A simple solution
to what could be a potentially disastrous
Christmas, right? Wrong!

Poetry

A poet writes his last

poems full of inspiration, wonder, humor,
and sarcasm. They
talk of meeting God,
suffocating death,
and writing a poem the birds will
understand.
Poetic Therapy
Greg Ware. Twinapath
Publishing. $14.99
paper (89p), ISBN 9780-9968607-4-1
Amazon

A book of 70 poems
that not only mirror
society but inspire reflection.
Words of Yellow Hammer an
Unacceptable Injun: The Long
Occupation and Other Matters
Milton Blake. Tamarack Publishing.
$12.99 paper (230p),

Chuck Waldron. Bublish.

$4.99 e-book, ASIN
B01MG3C377
Amazon, Apple iBooks,
BN.com, Kobo

Blogger Matt Tremain,

covering rioting in
Toronto, uncovers a
conspiracy to rid the city of undesirables. He puts his life on the line to
expose CleanSweep.
The Courtyard
Corpse
Sherry Lodge.
CreateSpace. $2.99
e-book, ASIN
B01MRZ8VU0
Amazon

Can daytime concierge and around-the-clock sleuth

Cassie Hall discover who murdered
golfer and resident millionaire Kip Ace
before its too late?

Romey Connell. Elvis the Gunslinger. $9.69

paper (224p), ISBN 978-0-9976490-9-3
Amazon

Levels: A Talbot Singh Mystery

D.H. Richards. Shirtsleeve Press. $4.99
e-book, ASIN B01LWY1B9R
Amazon

In a megacity of the
future, Singh is a
small-time fixer torn
between authorities
from the rich upper
levels and organized
crime from poor lower
levels while investigating a murder.

SF/Fantasy/Horror
Abe Lincoln on Acid
Brian Anthony & Bill Walker. Walker & Anthony
Publications. $17.95 paper (334p),
ISBN 978-0-9897457-7-2; $1.99 e-book,
ASIN B01FV4W6MO
Amazon

When Lincoln awakens in the turbulent

1960s, he embarks on
a psychedelic quest to
save his country from
a final reckoning. Will
B O O K L I F E .C O M

47

PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS
Abe succeed, or will he turn on, tune in,
and drop out?

attempt to explore the duality of personality and character.

Akiri: The Scepter of Xarbaal

Tied in Illusion

Brian D. Anderson and Steven Savile. Longfire

Press. $3.99 e-book,
ASIN B01MA3PZWQ
Amazon

K.C. Rob. CreateSpace.

$9.99 e-book,
ASIN B01N9GMIZM
Amazon, Kobo,
Smashwords

A new fantasy adventure set in a world of

mad kings, fantastical
creatures, and terrible
magic.
Montenegro, Book One:
Cemetery Candles
Estela Vazquez Perez. Outskirts Press. $2.99
e-book, ASIN B011EQ8U14
Outskirtspress.com, Amazon, BN.com,
Books-A-Million

This horror story of

forbidden love traverses decades in
which characters slip
into macabre realms
as they consort with
vampires, werewolves,
ghosts, and witches.
Terra 12: Paradise Found
Ryan Baxter. Ryan Baxter. $6.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-9915974-6-8
Amazon, BN.com, Smashwords

In 2298 the barrier

that has restricted
man to his solar
system has been
breached. Twelve
ships are tasked to
locate a Terra-like
planet. But who
expected to find a world like Terra?

Romance & Erotica

Other Side

When Dr. Sophie

Devero meets Dr. Jack
Carson, she cant help but want to desperately to get to know him. But another
man is interested in Dr. Devero and will
stop at nothing to get her.

Nonfiction
7-10 Split: My Journey as Americas
Whitest Black Kid
Michael Gordon Bennett. Bennett Global
Entertainment. $16.95 paper (330p),
ISBN 978-0-9864162-0-0; $9.99 e-book,
ASIN B00UO6ZOAO
Amazon, BN.com

At age five, the author

escapes Americas
fractious racial climate for the friendly
streets of Madrid,
Spain, only to return
three years later to be captured by
hatreds web.
Burning the Vines: A Memoir
Michelle Mazal. Vivid Publishing. $23.95
paper (168p), ISBN 978-1-925515-54-1
Vividpublishing.com.au, Amazon

A morality story of the

dehumanizing effects
that parental abuse of
alcohol can have on
families, children in
particular, at times
harrowing and poignant.

Ray Hollar-Gregory. Ray

Hollar-Gregory. $11.99
paper (228p), ISBN 9780-9975448-0-0
Amazon

Deliverance Mary Fields, First

African American Woman Star
Route Mail Carrier in the United States:
A Montana History

Viewed through the

experiences of Jordan
Baros, a young attorney, this story is an

Miantae Metcalf McConnell. Huzzah

Publishing. $21.95 paper (532p), ISBN 9780-9978770-0-7; $9.99 e-book, ISBN 978-

48 B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

0-9978770-1-4
Amazon, BN.com

Former slave Mary

Fields perseveres to
transform the lives of
nuns, Indians, homesteaders, and in the
process, her own. With
daring grit, this pioneer fights for her
rights and wins.
Doing More with Less: Organizational
Learning and the OLSET Tool
Anthi Theiopoulou. CreateSpace. $21 paper
(112p), ISBN 978-1-5405-1373-1
Amazon

The author presents

breakthrough
research in organizational learning
to guide you in
bolstering your
organizations
future by making it learn sustainably.
Federal Prison Handbook:
The Definitive Guide to Surviving
the Federal Bureau of Prisons
Christopher Zoukis. Middle Street Publishing.
$49.95 paper (TKp), ISBN 978-0-69279973-4
Amazon,
Prisonlegalnews.org

This survival guide to

the Federal Bureau of
Prisons teaches soonto-be and current
federal inmates everything they need to know about federal
incarceration.
Gods Word or Human Reason? An
Inside Perspective on Creationism
Jonathan Kane, Emily Willoughby, and T.
Michael Keesey. Inkwater Press. $39.95
hardcover (424p), ISBN
978-1-62901-372-5
Amazon, BN.com,
Powells Books

Five former youngEarth creationists

explore how the scientific method does

PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS
more to glorify God than to denigrate
him.
Healing Wisdom for a Wounded World:
My Life-Changing Journey Through a
Shamanic School (Book 1)
Weam Namou. Hermiz Publishing. $15 paper
(341p), ISBN 978-09776790-4-1; $3.99
e-book, ASIN
B01B8VGDSM
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram

Namou recounts her

life-changing journey
through author and
mystic Lynn V. Andrewss four-year shamanic school.
Hood: Trailblazer of the Genomics Age
Luke Timmerman.
Bandera Press. $29.95
hardcover (425p), ISBN
978-0-9977093-0-8
Amazon

The story of Leroy

Hood, who developed
the first automated
DNA sequencerthe tool that forever
changed biology.
Intuition: Language of the Soul,
Book One (The Blue Book)
Tyger Kahn. BookBaby. $19.99 paper (218p),
ISBN 978-1-4835-7252-9
Amazon

Kabbalistic insight
into the world of clairvoyance and self-discovery, guiding
individuals onto the
path of finding their
purpose in life.
Jay: Short Stories, Insights, and
Lessons from a Life of Hope and
Abundance
Jay Reed. Lulu Publishing.
$9.99 paper (76p), ISBN
978-1-4834-5769-7;
$4.99 e-book, ISBN
978-1-4834-5770-3
Amazon, BN.com, BooksA-Million, Lulu

From struggling but happy child to

reflective adult, Reed covers the spectrum of emotions with hope always on
the horizon.
Let Go, Heal, Be Happy: An In-Depth
Roadmap to Life-Long Emotional
Mastery
Mark Linden OMeara.
Soul Care Publishing.
$19.95 paper (336p),
ISBN 978-0-98127178-1
Amazon, BN.com,
Chapters, Indigo

Sometimes life can leave you with unresolved emotions. Learn about emotions,
gain insight, develop new beliefs, heal,
and let go to transform adversity into
strength, resilience, and joy.
Manly Manners: Lifestyle & Modern
Etiquette for the Young Man of the
21st Century
Wayne James. iUniverse.
$52.95 hardcover
(840p), ISBN 978-14917-9427-2
Amazon, BN.com,
iUniverse

A cutting-edge treatise on international manners and etiquette. Everything from how to conduct
oneself at an audience with the pope to
the etiquette of gay saunas is discussed.
Marketing for CEOs:
Death or Glory in the
Digital Age
Ben Legg. Marketing for
CEOs. $24.99 paper
(148p), ISBN 978-0692-66929-7
Amazon, BN.com

If youre a chief marketing officer, read

this before your CEO does.
Middle East Affairs:
War Adventures of Zahos Hadjifotiou
in Tobruk, El Alamein and Rimini
Zahos Hadjifotiou. Stergiou. $12.99 paper
(178p), ISBN 978-1-5349-0637-2; $7.80
e-book, ISBN 978-1-910370-83-4

Amazon, BN.com

The book recounts the

authors true adventures in legendary
events of World War II
(the siege of Tobruk
and the battles of El
Alamein and Rimini) in
1941, when Zahos was 17 years old.
The Power of KM: Harnessing the
Extraordinary Value of Knowledge
Management
Brent N. Hunter. Spirit
Rising Productions.
$9.99 e-book,
ASIN B01MG3EGOQ
Amazon

A step-by-step,
comprehensive,
integrated, holistic, and universal KM
strategy that can be utilized in any
organization.
Speaking What Is Not: Finding a Way
to Wholeness
Richard Atwood.
Outskirts Press. $14.95
paper (151p),
ISBN 978-1-47877379-5
Outskirtspress.com,
Amazon, BN.com

This book attempts to integrate Eastern

and Western perspectives by comparing
and contrasting the ideas and practices
of human philosophy and the human
condition.
Tales of Titans: From Rome to the
Renaissance, Vol. I
Rich DiSilvio. DV Books.
$11.99 paper (152p),
ISBN 978-0-99768078-2; $2.99 e-book,
ISBN 978-0-99768079-9
Amazon, BN.com,
Ingram, OverDrive

DiSilvio brings great historical figures to

life in concise essays with engaging
narratives.

B O O K L I F E .C O M

49

PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS
Technocracy in America: Rise of the
Info-State

structs recent disasters arising from the

use of electronic communication. The
stories act as modern parables, teaching lessons that are applicable to all who
these mediums.

Parag Khanna. CreateSpace. $7.99 e-book,

ASIN B01LX46FXZ
Amazon

The best form of

government is not
American democracy
but the direct technocracy found in
other countries from
which America must
learn if it wants to lead the 21st century.
UnSend: Email, Text, and Social Media
Disasters...and How
to Avoid Them
Kent Alan Robinson.
CreateSpace. $22.55
paper (206p), ISBN 9781-5187-3812-8
Amazon

Childrens/YA
Bedtime for Buzzy
T.J. Hackworth, illus. by Sean Baptist.
Downtown & Brown Ventures. $14.95 hardcover (28p), ISBN 978-0-9977391-0-7;
$2.99 e-book, ISBN 978-0-9977391-1-4
Amazon, BN.com, IndieBound, Target

A young boy is
playing with
his toys and
doesnt want
to go to bed.
One by one
his toys come to life and convince him
that going to sleep is the best way to
continue his adventures.

This book deconFantasy World

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J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

C.R. Sturgill. DreamHeart Books. $10.99

paper (284p), ISBN 978-0-9885653-5-7;
99 e-book, ASIN B01MSK8SZS
Amazon

After getting transported to Nibiru,

unpopular Spence
gets a chance to finally
earn respect from his
classmates. But leading them on the gods
quest might result in all their deaths.
Miss E.
Brian Herberger. Bublish. $12.99 paper
(256p), ISBN 978-0-9974875-4-1; $4.99
e-book, ASIN B01CF47D44
Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com

A high school girl in

1967 deals with her
father leaving for
Vietnam, a challenging history assignment, and a
mysterious woman
with a secret thats
been hidden away for decades.

3:04 PM

Prince Pounce-a-Lot
Fay Lorraine Sueltz. AuthorHouse. $20.99
paper (50p), ISBN 978-1-5049-5549-2;
$3.99 e-book, ISBN 978-1-5049-5857-8
Amazon

Prince, a loving but

selfish puppy,
writes about his
true life adventures
as he grows into a
gorgeous standard
poodle. He discovers teamwork, and his occasional
leadership makes everyone happy.
Rebirth of the Dark Ones
Clint Charles Fryer. iUniverse. $8.95 paper
(84p), ISBN 978-1-4401-0924-9; $3.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-4401-0925-6
Amazon

A young boy named

Foo, with the help of
his true love, crazy
old wizards, and mystical creatures, helps
a young king battle
the evil sorceress
Anjelika over the kingdom of Jetskia.
Steak at Stake: A Food Allergy Story
Desire DeNourie, illus. by James Balkovek.
Mascot Books. $14.95 hardcover (38p),
ISBN 978-1-63177176-7
Mascotbooks.com,
Amazon, BN.com

Cole loves eating at

restaurants, especially
when steak is on the
menu. The problem is
Cole has many food allergies and sometimes people struggle with tolerance.

For more information

about marketing your
book with PW Select,
visit:
booklife.com/about-us/
pw-select.html.

REVIEWS

Fiction
Abe Lincoln on Acid
Brian Anthony and Bill Walker. Walker/
Anthony, $17.95 trade paper (334p) ISBN 9780-9897457-7-2

vocabulary adds to the dialogue feeling

strained. At the outset Barrett warns readers
that she doesnt mind anachronisms, and
she provides them in abundance including
product placements and some riffs on pop
culture, with nods to The Princess Bride
and Star Wars.

In the joyful sequel to Abe Lincoln: Public

Enemy No. 1, Anthony and Walker continue
their goofy, endearing adventures of an
immortal ex-president battling the evil of
Hoovers henchmen during the Summer of
Love. This charming yarn speeds along at a
breakneck pace but takes time to linger on
pleasant nostalgia trips, as Lincoln reprises
his penchant for bank heists and daring
escapes, expanding his interests to psychedelic experiences. With the gentle, constant
support of folk singer John Voci, Lincoln
crosses the country twice in search of himself, like everyone else in the psychedelic
era. Along the way he inspires radical
youths, gives support to a noble minister,
and explores his own legacy. The authors
irreverence is enhanced by an obvious affection for the material. Though the setting
and situations are absurd, the perils contrived, and the outcome preordained, the
journey is made worth the trouble by the
protagonists relentless optimism coupled
with steely pragmatism. Readers will
delight in this fun, frivolous indulgence.

Away from the Sun

Antona Barclay and Her Scottish

Claymore

Burned

Jane Carter Barrett. River Grove Books,

$16.95 trade paper (344p) ISBN 978-1-63299038-9

Barretts debut romance, set in the

Scotland of 1586, feels like a near miss that,
at times, tries a bit too hard. At a dinner in
the family castle, the redoubtable Miss
Antona Barclay meets the love of her life
in the gorgeous Breck Claymore and two
staunch foes in thuggish Rex Throckmorton
and his evil genius father, Sir Basil. When
Antona learns that she is, in fact, the
daughter of Mary, Queen of Scots, she is
determined to meet her mother whatever
the obstacles. Sir Basil has his own megalomaniac scheme for her, while Rexs plan is
of a much cruder nature. Kidnappings, rescues, and revelations ensue, but it all drags
on for a bit too long. The polysyllabic

Rebecca Brisbane. CreateSpace, $14.95

trade paper (354p) ISBN 978-1-5008-0955-3

In Brisbanes muddled crime novel,

police officer Kelsie Lee Ray pursues the
Fable Killerso named because the killer
leaves a handwritten moral at every crime
scenein her hometown of Ridge Haven,
Pa. Hampering her efforts are her struggles
with her boss, Lieutenant Bryant, who
believes shes incompetent, and her conflicted feelings toward her married cop
partner, Dack Marshall. The suspense rises
as the Fable Killer puts her in his crosshairs.
Though some exchanges of dialogue help
bring the story to life, readers will have
trouble keeping track of the underdeveloped characters and knowing whom to care
about. Awkward prose abounds (It was a
growing, adapting framework perhaps, but
it was the atmosphere where she had cultivated the elementary ingredients).
Brisbane offers only a minor plot twist en
route to the unsatisfying climax and
resolution.

A. Blythe. Red Palm, $3.99 e-book (301p)

ASIN B01DFCMS5E

In this first installment of the Magic

Bullet series, a supernatural secret agent is
disavowed by her bosses, depowered, and
thrust into a world of trouble after a mission
goes terribly wrong. Now djinn Alyse
Winters is back home in Philadelphia
without access to her usual resources or any
idea of why shes been burned, and with
any number of enemies hot on her tail. To
make ends meet, she takes a retrieval job for
the mob. However, when she becomes a
suspect in a series of brutal murders
involving missing body parts, shes forced
to investigate in order to clear her name.
Luckily, she still has a few good friends on
her side. Blythe (Death Match) focuses a
great deal on worldbuilding and setting up
the premise, but this is still a fast-paced,

somewhat over-the-top adventure. Her

heroine is resourceful, determined, and
smart-mouthed, able to roll with the constant surprises and twists. Though this does
have a paint-by-numbers urban-fantasy feel
to it, Alyses world of magic, mayhem, and
murder has plenty of potential for further
entertaining entries.

Casting in Stone
Morgan Smith. CreateSpace, $2.99 e-book
(134p) ISBN 978-1-5239-9704-6

Smiths second Averraine Cycle installment (after A Spell in the Country) is a short,
concise journey to self-knowledge. In a tiny
mountain village in a remote part of a fantasy world, Caoimhe lives as quietly as she
can to escape her past. But even in so remote
a place, trouble comes to find her. Though
she is the ruler of the area in name, she has
taken no interest in leading or protecting
her people. Since her infancy, Caoimhe has
been hated and rejected by her family, and
she only found a home after being orphaned
and taken in by a household that eventually
gave her a place as a warrior and protector.
Now her origins have come to haunt her
village, as have outsiders who would force
her to take up the fate she has spent a lifetime trying to escape. Smith has crafted a
simple, dangerous world and a fascinating
protagonist. The pace is a little slow, and in
some places unnecessarily static. The
ending is sudden and relies on Caoimhes
good luck and sharp instincts, but Smith
has taken pains to establish those as the
heroines traits. The story never cheats,
leading to a surprisingly satisfying
conclusion.

Chain of Mercy
Brenda S. Anderson. Vivant, $13.99 trade
paper (356p) ISBN 978-0-9862147-1-4

Anderson paints a story of loss and

redemption that occasionally packs a powerful punch but is ultimately hamstrung by
unlikable characters and uneven writing.
Manhattan executive Richard Brooks seems
to have it all, but his inner demons and past
secrets soon rise from the shadows to ruin
his high-flying life. Retreating home to
Minnesota, he hides behind a blue-collar
job, where he meets corporate executive and
man-hunter Sheila Peterson. From the start,
their relationship blows hot and cold and
B O O K L I F E .C O M 50a

REVIEWS
secrets from both of their pasts bubble up
to throw into doubt the outcome of their
romance. Heavy issues such as abortion,
death, forgiveness, and mercy complicate
both of their lives and impact their spiritual
journeys in significant ways. Anderson does
a fine job exploring the nuances of Christian
faith with its common companions guilt
and grace. While ultimately about life,
hope and faith, the story falters early on and
risks not engaging readers emotions and
attention spans. Those who stick with it
will look forward to Richard and Sheilas
story in future installments of this Coming
Home series.

The Devils Due

L.D. Beyer. Old Stone Mill, $15.99 trade paper
(275p) ISBN 978-0-9963857-5-6

Beyers historical novel displays a formidable grasp of the events surrounding the
fight for Irish independence. Frank
Kelleher, falsely accused of murder and
treason, steals a passport and flees Limerick,
Ireland, for New York City in December
1920, leaving behind his fiance, Kathleen.
Franks stay in New York City is jarringly
brief. When he learns of Kathleens pregnancy, he returns home. Little has changed
in the few months since his absence.
Despite a cease-fire, Ireland continues to
be in turmoil, and Frank remains a target
of both the British and the Irish Republican
Army. Franks personal losses and the
reawakening of a childhood trauma add
welcome drama to the narrative, which at
times can be limited by its strict adherence
to historical chronology. Beyer (In Sheeps
Clothing) capably conveys Franks conflicting feelings of devotion to his home
territory. An authors note shares that
Franks story is loosely based on that of
Beyers Irish grandfather.

Double Talk: A Warren Kingsley

Mystery
Sherban Young. MysteryCaper, $20 hardcover
(260p) ISBN 978-0-9912324-8-2

Warren Kingsley has a casual work ethic,

as shown by Youngs zany third whodunit
featuring the inept bodyguard (after 2015s
Double Cover). Warren prefers to wander
from one activity to another, usually at the
expense of whatever he was supposed to be
doing in the first place. As a consequence
50b B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

of that attitude, Warren has an uninspiring

track record protecting his charges. Hes
given a new chance to make good when he
lands a gig as the speechwriter for the
reelection campaign of Frederick Abbott,
the mayor of Kilobyte, a city founded by a
prosperous vitamin salesman who dabbled
in computer science. A cast of eccentric
characters presents Warren with an array of
possible suspects when the political campaign turns deadly. At one point, Warren
fears that an intruder into his home has
planted poison in his food, based on how his
cereal box is positioned. If this entry isnt
quite as funny as its predecessor, genre
readers in the mood for silliness and the
occasional out-loud laugh will still be
rewarded.

Forest Child
Heather Day Gilbert. WoodHaven, $13 trade
paper (290p) ISBN 978-0-9978279-0-3

In the second and final installment of her

Vikings of the New World Saga, Gilbert
focuses on Freydis, daughter of Eirik the
Red, and the expedition she led with two
Icelandic traders to Vinland (presumed to
be an area near Newfoundland). Based primarily on the Saga of the Greenlanders,
Gilbert deftly fleshes out Freydiss story
while remaining true to the bones of the
historical record. Freydis is treacherous and
deceitful, certainly not afraid to goad her
devoted, albeit flawed, husband into putting her opponents to death. However, the
fictionalized elements produce a protagonist motivated by maternal protectiveness
and a desire for righteous punishmenther
brutality justified, and her fearless determination respectable. Her brother Leif and
best friend, Gudrid, are Christians; Freydiss
conversion comes later in this story.
Ultimately, they must balance Viking laws
and traditions against their adopted
Christianity and its monotheistic tenets of
truth and forgiveness. A glossary is provided, but Gilbert skillfully limits her use
of Norse vocabulary to enhance the experience without bogging down the reader.
Gilbert crafts an engaging story depicting
timeless human struggles with faith, love,
loyalty, and leadership.

The Golden Hag: Rippinger, Book 5

Rod Johnston. Trans Mountain, $12.95 trade

paper (326p) ISBN 978-0-9719872-9-6

Johnston effectively blends murder and

the supernatural in his exciting fifth thriller
featuring U.S. marshal Cain Rippinger
(after 2015s Buoy 13). Rippinger, sort of
an ad-hoc agent that handles various details
for the park service, is dispatched to kill
about a dozen mountain goats near
Washington States Mount Olympus that
have become a nuisance, but that mundane
assignment becomes anything but when it
turns out that the pilot of the small plane
transporting him is actually Vindikis, an
angel he once saw and spoke to before.
([Vindikiss] presence correlated with
unbelievable rescues that would otherwise
have left me, and others, dead, muses
Rippinger.) When the plane returns to the
airfield, Rippinger loses credibility when
hes told that no one saw anyone else in the
aircraft with him. That unsettling opening
is just the prologue to another bizarre case,
in which Rippinger probes a murder in a
hot spring on federal land near Olympic
National Park and crosses paths with a cult
and evil spirits. Johnstons solid prose helps
to sell the paranormal premise.

Heavenly Khan
Victor Cunrui Xiong. Airiti Press, $10 trade
paper (278p) ISBN 978-986-6286-66-7

This fictional chronicle of the transition

between the Sui and Tang dynasties in
ancient China dwells on the minutiae of the
court, producing a lackluster narrative.
While there is some promise of excitement
in the early struggles between the Li family
(who eventually take power as the Tang) and
the Sui forces, the description of these battles is supplanted by the details of daily life
in the imperial Tang court. The pages are
full of the quotidian edicts of the second
Tang emperor, Li Shimin, many followed
by reversals as advised by Wei Zheng and
other counselors who continually recommend leniency and frugality. In addition
there are some modern phrases in the dialogue (Ill go 50-50 with you) that ring
false in the historical context. The few maps
included give this the feel of a dry historical
text rather than a vibrant work of fiction.
While overall this may be an accurate portrayal of imperial court life, it makes for
rather dull reading.

REVIEWS
Isabella and the Tale of the
Unanswered Question

Linda Whittaker. CreateSpace, $12.99 trade

paper (312p) ISBN 978-1-49483-306-0

This whimsical and inspired debut cleverly disguises deep philosophical questions
with a YA-style fantasy adventure. Dutiful,
quiet Isabella is burdened with a nagging
secret and nightmares. After encountering
revelers near her forest home (the precise
setting is left unclear), Isabella begins to
question her mundane life. A telepathic
raven offers Isabella a choice that leads her
to a kingdom where people, animals, and
even the river can read her mind. She
delights in royal accommodations until the
king tells her she must find a book that will
save the land from dark forces. Meanwhile,
a present-day story line follows the treatment of a comatose woman. Intricate characters and dream sequences are continually
introduced, leading readers to wonder
whats real, imaginary, or metaphorical.
Whittaker delivers wisdom with style in
this brilliant examination of the consequences of choices, and readers may begin
to question their own deepest secrets and
dreams.

Lady of the Bridge

Laura Kitchell. Laura Kitchell, $6.99 trade
paper (152p) ASIN B015ZIGMOK

Kitchells warmhearted 17th-century

Japanese historical romance (after Lady of
the Imperial Court) beguiles the reader with
passion, secrets, and deadly action. Forwardthinking warrior princess Saiko is tormented
when her father, the most powerful man in
Japan, informs her that she will become the
consort to the figurehead emperor. She seeks
solitude at her favorite bridge, where she
meets elite loyal samurai Hosokawa
Takamori. An immediate attraction between
the two grows steadily during their daily
clandestine meetings. Saiko evades
Takamoris inquiries about her identity and
their future, as defying honor and the protocols of duty can have deadly consequences.
When Saikos father assigns Takamori to
escort her to the emperor, she manages to
keep her secret until the retinue is attacked.
Saiko uses her warrior skills alongside
Takamoris as they race across Japan to safety.
While awaiting reinforcements, they create
blissful intimate memories and strategize

how to defeat their enemies. Just when it

looks as though loyalty will win out over
love, a twist of fate brings happiness within
their reach. Cultural and historical nuances
and a spirited heroine overcome a meandering beginning and a less developed hero
in this fine period romance.

Mercy First and Last

Katie Hanrahan. Newcastlewest Books,
$19.95 trade paper (282p) ISBN 978-09967131-2-2

Hanrahan engages readers with her portrayal of women struggling in a patriarchal

society, focusing on the true story of Sarah
Curran, whose personal rebellion against
her dictatorial father nearly destroyed her.
Sarah was the daughter of noted Irish lawyer
John Philpot Curran, champion of Catholic
emancipation and defender of accused traitors to Ireland in the late 18th century, a
tumultuous period of Irish rebellion against
British rule. Hanrahans book is replete
with powerful characters, and John is portrayed as a tyrant with his wife and children;
when he discovers Sarahs clandestine courtship withand subsequent engagement
torevolutionary leader Robert Emmet,
he beats her almost to death, then disowns
her. When Robert becomes a hunted man
after a botched uprising, he begs Sarah to
elope and leave Ireland. After a slow start,
the novel begins to have a more feverish
cadence, bringing to life a passionate rebel
and her place in Irish lore.

One and a Half Regrets

J.A. Coffey. J.A. Coffey, $0.99 e-book (188p)
ASIN B01J26O6NO

In this short and tender romance, a classical violinist and a rock musician tentatively build a romance despite big secrets
and wildly different lifestyles. Beth
MacGuire has given up her dreams of
playing violin to be a waitress at the Seattle
pub that she co-owns with her brother. Her
priority is caring for her 10-month-old
daughter and alcoholic mother. Then her
ex-boyfriend, drummer Liam Hensley,
breezes into town with his band and is eager
to reestablish their relationship. Beth and
Liams backstoryhow Liam broke up
their once-close relationship when he
signed on with the band and left Seattle,
and how Beth became a single motheris

quickly established. Beths unwillingness

to tell Liam about her child is promptly
introduced, but the full details of the other
obstacles to their renewed relationship are
more slowly revealed. This adds some tension to the plot, but the roadblocks are
easily resolved. The narrative flows quickly,
with natural dialogue and alternating perspectives that convey Beth and Liams tight
relationship and make them sympathetic.

Painted Trillium
Robert Brandt. Wandering in the Words,
$13.99 trade paper (240p) ISBN 978-09967878-5-7

Brandts engaging first novel follows the

life of a young woman living in Murfreesboro,
Tenn., during the Civil War. Carrie Blaylock,
her mother, and her little sister live under
Union occupation along with a former slave
and her son. The army consumes everything,
leaving the family teetering on the edge of
starvation. Life is worse for the Blaylocks
because Carries fianc and brother fought
and died for the Confederacy, making the
family traitors. Carries loneliness and fear
threaten to consume her until Capt. John
Lockridge comes to investigate the theft of
the familys pigs by fellow Union soldiers. A
deep friendship blooms, but Carrie resists
her increasingly strong feelings for John. Not
only is he an enemy solider, but she has
decided to live a life independent of any man.
Brandt explores the complexities of the Civil
War, handling war, race, and gender with
brutal honesty. Characters struggle to line
up their political ideals, regardless of their
views, with the reality of war and the human
suffering of everyone involved. Brant has
published several nonfiction books on
Tennessee history and culture and uses that
background to paint the essence and struggles of the men and women of the Civil War
into a rich novel.

Poet of the Wrong Generation

Lonnie Ostrow. Harmony Rivers Press, $15.99
trade paper (465p) ISBN 978-0-9974042-0-3

Johnny Elias is a poet and finds affinity

with classic rockers and songwriters in
1990s New York City. His love of music is
only eclipsed by his love for Megan Price.
The two are social stratospheres apart, and
their love is pure but not approved of by
Megans overbearing and deceptive mother,
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PR guru Katherine. When Megan deals
Johnny a heartbreaking blow, his grief
pours out into verse and melody. With the
help of his mentor, Howard, Johnny finds
himself leading charts with a hit single,
landing a record deal, and heading up a
concert tour. His abrupt rise to fame is
countered by the demise of his career and
an unlikely path back to the top. Ostrows
characters are static, especially Johnny, who
hardly seems changed from the starry-eyed
college student at the novels outset; the
sole exception is Katherine, whose
treachery and deceit reaches Disneyvillain-esque proportions. Music-industry
information fills the pages, and the author
clearly did his research; the backstage
world is just as fascinating as front-page
stardom. However, the situations and supporting characters are clichs at best, some
bordering on empty tropes and generic
plotting.

Ravens Peak
Lincoln Cole. KDP, $3.49 e-book (217p) ISBN
978-0-9972259-7-6

Demons rise from the shadows in the

bland kickoff to Coles World on Fire
supernatural adventure series. Abigail
Dressler narrowly escapes a brutally powerful demon that may have killed her
mentor, Arthur Vangeest; the trial leaves
her lacking a number of important memories. She is sent by the Council of Chaldea
to the small town of Ravens Peak, Tenn.,
where something is causing mysterious
chaos. The council hopes that this job
might help Abigail remember what happened to her when she was taken by the
demon several months before. Desperate
to discover Arthurs fate, Abigail defies the
councils orders and risks more than her
life as she faces both her past and the
demons plotting to destroy her. Cole
(Graveyard of Empires) portrays Abigail as
an energetic, spunky young woman of a
sort readers have seen many times before.
The novel is built upon a clichd supernatural story line, leaving the plot feeling
flat and overdone.

Ring of Time
Andrew Seddon. Splashdown, $13.99 trade
paper (259p) ISBN 978-1-927154-38-0

Seddon (Wreaths of Empire) turns time50d B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

travel tropes into a somber, poignant, and

beautifully written story of loss, compassion, and faith. Robert Cragg is a history
professor at CamOx University in 2655.
He volunteers to enter the Temporal
Displacement Ring to visit the past, but he
can only observe, lacking any ability to
change history. Devastated by the recent
deaths of his wife and daughter, Cragg
searches for purpose in the past and the
comfort of fate. He tours the Roman
Empire between 15 B.C.E. and 415 C.E.,
from Londinium to Egypt, living among
the people he studies and taking information back to his present. In historically
accurate set pieces, Cragg tries to save the
dog of Pompeii, learns the truth of the siege
of Masada, and witnesses the Romans
crushing Queen Boudiccas rebellion in
Britannia. He encounters Amazonian gladiators, religious zealots, and a vengeful
former student. When he meets the
charming philosopher Tesia in Alexandria,
he dares to hope that he can love again.
Eschewing technical jargon, Seddon
focuses on the emotional journey, using
elegant, sentimental prose to depict a man
wracked with grief who has the faith to face
his future while in the past. Those familiar
with Seddons overtly Christian books will
note some inspirational themes here, but
theyre a subtle, organic part of the narrative and unlikely to put off non-Christian
readers.

Thunder Road
Sierra Dean. Sierra Dean, $4.99 e-book
(261p) ASIN B01ESO8NPM

A storm gods priestess engages in highspeed action and death-defying adventure

in this fast-paced urban fantasy, the first in
the Rain Chaser series. After Tallulah
Corentine steals a treasure from Manea, the
goddess of death, on behalf of her patron,
storm god Seth, shes dragged into a contest
of wills between the two deities. Manea has
threatened to kill Seths son, and so Tallulah
is dispatched to track him down and take
him to a safe haven. Shes given help in the
form of Cade, who serves the goddess of bad
luck, and the two unlikely allies must race
cross-country while avoiding a host of
supernatural dangers. Dean (Black Magic
Bayou) opens the story with fast cars and
adrenaline-pumping excitement, but the

pace sometimes lags later on. The worldbuilding and cosmology are complicated
and unclear: the gods come from a hodgepodge of belief systems, including Greek,
Roman, Egyptian, and Hindu, while also
fulfilling specific archetypical roles, but
how exactly it works is never fully
explained. Nonetheless, this is a solidly
entertaining tale that grabs the reader right
from the start.

Transfer Day: Special Centennial

Edition 19172017
Sophie Schiller. Sophie Schiller, $13.99 trade
paper (386p) ISBN 978-0-615653-43-3

The 1917 transfer of the Danish West

Indies to the United States, which forestalled imperial Germanys hopes to control
strategically valuable ports during WWI,
provides the background for Schillers
engaging historical thriller. In 2001, journalist Sren Jensen, still grieving over the
loss of his wife, travels from Copenhagen to
the Virgin Islands to investigate a report
that documents exist supporting the claim
of Abigail Maduro to have personally
thwarted a German invasion of the islands.
Abigail recently died at the age of 101, and
Sren meets her granddaughter, Claire
Lehman, a possible new love interest
(Claires eyes have an inner fire, a boldness
that resonated deep within him). Claire
gives Sren access to her ancestors diary,
which details the teenage Abigails growth
into self-sufficiency and her role in countering German espionage before the sale of
the islands. Schiller deftly blends fact and
fiction in a page-turner with emotional
resonance.

Trident
John Moran. Atelier, $10.95 trade paper
(288p) ISBN 978-1-5331-4676-2

Fans of Jack Higginss The Eagle Has

Landed may enjoy Morans suspenseful
espionage thriller set during the summer of
1943. When Det. Insp. Daniel Gale inspects
the naked body of an unidentified man in a
shabby flat in Londons Mayfair district, the
womans stocking wrapped around his neck
suggests that he was murdered by the socalled Ligature Killer, who strangled three
men over a period of 12 months before the
start of WWII. Gale, however, feels something is not quite right. Then a commanding

REVIEWS
stranger bursts into the room, identifies
himself as MI5, and declares that the dead
man just might be a bloody Nazi spy. Two
weeks earlier in Berlin, Adm. Wilhelm
Canaris, the head of the German Abwehr,
realizes that Prime Minister Winston
Churchill will likely soon be sailing on the
Queen Mary to America. Moran (Allegiance)
knows how to keep readers on the edge of
their seats (As he turned the corner onto
Jardine Road, he heard the squeal of cars
arriving at the building that housedhe
hopedthree dead men).

Two Ways Home

Sondra Kraak. Trail House, $12.99 trade
paper (291p) ISBN 978-1-5355-6701-5

Kraaks winsome Christian historical

romance traces the path of redemption by
going home again. Set just before the turn
of the century, the novel begins in tiny Pine
Creek, Wash., a town without much to
offer young people who dream of bigger
things. So Mary Smith decides to go off to
Portland to study music. But with her
father at risk of losing their struggling
dairy farm, she decides to return home and
help make ends meet by milking cows by
day and playing piano for miners and lumberjacks by night. Marys old enemy from
childhood, Luke Thomas, always dreamed
of becoming a Texas Ranger, but when he
left Pine Creek to pursue that career, his
reasons turned out to be more complicated
than mere goodwill. Now he has come back
home to Pine Creek, wounded, amid a
heated race for sheriff. Effective flashbacks
reveal a lifelong friendly antagonism
between Luke and Mary, fleshing out their
characters and offering perspective on the
couples current relationshipone that
appears doomed from the start. Kraak provides plenty of twists and turns in this leisurely paced fun novel centered on
Christian values.

Valley of the Kings:

The 18th Dynasty
Terrance Coffey. Helm House, $15.95 trade
paper (404p) ISBN 978-0-692-75658-4

In his engaging first book, Coffey breathes

life into the pharaohs, kings, queens, and citizens of ancient Egypt and other nations. Set in
the 14th century B.C.E., the book is filled with
passionate love, violent wars, and political

intrigue. It begins with Amenhotep III and

his addiction to a fatal drug, and the story continues with his oldest son, Amenhotep IV, who
renames himself Akenaten. The new pharaohs
regrettable decision to separate from Thebes
and the kingdoms pantheon heightens the
ongoing battle between royalty and religion,
which comes to a head when Akenatens chief
wife, Nefertiti, declares herself a pharaoh after
her husbands death. She is soon succeeded by
her son and the heir to the throne, the young
King Tut, who cannot escape his own fate.
Gods, priests, and military commanders are
entwined with the ruling family as three generations battle through subterfuge, magic, and
plague while trying to retain their power.
History buffs will recognize the tragic results
of treachery, war, and famine and can appreciate insightful details about ancient times,
such as when a statue of the disabled Akenaten
is created with perfect deformities that mirrored the shape of a god: his elongated head,
neck, and fingers, his newly formed potbelly
and wide feminine hips. Excellent research,
amplified by occasional footnotes and supplemented by images, adds believability to this
fictionalized history.

Nonfiction
The Great Heist
Jeff McArthur. Bandwagon, $12.95 paper
(200p) ISBN 978-1-4935-3269-8

Nebaska native McArthur (Pro Bono: The

18-Year Defense of Caril Ann Fugate) goes
into exhaustive detail in this meandering
account of a 1930 armed robbery of
Nebraskas Lincoln National Bank, in which
six men, armed with pistols and Thompson
submachine guns, got away with nearly
three million dollars (a record for that time).
The first chapter is a blow-by-blow account
of the actual robbery. The story loses focus
thereafter, spreading out in directions only
distantly related to the heist. McArthur discusses the effects on the bank and the community of losing that much money in the
days before federal insurance; he also tells of
the founding of the Secret Six, a group of rich
businessmen dedicated to combating lawlessness in Chicago, who were not in any way
involved in the heist, and includes an entire
chapter on Al Capone, who was only peripherally linked to the crime. More pertinent

parts describe the desperate efforts of

Lincoln DA Max Towle to nab somebody for
the crime and possibly get the money back.
Unfortunately, the many sidetracks in
McArthurs narrative take away from the
story of the crime.

Healing Wisdom for a Wounded

World: My Life-Changing Journey
Through a Shamanic School
Weam Namou. Hermiz, $15 trade paper
(241p) ISBN 978-0-9776790-3-4

Spiritual coach Namou (The Flavor of

Cultures) describes her personal journey in
this first volume of her four-part memoir. It
begins with a phone conversation between
Namou and author Lynn Andrews that was
an essential part of Namous development;
quotes and themes taken from this conversation are woven throughout the book, which
recounts how Namou processed and came to
terms with her childhood arrival in Detroit,
Mich., after emigrating from Baghdad at the
age of nine. Andrews encourages Namou to
participate in the Mystery School, a lineage
of learning based on Native American shamanic teachings, and this brings Namou a
sense of release from the traumatization of
being suddenly uprooted at such an early age
to move to a vastly different culture. This
thorough and descriptive first installment
includes a deep look into her Iraqi past and
Chaldean Christian background, and
explores how that spiritual upbringing has
influenced her present life. Spiritual terms
and symbols that could be new to some
readers are explained well throughout the
book. Readers interested in personal journeys of faith will be eager to follow Namou
along her spiritual path.

Healing Wisdom for a Wounded

World: My Life-Changing Journey
Through a Shamanic School
(Book 2)
Weam Namou. Hermiz, $15 trade paper
(328p) ISBN 978-1-945371-99-8

In this second installment of her fourbook series, spiritual coach Namou continues to describe her personal journey
through a shamanic school known as The
Mystery School. Taking up where the first
book left off, Weam shares some of her
meaningful telephone discussions with
mentor Lynn Andrewsfor example, its
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important to be responsible for yourself,
before you can be responsible to deal at all
with anyone else. As Namous second year
in The Mystery School requires her to
expand her studies, the book includes
descriptions of conversations with her
second-year mentor, Fiona. During these
conversations with Fiona, other participants from Namous Mystery School cohort
chime in to ask pertinent questions that
push their collective spiritual journey forward. In addition to relating her experience
with The Mystery School, Namou divulges
more about her personal and family life,
including her relationship with her husband, Sudaid, and their eight-year struggle
with immigration into the United States.
By the end of book two, readers will see
firsthand that settling her undecided immigration status gave way for Namou to feel
more freedom to write.

The Journey of Not Knowing: How

21st Century Leaders Can Chart
a Course Where There Is None
Julie Benezet. Morton Hill, $18.95 paper
(266p) ISBN 978-0-9978139-0-6

Former Amazon executive Benezets

book works as an effective pitch for the
authors consulting firm but has less to say
about the future of business as a whole. The
book begins with a brief look at Benezets
career at Amazon, revealing how she handled difficult real estate acquisitions during
the companys early expansion. This section
is the most relevant and clearly written
explanation of Benezets argument that true
leaders are comfortable with new challenges
and even welcome their associated discomfort. Elsewhere, the book is light on practical details. A large portion is taken up by
a short story, based on an amalgamation of
true stories, about a company trying to land
a much-needed contract. The drawback of
this section is that, as a work of fiction, its
happy ending is preordained. A reference to
Nelson Mandela also strikes a dissonant
note, since most of Benezets advice is aimed
squarely at business leaders. The essential
message for leadersto embrace the
unknown and get out of their own wayis
a smart one, but readers might prefer it to
be delivered with fewer quotations and
buzzwords.

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B O O K L I F E , J A N UA RY 2 3 , 2 0 1 7

Letters from the Pacific:

49 Days on a Cargo Ship
Sandra Shaw Homer. CreateSpace, $9.99
trade paper (132p) ISBN SBN 978-1-4944-7531-4

Homer (The Magnificent Dr. Wao) inspires

readers with this chronicle of a 49-day
voyage of exploration she took through
the South Pacificfrom the Panama Canal
to Tahiti, Fiji, New Caledonia, Australia,
and New Zealandas a passenger aboard a
cargo ship. Homer embarks on her journey
for a number of reasons: to experience again
the joy of being afloat in the vast, undefined watery spaces that she first felt as a
child on her fathers boat; to find some sort
of magic that would wipe out troubles
both physical (arthritis) and mental (doubts
about her long-time marriage); and, while
seeing other countries, to experience what
a friend tells her: Keep looking inward and
see what the moment has to teach you.
What she discoversand artfully
describesare the joys and hardships of life
on a working ship (A freighter is a noisy,
dirty, smelly beast), the beauty of the high
seas (With little warning, the red blob of
sun oozed forth from the primordial soup,
then slowly backlit the clouds above it, first
in mauve, then rose, then gold), and the
strength she finds to go back to her daily
life renewed, with a new appreciation for
the someone who has always been inside
me but has been ignored for too long.

The Sea Is Quiet Tonight:

A Memoir
Michael H. Ward. Querelle, $19.99 paper
(189p) ISBN 978-0-9967103-3-6

In his heart-wrenching debut memoir,

former psychotherapist Ward provides an
intimate portrait of the early days of the
AIDS epidemic through the lens of his
romantic relationship with the sea-loving
Mark Halberstadt, the 100th patient in
Massachusetts to be diagnosed with the disease. Following their chance encounter on
Fire Island, a combination of Mecca and
Oz for gay men in the 1970s and early 80s,
their infatuation blooms into a long-distance courtship between the East Coast and
Florida before the tragic turn in Marks
health. Wards attention to detail proves
invaluable in documenting the anxiety of
these uncertain years, when mysterious
stomach pains and fevers suddenly pro-

gressed into fatal conditions that arrived

like lightning bolts. The book includes
important glimpses into the emerging
AIDS subculturesuch as Louis Hays first
support groups and the founding of Bostons
AIDS Action Committee by Larry Kessler
but the disease is secondary to how romantic
love and commitment are strained when
confronted with the unimaginable. I feel
like a leper, Mark says from his hospital
room, which is labeled Precautionary
Isolation; visitors are required to wear
gowns, gloves, surgical caps, and masks.
Ward never hesitates when peering into the
abyss of this traumatic time, and the result
is a courageous and necessary addition to the
canon of AIDS literature.

When I Die, Take My Panties:

Turning Your Darkest Moments
into Your Greatest Gifts
Jennifer Coken. Persona, $16.95 trade paper
(246p) ISBN 978-0-9833715-3-3

Cokens debut memoir provides a closeup and, at times, funny view of dealing with
the illness and death of her mother while her
own life continued on. Her chronicle of her
mothers ovarian cancer is dotted with emotional retellings of key moments throughout
their relationship, including a cross-country
road trip, the support her mom offered her
while Coken was getting a divorce, and the
last night they got to spend together; both
big and small moments carry meaning in
Cokens life. The depth of this memoir
comes from the way her relationship with
her mother grew and the closeness she developed with her stepfather, but the focus
remains on Cokens feelings and thoughts as
she comes to terms with letting go.
Unfortunately, the book shifts quickly from
one point or scene to the next with little flow
and the story feels disjointed. Cokens
friends are often introduced at random, and
many of her conversations feel redundant or
dont contribute to the bigger issues shes
trying to tackle. The relatable content and
all-too-familiar story line make this an easy
book to engage with, though, and Cokens
honesty is genuine. Those who take the time
to journey with Coken will likely find comfort and a lesson at the end, much as she
found through her experiences.

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Childrens/YA
Ideal High
Valerie Ipson. Riverside Park, $14.50 paper
(424p) ISBN 978-0-9864246-1-8

First-time author Ipson weaves a suspenseful mystery about the deaths of several students from a West Texas high school
in a fire, an after-party gone wrong. One
week before the new school year begins, an
angry intruder comes on stage at the school
memorial service and insists that his
brother also died in the fire, even though
the boys name isnt mentioned. Though
the fire is initially ruled an accident,
emerging details and rumors about the
night it broke out collide with the harsh
realities of life at Ideal High. Ipson deftly
tackles universal themes of bullying,
alienation, loss, and renewed hope as
senior Taryn Young must decide if, as student body president and fire survivor, she
can pick up where good guy Blake
Montgomery left off and bring about positive change at the school. Smart, quickwitted, and open-minded, Taryn is an easy
protagonist to root for. Occasional extraneous scenes and details can be distracting
at times, but overall Ipson delivers a gripping story about self-discovery, growth,
and overcoming tragedy. Ages 12up.

The Ugly Teapot, Book 1: Hannah

Fred Holmes. CreateSpace, $12.95 paper
(250p) ISBN 978-1-5307-4371-1

In his first novel, Holmes (Letters from

Dad) introduces 14-year-old Hannah
Bradbury, whose photojournalist father has
recently died while on an assignment in
Iraq. The last gift he gave her was a beat-up
lamp (It looked like a teapot, and a particularly unattractive teapot at that) that he
swore was Aladdins lamp. After Hannah
rubs the lamp, a genie appears; naturally,
she wishes for her father to be alive again,
despite the genies cautions. Thus begins an
adventure in which Hannah struggles to
keep the lamp out of the hands of the evil
Magician and return it to the fabled Cave of
Forty Thieves with help from friends and
her dog, Griff. Holmes crafts a fast-paced
adventure, one that includes a few relatively
horrific scenes, as Hannah travels from her
Tennessee hometown to Iraq, but the story

stumbles as questions build and are left

unanswered (such as Hannahs telepathic
communication with Griff). Though the
revelations of the final chapters offer something of a blanket explanation for any
inconsistencies that arise, readers who have
invested in Hannahs journey may feel
cheated by what they learn. Ages 12up.

Finnigan the Circus Cat

Mary T. Wagner. Waterhorse, $8.95 paper
(160p) ISBN 978-0-692-67962-3

In a charming animal story, Wagner

introduces Maximilian and his cousin Leroy,
who are from a long and honorable line
of circus mice. They live comfortably at
the Farnsworth Circus Museum in
Wisconsin, which has been closed since Old
Man Farnsworth went to the Big Top in the
sky. When some new Farnsworths move
onto the museum groundsparents Fred
and Shirley, eight-year-old Lucy, brother
Charlie, and toddler DonovanMax and
Leroys lives become much more complicated. Observing the family from the nooks
and crannies of the museum, the mice learn
that the Farnsworths, including their dog
Boomer, are friendly. When Lucy secretly
brings home a kitten that she hides in the
barn (her father is allergic), the mice must
determine whether the kitten is an ally or
foe. Wagner comfortably navigates animal
and human worlds that exist in parallel
but rarely intersect. The b&w illustrations
that open each chapter are on the rough side,
but the evocative setting (filled with artifacts from the golden era of traveling
circuses) lends this warm story notes of nostalgia. Ages 812.

Noodles and Albies Birthday

Surprise
Eric Bennett, illus. by Milanka Reardon.
Penguin Place, $17.95 hardcover (32p)
ISBN 978-0-692-78885-1

Noodles the penguin and his fish friend,

Albie, get a chance to save Christmas in this
humorous follow-up to Noodles and Albie: A
Penguin Journey. (Never mind that neither
animal has heard of the holiday.) Bennetts
story primarily revolves around another celebration: Noodless birthday, which falls on
December 24. Albie gives him a compass as
a present, and Noodles quickly regifts it
after they run into a chubby tourist

dressed in red, stranded with his reindeer on

an Antarctic ice floe. Bennett and Reardon
both get in some good jokes: Santa describes
how his new GPS systems incessant instructions led him to go off-course, and during a
visit to an underwater amusement park,
Albie and Noodles take a spin on the
Octowhirl ride, an actual octopus. The story
meanders a bit, and Reardons artwork
wavers uncomfortably between cartoonish
and naturalistic in places, but readers should
still get a kick out of the animals obliviousness to all things Christmas. A lighthearted
Q&A with Albiefeaturing questions
about the Antarctic, how compasses work,
and morerounds out this warm friendship
story. Ages 48.

Piccadilly and the Waltzing Wind

Lisa Anne Novelline, illus. by Nicola Hwang.
Lisa Novelline, $21.95 hardcover (44p)
ISBN 978-0-9835311-4-2

This joyful if unfocused atumn tale, a

follow-up to Piccadilly and the Fairy Polka
(2014), continues the adventures of a blueeyed, brunette girl with a big imagination.
Piccadilly admires the way leaves dance
with the wind in her backyard and wants to
do the same. The wind, however, isnt cooperative, and as she puzzles over her quandary,
she befriends a talking squirrel named Sir
Bartleby, who fancies himself a knight and
is busy gathering acorns. After consulting
with her older brother, Sam, Piccadilly
builds and flies a kite to capture the experience of dancing with the wind; sure enough,
the wind lifts the kite into the airand
Piccadilly along with it. Hwang works in a
vibrant palette of vermilion, orange, and
maroon, mimicking the brightest colors of
falls foliage. Theres a decidedly retro look
to the artwork, and swirls of sparkles, leaves,
and acorn caps (as well as cameos from tiny
autumnal fairies) create a strong sense of seasonal magic. Its a languid and somewhat
meandering story, but it should be appreciated by readers who share Piccadillys dreamy
outlook. Ages 48.

The preceding reviews of

self-published titles ran in
Publishers Weekly during the
past month.
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PW Select provides indie authors

promotional access to reach and influence
the gatekeepers of the publishing industry.
AGENTS

LIBRARIANS

PUBLISHERS

BOOK
BUYERS

EDITORS

Enrollment into the PW Select program provides indie authors the tools and
resources for a successful publishing experience.
Benefits include:
Full-color Announcements listing within PW Select and PW
6-month digital subscription to PW Select and PW
Placement in PWs seasonal database powered by Edelweiss
Free subscription to The PW Select Report, a semimonthly e-newsletter
supporting indie authors.

Where you start after you finish writing your book.

PublishersWeekly.com/PWSelect
Access These Great PW Partners