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FE B RUARY 2019

Your guide to self-publishing


The Art of the Book Review Query •
First Lines from BookLife Authors • Book Cover Redesign •
Indie Scouting Report • 78 New Titles Listed

Paper
Dreams
A graphic designer
launches an indie
pop-up book press
BY MATIA BURNETT

T
hough Rosston Meyer, founder
of Poposition Press, read pop-
up books as a kid, it wasn’t
until college—when he studied the
work of master paper engineers
Robert Sabuda and David A. Carter—
that he developed a true appreciation
for the form’s unique artistry. Meyer,
a longtime arts and comics enthusi-
ast and a web and graphic designer
by trade, was so inspired by Sabuda’s
and Carter’s wide-ranging creations
that he planned to make his own
pop-up book. He sat on the idea for
some 15 years before collaborating
with the comic book ar tist Jim
Mahfood on a book titled Pop Up
Funk, which he and Mahfood self-
published in 2013.
® INDIE SUCCESS
that I work with have existing audiences that we’re
able to tap into for each title through social media,
emails, and other direct contact,” he says. “Online
advertising has also been successful as I’m able to
market ads to specific demographics.”
For instance, Meyer sought out H.P. Lovecraft
fan communities when marketing Skinner ’s
Necronomicon Pop-Up Book, a Poposition book
featuring scenes from Lovecraft’s stories, illustrated
by Skinner, an artist in Oakland, Calif.
Meyer recently partnered with Carter, to whom
he initially reached out in 2013 to express his
Rosston Meyer displays a pop-up scene from artist admiration and to seek advice about pop-up book
Junko Mizuno’s Triad. engineering. The two struck up a friendship, and
in 2017 Carter approached Meyer about a pop-up
After that, Meyer was hooked. He followed that book that he was creating in collaboration with
first project with The Pop Up Art Book, which Hester van Eeghen, a Dutch shoe and handbag
features the work of Mahfood and five other con- designer. The book was planned for a 30-year
temporary artists: Angry Woebots, kozyndan, Junko anniversary exhibition of van Eeghen’s work, to
Mizuno, Tara McPherson, and Skinner. Meyer funded be held at the Tassen Museum of Bags and Purses
the book through Kickstarter. He also started in Amsterdam. The result of their efforts, One
considering the idea of launching a pop-up book Thousand and One Handbags, was a unique project
press, and, after seeing firsthand the success that for Carter: his first limited-edition pop-up book,
self-published books can find through direct mar- with the potential to be a collector’s item.
keting to consumers, he felt increasingly confident Meyer values close-knit hands-on collaborations
about the venture. that result in unique works of art. “It’s a wonder-
Poposition Press is a true passion project. “My ful feeling to hold a finished product in your hands
goal was to create limited-edition pop-up books that in some cases just two people worked on for
that feature artists or subjects that are of a deep months,” he says. With the “constantly evolving”
personal interest to me,” Meyer says. design and artistry that he brings to each new
Meyer’s many pop-up book projects have taught project, Meyer looks forward to putting more pop-
him about the importance of harmonizing aspects up book wonders into the hands of readers. ■
of art and design. Though complex designs
can make a pop-up book particularly dynamic,
he believes that “a simply engineered page
with striking artwork can have the same
effect.” Each new project presents different
challenges. “For me, creating a pop-up book
is kind of like solving a very long and in-
depth puzzle, not just in terms of the paper
engineering and design aspects of the proj-
ect but also in the marketing and selling
of the books,” he notes.
Meyer continues to rely on crowdfund-
ing to support his projects and primarily
sells them directly to pop-up book fans
and people who collect the work of the
featured artists. Having an awareness of
already-established fan bases allows Meyer
to better target his efforts. “The artists Meyer and Mizuno with Triad.

30 B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
COVER ART ®

Cover Redesign
This month, Michelle Argyle at Melissa Williams Design
reimagines the cover of That Night, by indie author Cecily
Wolfe, who says she was “thrilled” with the new cover and
described it as “a perfect fit.”
To submit a book for a free cover redesign, email us at booklifeeditor@booklife.com. Original Cover

To indicate Sometimes
that this is a YA you don’t
book, I chose want images
an image of a perfectly
teenage girl. centered. The
But I made sure image here
it was a photo is off-center
that grabs enough that it
the reader’s creates an edgy,
attention. uncomfortable
feel. This is
perfect for the
book’s gritty
subject matter.

Unlike in the
original, I made
the title and Using a hand-
author name written font
stand out and gives the cover
reflect the an almost
same colors and vulnerable
shadows as the feeling; it lets
image. readers know
that this will be
an intense story
that is told in a
personal way.

B O O K L I F E .C O M 31
® BOOK MARKETING

The Art of the


Book Review
Query
How to query reviewers in
three easy steps

BY JOEL FRIEDLANDER

F
or indie authors, few free marketing efforts
match the power of book reviews and blurbs.
But many authors don’t pursue reviews and Joel Friedlander
blurbs, and that’s a shame. Those who try are often
disappointed with the results, and inexperience
at querying reviewers is usually the cause. 2. Send a Well-Crafted Query
To make this process more approachable, I’ve A query letter can make or break a review campaign,
tried to streamline it into three simple steps for so it’s important to spend time on it. Here are some
indie authors, with an emphasis on crafting an tips.
effective query. Keep it short. People are busy. A four-page letter
explaining the book and marketing plan in detail
1. Identify Targets won’t be read by many people. Make it as short as
This is the most important part of the process. You possible to get the job done—no more than one
only want to approach reviewers who are at the page.
“top of the mountain” in terms of the influence Introduce yourself. Include information on who
they have over potential book buyers and readers. you are and why you’re qualified to write this
That’s why it’s so important to know who potential particular book. But skip the résumé or list of
readers are, and who influences them. accomplishments.
And you shouldn’t put limits on yourself. Instead, Why is it important? Describe, in a sentence or
think of the perfect review or testimonial—the one two, what the book hopes to accomplish and why
that could really affect book sales—and what it other people should care.
would look like on the cover of your book or in Connect to a common cause. This is crucial. Try
the first paragraph of a press release. Then, go to establish a “community of interest” between
for it, and make sure to include the influencers yourself and the person being queried. If the
identified on the list of reviewers and bloggers person’s work is noted in the book, mention that.
to contact. Be specific about what action should be taken.
What’s key is to only approach review sources or Include in the quer y exactly what outcome is
individuals who have a proven interest in the kinds desired. For instance, when requesting a testimo-
of books you’re writing. Don’t send a book on flower nial, you might write: “If you enjoy the book, would
arranging to a publication for kayakers—it will just you give me a quote that I can use in my book
waste everyone’s time. promotion?” When requesting a review, point out

32 B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
BOOK MARKETING ®

how the publication’s readers would benefit from with a quality book, you will gather reviews or
reading the review. testimonials. But many won’t respond, and that’s
Set a deadline. For testimonials, you will receive just the way it is. Don’t take it personally.
many more responses if you establish a deadline. You should make sure that all the materials
Say something like: “It would help tremendously needed to follow up with respondents are on hand.
to have your response by February 1, but of course If there are printed books, make sure they are in
I would be grateful for any responses that come in hand, along with the media kit or other press
after that if your schedule doesn’t allow you to materials useful to book reviewers.
meet that date.” A deadline isn’t needed for review- There is no better boost for a book than for it to
ers, who are working to their editorial schedules. be recommended by experts in the field and to
Make it easy. Don’t send the book with the query have positive reviews right where the intended
letter, but do offer it in whichever formats are readers will see them. Far more effective than paid
available. If there’s a print or print-on-demand ads, reviews can be the lifeblood of an indie author’s
version, offer the printed copy as well as a PDF. If marketing campaign.
there’s an e-book version, offer that as well. Although And there’s no reason to stop looking for
PDFs look just like the printed book, they are also reviews after a book’s publication date. If you
the format most prone to piracy, so consider using have written a solid, professionally produced book
a ser vice such as BookFunnel or NetGalley to that delivers real value, reviewers will be happy
securely distribute books to reviewers. to find out about it. ■

3. Follow Up Joel Friedlander is a book designer and author;


Getting reviews is a numbers game. By approach- he blogs about book design, marketing, and the
ing enough people who are interested in the subject future of the book at the Book Designer.

Q&A SPONSORED

BookLife Talks with


Eric B. Forsyth
In An Inexplicable Attraction: My Fifty Years of Ocean
Sailing, a veteran sailor takes readers with him on his
round-the-world journeys.

How did you write An Inexplicable Attraction: My


Fifty Years of Ocean Sailing?
When I retired in 1995, I set off on a round-the-world
cruise that took two and a half years. I wrote news-
letters every three months and posted them on a
website called yachtfiona.com, named after my ves- story. Tell us how and why they belong in a book
sel, Fiona. After that adventure, I took one-year about sailing.
cruises every other year, including another circum- Some countries I visited are quite dangerous—for
navigation. I wrote newsletters for each journey. example, the South Philippines, Sudan, and Yemen.
After my 2013–2014 cruise, my daughter urged me Over the past 55 years, I witnessed these and many
to edit the newsletters into a book. It took a couple other developing countries adopt a Western lifestyle,
of years to put together all my material from the which is dependent on the use of fossil fuel. It is not
newsletters, the ship’s log, and the videos that I shot sustainable. These carbon emissions are causing
on each cruise. This material became An Inexplicable climate change. We are only just beginning to pay a
Attraction: My Fifty Years of Ocean Sailing. very heavy price.

Geopolitics and climate change figure into this For the complete interview, visit booklife.com/forsyth

B O O K L I F E .C O M 33
® BOOKS TO WATCH

Scouting Report
In this month’s roundup of the best-reviewed BookLife
titles, we highlight a romance novel, a work of historical
fiction, a parenting guide, an analysis of the book of Job,
and more.

★ One Friday in ★ The Joy of Job


Jerusalem MARIBETH VANDER WEELE
ANDRE MOUBARAK
Synopsis: For readers who
Synopsis: Tour guide have wondered why an
Moubarak’s engaging uncaring God allowed faith-
thoughts and observations ful Job to lose everything,
about Christ’s journey to Vander Weele presents a
Calvary will make readers refreshing work of tren-
feel as though they are chant analysis.
walking the streets of PW’s Takeaway: Vander
Jerusalem. Weele’s excellent exegesis
PW’s Takeaway: Anyone interested in the offers refreshing insight into an oft-shrugged-
Christian heritage of Jerusalem will relish off Old Testament classic.
Moubarak’s tour. Comparable Title: Debbie Blue’s Consider the
Comparable Title: Tom Bissell’s Apostle: Travels Women
Among the Tombs of the Twelve Sample Line: “For years, I had no way to resolve
Sample Line: “Walking the Via Dolorosa inside the incongruity between the harsh and distant
the ancient, walled Old City is an experience to God of the book of Job and the loving and trust-
treasure.” worthy God I knew.”
Read the Review: Read the Review:
publishersweekly.com/9780999249420 publishersweekly.com/9781732240810

★The Art of ★Queen of Your Kid’s


Three Zazzau Gonna Be
ERIN MCRAE & J.S. EMUAKPOR Okay
RACHELINE Synopsis: MICHAEL DELMAN
MALTESE Emuakpor cele- Synopsis: A coher-
brates a 16th-cen- ent approach to
Synopsis: A triad tury West African helping kids
romance for sophisticated but queen in a splendid historical. function in the “age of attention.”
escapist polyamorous readers. PW’s Takeaway: Emuakpor weaves PW’s Takeaway: Delman gives
PW’s Takeaway: This feel-good fascinating characters, facts, and parents a toolbox of practical
story is a refreshing representa- folklore together into a riveting ideas to help their children.
tion of ethical nonmonogamy. adventure. Comparable Title: Peg Dawson &
Comparable Titles: Tiffany Reisz’s Comparable Title: Tomi Adeyemi’s Richard Guarre’s Smart but
the Original Sinners series Children of Blood and Bone Scattered
Read the Review: publishers- Read the Review: publishers- Read the Review: publishers-
weekly.com/9781946192066 weekly.com/9781946595065 weekly.com/9781732034907

34 B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
® FIRST LINES

First Lines Ashes Like Bread


JEAN HOEFLING
Our monthly look at some of the best “It is a mystery, the things we are born
to know.”
first lines by BookLife authors
My Summer (with Robots)
This month we’ve got soiled doves, symbolic MARSH MYERS
assassinations, and more. To submit a first line, “When I was in sixth grade, there was a
email booklifeeditor@booklife.com. great controversy when my teacher,
Mrs. Gumenick, claimed I symbolically
assassinated one of my classmates
Silver Line through a story I’d written.”
JILL C. BAKER
“Let me be perfectly clear. I was never The Suicide Gene
a soiled dove, a lady of the night. I was CJ ZAHNER
a dance hall girl, an entertainer— “The face in the casket was her own.”
there’s a distinction.”
Seals of Eternity
The Lupanarium EDITA A. PETRICK
ADELE LEIGH “He needed to get a human body.”
“The first thing you noticed about the
girl was that she had no nipples.”

Q&A SPONSORED

BookLife Talks with


Michael O’Keefe
Retired NYPD detective O’Keefe mined his experi-
ence to create Shot to Pieces, an authentic police
procedural.

What is the story behind Shot to Pieces—what


inspired you to set aside your badge as a detec-
tive with the NYPD and write a novel?
I retired on disability in 2010 after getting injured
in the line of duty. I would not have retired oth-
erwise. I have always written, from the time I was
in eighth grade and had a crush on my English
teacher. That was my first exposure to creative
writing, and I have been hooked ever since. After
I retired, I kept threatening to write a book. My wife, joke that the names have been changed to protect
Janet, got tired of hearing it. She bought me a laptop the guilty. The homicide at the core of the story was
and told me to write the damned thing. one of my old cases. The characters and events are
all based on reality. Very little has been embellished.
To what degree does Shot to Pieces draw on your Because fiction enabled me to tell a greater truth
real-life experiences as a detective in one of the than pure recollection would have, I made it a novel.
world’s toughest cities?
Shot to Pieces is largely autobiographical. I like to For the complete interview, visit booklife.com/okeefe

36 B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
WRITING ADVICE ®

Ask right where it’s always been,


deep inside you. As an author,
Let go of fear. This is a process,
day after day. Remember that

the
you just need to access it. you have freedom. Once you
“Your voice is simply the way identify the unique gift you have
you, the writer, project yourself to give, the tone, the rhythm,

Editer artistically,” write Thaisa Frank


and Dorothy Wall in Finding
Your Writer’s Voice. “It is how
the intensity of your voice will
start to speak to you.”
The secret is practice. And
A veteran editor answers you write when you don’t have the good news is that when
time to be elegant.” The trick is you find your voice, you’ll know
your writing questions to get in touch with that voice— it. Hallelujah! There it is—just
to recognize it and develop it. where you suspected it might
BY BETTY KELLY SARGENT My advice? Practice. Be playful; be the whole time.
experiment boldly; keep your
Dear Editor: prose fresh; avoid clichés; fiddle

H ow can I find my voice as a


writer?  —Madeline C.
around with alliteration, meta-
phors, and similes; make your
nouns specific; and steer clear

Y our voice is you on the page;


it’s that simple. Your thoughts,
your feelings, your values, and
of adverbs.
This is what Wallis Wilde-
Menozzi, the author of Mother
Betty Kelly Sargent is the
founder and CEO of BookWorks.

how you see the world: put them Tongue, suggests: “Look within, If you have a question for the
all together and there it is, your and listen to yourself. Tune out editor, please email Betty Sargent
voice. You haven’t lost it. It’s other voices giving you advice. at booklifeeditor@booklife.com.

Q&A SPONSORED

BookLife Talks with


Makena McChesney
In her memoir, McChesney writes with courage and
vulnerability about her time with, and escape from,
a cult.

It is a tremendous act of courage to write about how


you escaped living in a cult. What inspired you to
write Seeking Oz: My Twelve-Year Journey in a Cult?
I was inspired to help others who feel overpowered
and victimized—whether it be due to a controlling
religion, a tyrannical employer, an abusive spouse,
or some other entity or person who encumbers and
hinders his or her healthy choices.
What gave you the strength to leave?
What do you think made you susceptible to indoc- Anger. At least, that’s where it started. I vowed to
trination by a cult? listen to myself and determine if I was wrong or if
In my book, I discuss several factors that contributed the group I was pledged to was wrong. When I started
to my susceptibility to a cult, despite being raised by getting answers, I became stronger. Eventually, I
honest, good-hearted parents. The greatest factor started believing in myself.
was my unfounded guilt, which stemmed from my
being brought up in a fear-based, shame-based For the complete interview, visit booklife.com/
religion. mcchesney.

B O O K L I F E .C O M 37
PAID LISTINGS

® PW SELECT LISTINGS

New Titles from


Self-Publishers
Booksellers, publishers, librarians, and agents are encouraged to look at the 78
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 ever after, until she catches him watch- Scribd
10 Cents and a Silver Star... ing. He never planned on falling for a When Talisa finds her
A Sardonic Saga of PTSD stubborn journalist, until she works up mother lying on the
Bruce D. Johnson. Edit the nerve to approach him. kitchen floor, fighting
Ink Publishers. $19.95 for her life, everything
paper (386p), ISBN 978- Bonfires of the Gods changes. Talisa must
0-578-42041-7 Andrew Eseimokumo navigate hidden
Amazon, BN.com, Ingram Oki. Carline Fhurst secrets and life-threat-
The Vietnam War Publishing. $12.99 paper ening decisions. The clock is ticking.
helped produce this (239p), ISBN 978-1-
novel—a sardonic 791-68723-6 De Anima(l)
antidote to the plague of PTSD. Amazon Joe Costanzo. Lulu.
Two warring tribes go $12.99 paper (234p),
1916: The Blog; A Book of Humor head-to-head in a bloody and brutal ISBN 978-1-4834-
Christian Schneider. Pelham Press. $11.99 battle over land ownership. This is a story 9293-3; $3.99 e-book,
paper (272p), ISBN 978- of love and hate, life and death, and a ISBN 978-1-4834-
0-692-04447-6 quest for survival in one’s own homeland. 9294-0
Amazon, Apple iBooks, Amazon, BN.com, Lulu
BN.com, Kobo Chris Lynheart: Daughter of Forayer A philosophy professor at a small
In this novel of alternate Dalton Reutlinger. AuthorHouse. $20.99 Christian college ignites a firestorm and
history, a newspaper paper (284p), ISBN 978- upends lives with a provocative lecture,
typist in 1916 finds a 1-5462-3502-6; $3.99 “On the Soul (of Animals).”
futuristic connectivity e-book, ISBN 978-1-
machine with hilarious consequences. 5462-3501-9 Different
Amazon Datta Groover. Deep
Beyond Forever Jessica Holland discov- Pacific Press. $16.97
(Let Yourself Believe ers the origins of her paper (308p), ISBN 978-
Series, Book 1) bloodline. An ancient 0-9832689-4-9
Rhonda Frankhouser. relic comes into her possession that means Amazon
Rhonda Frankhouser. either certain doom or immense power. The MacBrides are
$11.99 paper (350p), challenged by the
ISBN 978-1-79344- Cracked Foundation unusual and unsafe behavior of their
522-3 Ta’She’Ana Banks. Gatekeeper Press. $17 young son, Sam. They can’t figure out
Amazon paper (298p), ISBN 978-1-64237-177-2 why he doesn’t speak or how he knows
She never hoped for her own happily Amazon, Baker & Taylor, BN.com, Google Play, things he should have no way of knowing.

38 B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
PAID LISTINGS

PW SELECT LISTINGS ®

The Fifth Dimension: A Story of Courage Amazon, Apple iBooks, Mystery/Thriller


Through Faith BN.com, Kobo All the Broken People
Ramma Kher. Xlibris. Set during one of the Amy Rivers. Compathy Press. $15.99 paper
$18.99 paper (478p), bloodiest wars in his- (314p), ISBN 978-0-
ISBN 978-1-5434- tory, this is a story of 578-42531-3; $3.99
2541-3; $3.99 e-book, the shattered illusions e-book, ASIN
ISBN 978-1-5434- of youth, of tyranny B07MF93M9W
2630-4 and freedom, and of Amazon, Ingram
Amazon friendship and love guiding one out of A dark journey into the
An embattled, idealistic woman’s com- Soviet captivity. Georgia mountains,
mitment to beauty and truth takes her where kudzu covers
toward the resplendence of her “Spirit.” Only Tim Sent Flowers the landscape and a grudge can last
George Kaplan. Black Opal Books. $13.49 generations.
If God Allows paper (278p), ISBN 978-
Robert P. Cohen. RPC. 1-62694-729-0; Designs on Murder:
$12.99 paper (244p), $2.99 e-book, A Ghostly
ISBN 978-0-578- ASIN B074YKT22C Fashionista Mystery
21402-3 Amazon, BN.com Gayle Leeson. Grace
Ingram Mary Louise, a bookish Abraham Publishing.
The fictional memoir virgin unaware she $3.99 e-book, ISBN
of a New York ad man has Asperger’s syn- 978-0-9967647-5-9
who, in the face of incredible success, drome, thrusts herself into the 1960s Amazon, Apple iBooks,
takes an obscure job in Indonesia. sexual revolution while attending night BN.com, Books-A-Million, Kobo
Chaos ensues. college and looking for love. Amanda’s new fashion design studio
comes with a resident ghost. When a
Miscarriages Past, Present, murderer strikes, can they ferret out the
Colin Heston. Harrow and Alternative: Nightfall killer?
Heston Publishers. $9.75 Leilani Graceffa. Leilani
paper (348p), ISBN 978- Graceffa. $19.30 hard- Energy Fix
1-982941-54-3 cover (175p), ISBN 978- R. Read. R. Read. $10
Amazon 1-7335558-0-7; $9.30 paper (246p), ISBN 978-
A young adult love paper (175p), ISBN 978- 1-73094-149-8
story with a mystery 1-7335558-1-4 Amazon, Overdrive
twist, set in the bawdy life of a 1950s Amazon, Apple iBooks, BN.com, Kobo Conspiracy theory or
Australian pub. Silence can be a fatal choice, but so cover-up? Dodgy
can speaking up. Would you stay silent energy companies are
The New Normal and keep your own life at risk, or speak responsible for deaths, and Fiona is
K.N. Crighton. Bordeaux up and risk the lives of the ones you warned to get out just 10 months into a
Street Books. $14.99 love? new job.
paper (418p), ISBN 978-
0-9980343-1-7; $5.99 Poetry Midnight Black: The Purge
e-book, ISBN 978-0- Naked Tree R.J. Eastwood. Media Entertainment. $12.95
9980343-0-0 Nadia Benchakroun. Century Relic. $16 paper paper (254p), ISBN 978-0-578-43303-5;
Amazon (164p), ISBN 978-0-578-43758-3 $2.99 e-book,
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, New Amazon, BN.com ASIN B07L61WWQY
Orleans journalist Maggie McBride and A collection of raw Amazon
her housekeeper, Eloise Jackson, face and visceral poems Hardened former
a world they never anticipated in their depicting the author’s narcotics cop Billy
worst nightmares. arduous journey Russell, having spent
growing up in a highly 20 years imprisoned
Of Knights and Dogfights patriarchal society. in total isolation,
Ellie Midwood. Ellie Midwood. $3.99 e-book, She writes about love, returns to a world on the verge of total
ASIN B07KX56ZJK heartbreak, and more. societal collapse.

B O O K L I F E .C O M 39
PAID LISTINGS

® PW SELECT LISTINGS
The Mutiny Girl (Gold & Courage Series) controls in Paris, he battles with a patient of an end-of-the-world asteroid storm.
Karen S. Gordon. Gordon of no fixed identity.
Productions. $14.99 Beneath the Surface (A Gray Ghost
paper (358p), ISBN 978- Oriental Vagabonds: Novel)
1-73360-641-7 A Tale of a Far East Tramp Amy McKinley.
Amazon Richard Regan. Richard Regan. $9.99 paper Arrowscope Press. $13.99
Vance Courage is strug- (268p), ISBN 978-1-980845-72-0; paper (272p), ISBN 978-
gling to save his law $2.99 e-book, 0-9994280-4-7
practice. When his ASIN B07CSJFCX6 Amazon, Apple iBooks,
fugitive kingpin uncle shows up, it ignites Amazon BN.com, Kobo
a cascade of events that mires him in a A hard-bitten skipper Framed for murder,
potentially lucrative yet deadly conspiracy. and his misfit crew a Russian sleeper agent works with a
navigate their aging former Navy SEAL to reveal the true
Nobody I Know tramp steamer through culprit, unmasking corruption that has
John J. Gaynard. John J. Gaynard. $4.99 the dangerous waters reached some of the highest levels of
e-book, ASIN of the Far East on the eve of World War II. the U.S. government.
B07LBW173H
Amazon Reasons to Kill God: A Bond of a Dragon: Zahara’s Gift
Psychologist J. O’Neill Historical Fiction Novel A.J. Walker. AJ Walker Publishing. $11.99
is a pariah in the U.S. I.V. Olokita. I.V. Olokita. paper (281p), ISBN 978-
for work done with the $12.95 paper (140p), 1-72689-139-4;
CIA. In the psychiatric ISBN 978-1-72940- $2.99 e-book,
institution he now 030-2; $3.99 e-book, ASIN B07JMR418G
ASIN B07M6CMHKZ Amazon, BN.com, Kobo
Amazon A young man forced
Before his mother’s death, Deus learns into action. A juvenile
Looking for a career? that his family history was all lies. The dragon alone in a new
Looking for a new job? truth: his mother is Jewish, and his father world. Whispers of a terrible evil return-
Look no further... is a sadistic Nazi fugitive. ing to power. Can 19-year-old Anders
create his own destiny?

JOBP Yesterday’s

ZONE
Tomorrow, Part One: Darkness: Book One of the Oortian Wars
Just a Dream Iain Richmond. Rogue Planet Publishing.
Guy Rosmarin. BookBaby. $15.95 paper (460p),
www.Publishersweekly.com/JOBZONE $9.99 paper (178p), ISBN ISBN 978-1-946807-

Connect to the 978-1-5439-4327-6


Amazon, BN.com,
10-6; $2.99 e-book,
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Four tales across time and distance. Amazon, BN.com Nonfiction


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this collection considers the breadth of demonic event that Jeff Ransom. Kronos Press. $17.99 paper
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Amazon, Apple iBooks, Chatter in the Halls about the gods. Because conditions
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Books. $12.95 paper (140p), ISBN 978-1- My Fox Ate My Homework
73354-750-5 David Blaze. Blaze Books for Young Readers.
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978-1-72927-446-0 Mart Grams, illus. by Allisandra German. a new school, and
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readaloud rhythm The fears that your child experiences are Amazon, BN.com, Book Depository, Chapters
and a virtuous mes- normal. Indigo
sage of humility. Growing up in the
1980s is a struggle
Children of a for Frankie.
Northern Kingdom: Relentlessly bullied
A Story of the after she is sexually
Strangite Mormons assaulted, she learns
in Wisconsin and on the key to survival is
Beaver Island, friendship, humor,
Michigan and determination.
Elaine Stienon. Henry Winterbottom and the Feeling
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paper (288p), ISBN 978-1-5462-0334-6; Jen B. Wild, illus. by Day. La Pixie Publishing. Connie Goyette
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Amazon Amazon, BN.com Valentina Valenza.
Fleeing persecution, Rusty follows his This book is designed to help children 3DLight Publications.
family group to Michigan’s Beaver Island. understand emotions by reading about $7.99 paper (44p),
Again forced to leave, he loses posses- Henry’s experience with a colorful ISBN 978-0-
sions and family. Where can he find spectrum of feelings. 9986614-6-9
help? Amazon, BN.com,
In Clouds of Fire: A Story of Community Books-A-Million
Eternal Devotion Elaine Stienon. AuthorHouse. $20.95 paper Tilly and Torg are off to their first day of
A.R. Jackson. A.R. (448p), ISBN 978-1-4184-4767-0; $5.99 school. Whether it’s reading, math, or
Jackson. $9.95 paper e-book, ISBN 978-1-4184-5738-9 even recess, these two monsters have
(202p), ISBN 978-1- Amazon a lot to learn. Sight word list and quiz
79326-039-0; $2.99 This tale of love, included.
e-book, ASIN violence, and death
B07L1S33BV explores the diver- Time Changes
Amazon, Apple iBooks, sity of people who Everything
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Kevin was bound to be a star. He grew the early Mormons Outskirts Press.
up in a sports-driven family and was and the groups $15.95 paper (201p),
groomed to play football all his life. from which they ISBN 978-1-977202-
came. 13-0

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High school science geek Caitlin, while trying to run away

BookLife Talks with


from her miserable life, finds herself mysteriously transported
to the 1970s with her mother as her college roommate.

The Way to the Shining City:


A Story of the Early Mormons
Wanda Shelton
in Missouri and Nauvoo, Illinois
Elaine Stienon. AuthorHouse. $15.19 paper
(300p), ISBN 978-1-4567-5416-7; $9.99
e-book, ISBN 978-1-4567-5415-0
Amazon
Love and violence on the American frontier
characterize this novel about the early
Mormons and their search for a place of peace and religious
freedom.

Well Below Heaven


Idyllwild Eliot. Cur Dog Press. $24.99 hardcover
(264p), ISBN 978-0-9846156-9-8; $9.99
e-book, ASIN B07MJXJ1MV
Amazon, BN.com, Books-A-Million, Kobo
Painter and debut novelist Shelton channels Agatha
A gritty, dark, and at times disquieting
Christie in this seaside murder mystery set among a
coming-of-age epistolary novel that
group of artists.
explores the line between teenage self-
interest and the depth of sibling love.
What inspired you to write Paint Her Dead: Murder
at the Inn?
York the Yowie: And His Very Big Dream
I love to paint, and I love a good mystery. I have
David Goff, illus. by Shiela Alejandro. Yowie
attended painting workshops in Maine several times.
Press. $9.99 paper (34p), ISBN 978-1-79278-
The first time I went to a workshop at Rock Gardens
685-3
Inn, located about 40 miles north of Portland, I fell
Amazon
in love with the place. I had been thinking that it was
York the Yowie is following his big, juicy
reminiscent of an Agatha Christie setting when, one
dream. His story shows that if you believe
night, at dinner, our instructor said the same thing.
in your own talents and make opportunities
For a long time after, I thought about writing a book
for yourself, there’s nothing you can’t do.
using Rock Gardens as the setting. Three years ago,
I started a novel about an artistic murder inspired by
this very place. That novel became Paint Her Dead.

What are some of your influences, literary or oth-


erwise, in writing this mystery?
I am an avid reader of mysteries. I’ve read everything
from cozy mysteries by Christie to bone-chilling,
bloodcurdling mysteries by Stephen King. I’ve read
biographies of mystery authors and am fascinated
by the telling of a good story. It’s hard to say what
Zip’s First Dog Show: The Pom Tales Series
influenced me most in writing Paint Her Dead, but
C.H. Harrison, illus. by Cathy Kosterman and Nadya Ilchuk. C2 Books.
the Maine seaside setting was cer tainly an
$19.99 hardcover (50p), ISBN 978-1-950028-01-6
inspiration.
Amazon
Zip, a Pomeranian puppy, has fun, meets new friends, and
For the complete interview, visit booklife.com/
learns a valuable lesson at his first dog show. He learns it is
shelton
important to stay positive and keep trying, no matter what. ■

B O O K L I F E .C O M 45
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Fiction sense a mutual attraction as he escorts her


back to the wedding, Shannon is deflated
ship in order to get to Barbados where she
believes she is entitled to inherit Hatterby
when she discovers Micah already has a date, Estate, a sugar plantation, as she is the ille-
After the Dark: Autumn. With the bride determined to gitimate daughter of its recently deceased
The Castaway King Chronicles reunite the former couple (despite owner, Sheldon Hatterby. After she’s dis-
Spencer Labbé. Little Pieces of Paper, $9.99 Autumn’s presence), Micah’s competing covered hiding on the ship by the crew, she’s
paper (336p) ISBN 978-1-948208-00-0 desires and a dark secret Shannon’s been forced to become indentured to the ship’s
In this serviceable fantasy series opener, keeping threaten to derail the picture-per- surgeon, who takes a liking to her. As the
17-year-old elf Pil Persins and his friends fect wedding. While the setup is intriguing ship navigates the war between Britain and
Felicity and Dirk apply to join the and the writing proficient, the hastily Spain, Patricia finds that she enjoys the sea-
Exidite—the only group of elfin allowed to drawn characters and formulaic plot fail to faring life and learning from the surgeon.
leave their underground home of Westleton lead to a satisfying conclusion. The fast-paced story never relents as the
to hunt for aboveground supplies at night. crew faces yellow fever, death, and impris-
Ever since dangerous creatures drove the ★ The Art of Three onment. Collison does a magnificent job of
elfin underground hundreds of years earlier, Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese. Avian30, capturing the excitement and danger of life
they’ve considered it too perilous to be on $4.99 e-book (328p) ISBN 978-1-946192-06-6 on the high seas. Patricia is a steel-willed
the surface during daylight. After passing McRae and Maltese (After the Gold) per- heroine, and readers will look forward to her
an exam, Pil and the other new graduates fectly craft a triad romance for sophisticated further adventures.
are rushed into an important mission, where but escapist polyamorous romance readers
they learn that there might be a traitor in who embrace the notion that “complicated Behind These Doors
their midst. The trio must then survive on is what life and love is.” The tale features Jude Lucens. Greenwose, $3.99 e-book
its own when a creature attacks the Exidite. leads who are good at solving their own (393p) ISBN 978-1-912734-00-9
Labbé’s debut requires two suspensions of drama by thoughtful self-correction; there’s This heartbreaking Edwardian queer
disbelief: that brand-new recruits would be little explicit sex but lots of explicit rela- romance is set against the backdrop of the
sent along on a dangerous mission, and that tionship negotiation. Middle-aged movie fight for women’s suffrage, a societal
an authority figure would immediately actor Callum Griffith-Davies indulges his upheaval that mirrors the characters’
reveal the presence of a traitor. The addition interest in young costar Jamie Conway with struggle. In 1906 London, Aubrey
of a two-dimensional bully feels like a the blessing of Callum’s artist wife, Nerea. Fanshawe, an earl’s second son, is out at the
shortcut to building added drama. Readers As Callum and Jamie’s fling grows into a theater with his longtime secret lovers,
who can overlook these stumbling blocks, relationship, Nerea falls in love with Jamie spouses Henrietta and Rupert Hernedale,
however, will find enjoyable characters and herself during an extended visit in Callum’s when the trio meet gossip journalist Lucien
an appealing world. London flat. The three lovers must figure Saxby. Aubrey takes Lucien home for what
out the terms of their multifaceted romance both men expect to be a one-night stand.
Another June with You: while managing full family lives and the When Edgar Lowdon, Henrietta’s older
A Second Chance Romance obnoxious sensationalist press. All three get brother, thinks Lucien is very inappropri-
Krista Noorman. Krista Noorman, $9.99 trade time in the spotlight to focus on their indi- ately hitting on the married Henrietta, the
paper (180p) ISBN 978-1-71865-595-9 vidual perspectives, but McRae and Maltese Hernedales insist on befriending Lucien to
This serviceable romance from Noorman never let them wallow in worry about what save his reputation and livelihood; thrown
(Bittersweet), the opening book in a new the others are thinking about them. This into proximity, Aubrey and Lucien find
McGregor Family series, finds photogra- purely feel-good story is a refreshing repre- themselves falling in love. Lucien struggles
pher Shannon McGregor confronted with sentation of ethical nonmonogamy. with dating a member of the “nob” class
buried emotions at a wedding in her home- while Aubrey grapples with his dislike of
town. Shannon banks her slight reputation Barbados Bound Lucien’s profession. Eventually, their rela-
as a photographer on a large wedding for a (Patricia MacPherson tionship poses a threat not only to Aubrey’s
former classmate in the small Michigan Nautical Adventure Series #1) social standing but to all of his romantic
town where they both grew up. But when Linda Collison. Fireship, $19.95 trade paper ties, old and new. While the men are all
car trouble threatens to keep her from get- (360p) ISBN 978-1-61179-229-4 angst-riddled, the women know what they
ting there, the bride sends the best man to Collison packs an engrossing blend of want and fight for it, contributing to a well-
help out. Shannon’s rescuer turns out to be historical fiction, romance, and adventure constructed subplot about the suffrage
her high school crush, Micah, whom she into this coming-of-age tale about a young movement. It’s so challenging for these
broke up with 10 years before, though she’s girl desperate to claim her inheritance, first characters to find happiness, both in private
regretted it ever since. Both are devout published as young adult novel Star-Crossed and in society, that the aura of tragedy
Christians, and Shannon seeing him makes (Knopf, 2006) and here rewritten for adults. diminishes the stronger aspects of charac-
her miss the comfort their mutual faith and In November 1760, 16-year-old Patricia terization and setting. Readers who don’t
familiar past once provided. Though she can Kelley stows away on an English merchant mind a lot of emotional pain mixed into

51a B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
REVIEWS ®

their romantic stories will find this one Rosing has created in order to fully appre- water tests and trials begin. Hester watches
worth reading. ciate this tie-in, and the final sacrifice falls with growing horror as those with unac-
flat. Fans of the graphic novels may enjoy ceptable religious beliefs—and some
The Black Parade this prequel, but the uninitiated will feel Puritans—are condemned by the righteous
Kyoko M. CreateSpace, $12.99 trade paper disconnected from it. Marshal Gilbert and are publicly hanged.
(347p) ISBN 978-1-4909-1150-2 As Hester’s fear that she will be one of the
M. (Of Cinder and Bone) kicks off her A Cruel Kind of Beautiful: Sex, ones accused intensifies, the handsome
Black Parade urban fantasy series with a Love, and Rock & Roll, Book 1 young Tom, whose family are traveling
tropey, action-packed love letter to angels, Michelle Hazen. CreateSpace, $2.99 e-book traders, could offer a way out. Basto’s use of
demons, and psychic powers. Two years ago, (314p) ISBN 978-1-975889-87-6 period language can make for awkward
seer Jordan Amador inadvertently killed an Hazen (Fill Me) tees up her Sex, Love, and prose, but her descriptions can be rather
innocent man and was tasked with shep- Rock & Roll series with a middling rock striking. (“Rumors swirled like the pow-
herding 100 lost souls to the afterlife as music–themed contemporary set in dered snow that drifted off the wind-blown
penance. With only two souls remaining Portland, Ore. Aspiring musician Jera mounds.”) The ugliness of early American
until she earns her redemption, Jordan McKnight has sworn off relationships. religious persecution and misogyny are
meets her match in the form of Michael, a Then Jacob Tate, who has a job delivering admirably captured in this well-researched
handsome rock star turned poltergeist who newspapers, accidentally sends one sailing story.
has lost his memory and is far more than he through her window at 4 a.m., and she’s
seems. When Jordan’s guide, the archangel charmed by his efforts to apologize. Their The Child
Gabriel, recognizes Michael as a lost fellow lives couldn’t be more different. Jera’s (The Eagle & the Child #1)
archangel and the commander of God’s focused on making music, and her band, the S. Khubiar. CreateSpace, $21.99 trade paper
army in heaven, Jordan is thrust into an Red Letters, is managed by her formerly (644p) ISBN 978-1-535315-40-1
age-old battle between angels and demons famous father. Jacob, once a baseball star at The intriguing first volume of Khubiar’s
for dominion of Earth, and possession of her the fictional Portland University, lost both espionage trilogy opens with Phillip
blood may be the key to victory. M. delivers his parents in a car crash; a year later, he’s Sherrod, a doctor working in a rural
a slickly paced, though fairly rote, para- trying to support himself and his siblings Appalachian county, treating attractive
normal tale overflowing with witty banter. with lousy jobs like the paper delivery 37-year-old Shahla Markow for a shoulder
It’s sure to appeal to fans of the television route. Though Jera worries that her band is injury she may have incurred while teaching
series Supernatural and Buffy the Vampire only “dive bar good,” an appearance at a self-defense to the staff of the federal prison
Slayer. local music festival leads to a record deal where she works. Shahla’s reticence con-
offer—but is it the right one? Jera’s trust vinces Philip that her job at the prison is a
Boston Metaphysical Society: issues make her relationship with Jacob cover. Their paths cross again in the ER
A Storm of Secrets rocky. When he confesses a family secret, after she’s attacked by an armed inmate,
Madeleine Holly-Rosing. Brass-T, $4.99 e- she becomes distractingly obsessed with it. whom she kills in self-defense. Phillip, a
book (262p) ISBN 978-0-9964292-6-9 Readers will be confused by her continual Christian, and Shahla, an observant Jew,
This halting novel of conspiracy and efforts to stay emotionally detached from begin dating, despite their religious differ-
magic, the first prose novel tied to Holly- Jacob despite him being a perfect boyfriend. ences, and they eventually get married.
Rosing’s Boston Metaphysical Society Still, the indie music scene reads as Shahla is forced to reveal more of her past
graphic novel universe (Boston Metaphysical authentic, the pacing keeps the story hum- after their home is visited by two Israelis.
Society: The Scourge of the Mechanical Men, ming along, and the big twist is one readers She admits that she once worked for the
etc.), brings readers through the door into won’t see coming. Israeli intelligence services, and explains
an intriguing alternate history setting but that an Israeli drug cartel head, whom she
fails to forge a new path beyond it. In this Days to the Gallows: A Novel of helped arrest 10 years earlier, has been
version of 1872, America is ruled by the Hartford Witch Panic released from prison, placing her life and
wealthy families known as the Great Katherine Spada Basto. Createspace, $12.99 Phillip’s in danger. Bloodshed follows, but
Houses. Jonathan is the leader of a great trade paper (278p) ISBN 978-1-5369-7804-9 Khubiar’s care in investing in the inner lives
house who is caught up in a business plot; Basto’s chilling debut serves as a provoca- of her leads makes this more than just
Samuel is a former Pinkerton detective, tive reminder of how the term “witch hunt” another action yarn.
haunted by his actions and trying to atone became part of the American lexicon. In
by working as a freelance detective; and 1662 Hartford, Conn., 17-year-old Hester Famous Last Words
Elizabeth is a medium just discovering her Hosmer follows her friend Ann Cole to Sara Hammel. Sara Hammel, $15.95 trade
power. As the characters move through watch an eerie moonlit gathering of some paper (384p) ISBN 978-0-692-07673-6
Boston, they are pulled into darkness and of their neighbors. In a subsequent prayer Journalist Hammel (The Underdogs)
tragedy. Unfortunately, readers will need an meeting, Ann claims that those at the gath- mines her years of reporting on celebrities
understanding of the broader world Holly- ering are witches, and the float-or-sink for this strong novel that stars a celebrity

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reporter who just may be a murderer. down into a dense historical text. Though bonding over cooking, and simply under-
Hammel switches between Augusta light, this diverting novel is notable for its standing each other. For example, knowing
Noble’s work as a stringer for pop culture detailed and lively depiction of its setting. that Elena likes quiet, Cora comes to her
magazine CelebLife on a “quest to interview rescue when Elena’s teenage cousins turn
exactly 107 celebrities” and her past with The It Girl and Me her apartment into a dance hall. The only
her best friend, Caroline Rain. Augusta’s Laini Giles. Sepia Stories, $2.99 e-book point of conflict, Elena telling her family
interview quest is her chosen means to (438p) ASIN B01MV52EQV about Cora’s ADHD without permission,
recover her memory of what exactly hap- Giles (The Forgotten Flapper) provides an resolves quickly, while the suspense revolves
pened after she arrived in Caroline’s apart- intriguing look at the life of an impover- around Elena’s willingness to be in a non-
ment months ago to find her friend barely ished Kentucky girl who became best sexual relationship. The depiction of
alive after being attacked by one of the two friends with a famous actress and the mutual affection and familial acceptance
men in her life. Caroline’s boyfriend at the betrayal that ruined them both. Narrator results in a sweet love story, and readers
time, wealthy chocolate heir Joe Lannells, Daisy DeBoe, a bootlegger’s daughter, grew looking for tenderness without drama will
died at the scene, and it is possible that up poor in rural Kentucky before eventually be charmed.
Augusta’s memory loss conceals her own moving to California and landing a job in
culpability in his death. Her memory stub- 1927 as silent film star Clara Bow’s secre- Lorenzo’s Daggers
bornly refuses to return as she works for tary. Though the two grew up in similar Ron McGaw. CreateSpace, $14.99 trade paper
CelebLife, first in London and then L.A., circumstances, Daisy and Clara’s lives are (262p) ISBN 978-1-4818-8419-8
writing juicy stories and receiving pearls of worlds apart: Intelligent, pragmatic Daisy When a high school student mysteri-
wisdom and the occasional rude response manages Clara’s life and finances and stops ously disappears, history teacher Prester
from beautiful people ranging from royals people from taking advantage of her. John travels back in time to the Italian
to musicians and Hollywood A-listers. In However, the sexy, outrageously excessive Renaissance to find him in this smart, sus-
London, she meets and is charmed by fellow Clara continues to make reckless decisions penseful adventure story. The novel alter-
reporter Alexander Matten, who she learns with her money and her personal life (at one nates between modern-day New England
is also attracted to her and is an actual vis- point she gives her two dogs a diamond- and 15th-century Italy; it begins in 1478
count. Hammel wraps up the memory encrusted vanity case as a chew toy). Things Florence with an attempted coup, a violent
recovery and crime plotlines a bit abruptly, come to a head when Clara marries a man power grab by the Pazzi clan against the
but readers will enjoy Augusta’s attempt to who hates Daisy and subsequently fires her. ruling Medici family. The story then time-
understand herself. Thrown out with nothing after Clara prom- shifts to a prep school history class, when
ised to take care of her, Daisy threatens to teacher John is showing his students his
House Under the Hill blackmail her former friend, and soon after, antique daggers, and surly student Kirk
Rachel V. Knox. Rachel V. Knox, $6.14 trade the police get involved. Giles does a great job Renzo bolts out a window with one. John
paper (220p) ISBN 978-1-980931-01-0 of bringing old Hollywood to life, and her gives chase, but Renzo has vanished; John
Knox melds historical sources with fic- characters are so fully realized they nearly becomes a suspect in the boy’s disappear-
tional characters to create a pleasant work walk off the page. Based on true events, this ance, loses his job, and is harassed by
narrated by a house in Wales. The novel scandalous tale is marvelously entertaining. Renzo’s wealthy father. When a physicist
lacks a conventional plot; it intersperses speculates that Renzo has time-travelled to
moments from the lives of the real Kearley Learning Curves Renaissance Florence, John, intent on
family from the first decades of the 20th Ceillie Simkiss. Ceillie Simkiss, $2.99 e-book bringing the boy home, travels back to the
century with an extended story of a game of (70p) ASIN B07FDFMGKP same parallel universe by touching a “time-
hide and seek gone wrong in 1954. The In this middling debut novella by jour- tree” while holding the other dagger at a
house is Gwylfa Hiraethog, meaning nalist Simkiss, two female graduate stu- precise day and time, He discovers that
roughly “watchtower of longing,” and was dents at the University of North Carolina Renzo has become a powerful prince
christened by none other than Prime meet in class and develop a friendship that because of his prophesies about the future
Minister David Lloyd George, and is “the blossoms into love just in time for and does not want to leave. The story has a
highest inhabited house in Wales.” A Christmas. Through lackluster dialogue, lively tempo, including a close call with the
speech by Lloyd George features, as does a Simkiss delineates the differences between hangman’s noose and sparkling interactions
vignette of the Kearleys on the home front the two women: Elena, a curvaceous, Puerto with Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and
during the Great War. Gwylfa occasionally Rican lesbian in law school, comes from a Machiavelli. It ranges widely between the
imparts commentary on the residents of the large Catholic family, while Cora, short, history of Florence’s political rivalries and
moment or its increasingly dilapidated white, asexual, and enrolled in the business the riveting cultural contributions of the
state. Knox concludes with Gwylfa’s final school, hails from a small Methodist family era’s most famous artists and thinkers. This
thoughts from 2018 and a photo of the shell and has ADHD. The women’s attraction is a splendid narrative linking art, history,
of the house as it is today. Knox’s prose is grows steadily through library study ses- and the modern world.
buoyant and keeps the book from bogging sions, dancing in a surprise snow storm,

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The Merging: A crowded cast—including Aurora’s ality as he grows up in 1920s Germany,


An Ian Dex Supernatural Thriller friends, the other members of the Rider joins the National Socialist party as a teen-
John P. Logsdon and Christopher P. Young. Agency, and a Russian mobster with ties to ager, and eventually becomes a member of
Crimson Myth, $2.99 e-book (206p) the tennis circuit—provides a multitude of the Reichswehr, or German Army, as an
ASIN B075FTMXYH viewpoints with varying success. However, officer assigned to be an “observer” of offi-
The breathless first Paranormal Police the high level of detail, particularly around cial activities. The perspectives of col-
novel pits a playboy police officer against a the life of a professional athlete, makes up leagues and acquaintances, including
troubling threat. A routine call to contain for any other inconsistencies and will keep Dwight Eisenhower, follow the career of the
a vampire goes sideways for the chief of Las sports fans hooked. man whose actions change the path of the
Vegas Paranormal Police, Ian Dex, when a Third Reich, because Karl “saw what was
massive werewolf shows up. Soon, Dex’s Playing the Pauses happening in Germany, and he didn’t like
squad of mages, were-creatures, and other Michelle Hazen. CreateSpace, $9.99 trade it.” The flow of smart, competent prose is
supernatural beings is barely escaping from paper (374p) ISBN 978-1-983913-61-7 disrupted with headings for the invented
a series of shockingly powerful enemies. Hazen returns to the rough-and-tumble texts and letters, and the disordered mix of
The department’s resources are strained as rock music world with her snappy second fact and fiction is distracting. Still, the
they scramble to figure out who is behind Sex, Love, and Rock & Roll contemporary longer sections of narration are engaging
these confounding new attacks and attempt (after A Cruel Kind of Beautiful). Kate enough to hold readers’ attention, making
to keep nonsupernatural humans from Madsen’s father bailed when she was 10, and this an intriguing historical novel.
learning about the existence of magic and her mother’s mental illness compounded
mythical creatures. Dex’s boundless libido her trauma. Now a music tour manager, she ★ Queen of Zazzau
stands in for a personality and sows frustra- doesn’t let anyone get too close. Tattoo J.S. Emuakpor. Afrocentric, $16.99 trade paper
tion among his female colleagues, including artist turned bassist Danny O’Neil never (460p) ISBN 978-1-946595-06-5
the department’s flirty artificial intelli- lived up to his exacting parents’ expecta- Emuakpor celebrates a 16th-century
gence, but these conflicts and all character tions, even after his band, the Red Letters, West African queen in a splendid historical
developments take a back seat to breakneck started to take off. When the two meet, it’s fantasy rooted in love, family, and destiny.
skirmish scenes. Light worldbuilding, how- with a lust-filled, BDSM-fueled passion, Amina, daughter and heir to Zazzau’s
ever, does lay groundwork for sequels, and once they’re on tour they sneak in trysts Queen Bakwa, lives under an oracle’s bloody
including explanations of Dex’s nature as a wherever and whenever possible. Even as prediction that she will be “the cause of war
type of genetically modified supernatural Kate tries to keep her emotional distance— and untold death.” It’s a prophecy so dire
creature known as an amalgamite. Readers knowing that nothing will be certain once that Amina’s future as queen is in doubt.
looking for breezy action who don’t mind the tour’s over—she falls in love. Hazen’s Heeding an ancient river god’s warning,
frequently puerile jokes will enjoy this command of the music business imbues every Amina rushes to save Zazzau from invaders
uncomplicated romp. scene with authenticity, and her hero with a and prove herself. When a rival king
heart of gold will make readers swoon. In threatens Zazzau’s sovereignty, a vengeful
Meridian File: addition to the complex, quirky heroine of Amina gives herself to Dafaru, the god of
The Rider Files, Book 1 this tale, Hazen brings back previous heroine war, in exchange for victory. The personal
CB Samet. BookBaby, $4.99 e-book (270p) Jera in a considerably deeper and more costs are steep, but Bakwa, fearing the
ASIN B076B5PS2T appealing fashion than in her first appearance. prophecy, deliberately left Amina untrained
In this staccato kickoff to a romantic sus- By turns funny, sad, and introspective, in the politics of war, and she knows no
pense series, Samet (Gray Horizon) touches Hazen’s story will strike a chord with readers. other way to defend her country. Amina
on the high-stakes world of professional suffers painful setbacks before learning to
tennis, sports doping, and the Russian A Prophet Without Honor: thrive in both a male-dominated world and
Mafia. Wine heiress and professional tennis A Novel of Alternative History a relationship with a temperamental god.
player Aurora Meridian is determined to Joseph Wurtenbaugh. G Realist Ink, $14.99 Emuakpor craftily weaves fascinating char-
have a successful comeback season despite trade paper (450p) ISBN 978-1-976705-57-1 acters, facts, and folklore together into a
mysterious death threats, injury, and the In this fair historical novel, Wurtenbaugh riveting adventure steeped in African cul-
sudden attention from those who’d aban- reimagines Hitler’s rise to power, supple- ture. Amina is strong-willed, often naive,
doned her when her career derailed years mented with letters and excerpts from fic- yet refreshingly intelligent. Readers will
before. Bodyguard Mason Stone, smarting tional historical texts and memoirs. The enjoy discovering whether Amina’s choices
from allegations of unprofessionalism father and stepmother of Karl von avert or seal her prophesied fate.
during his last assignment for the Rider Haydenreich begin the story, with German
Agency, is determined that he will keep officer Heinrich marrying a Jew, Rosamund, Rational Creatures
Aurora safe and be all business with her— his deceased wife’s best friend. Karl picks Edited by Christina Boyd. Quill Ink, $15.95
but as the season progresses, the danger up the narrative with his own letters and trade paper (464p) ISBN 978-0-9986540-6-5
mounts and their mutual attraction grows. journal entries, adding layers to his person- This impressive anthology introduces

B O O K L I F E .C O M 51d
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the works of 16 gifted Jane Austen–inspired plete with ravenous lions, slimy black- ment in the ’60s. Silverstein’s observations
authors, whose short stories reimagine mailers, bloodthirsty terrorists, and so are rooted in his argument that “the adver-
adventures of Austen’s characters and glow much more. Too often Waite tells rather tising industry pushed brand management
with the beloved novelist’s timeless blend than shows. to new heights” by making a “real emo-
of romantic intrigue, witticisms, and biting tional connection” between consumers and
social commentary on life’s absurdities. The Starling products. He explains how Frosted Flakes,
stories, which complement Austen’s humor, (Love in Los Angeles, Book 1) for example, used cartoon characters to
irony, and spirited heroines, bring back Erin McRae and Racheline Maltese. Avian30, develop children’s affection for the product
characters who are both loved (Elizabeth $3.99 e-book (272p) ASIN B01MYVGLQE (which was “generally accepted to be the
Bennet) and loathed (Penelope Clay). Some In a bright start to a contemporary series, forerunner of the sugary cereal brands”). He
tales refer to love and loss, as in the well- McRae and Maltese (A Queen from the North) also explores how the powdered breakfast
crafted “Charlotte’s Comfort” by Joana set up a sizzling romance on the Los Angeles drink Tang used the popularity of NASA to
Starnes, which features Elizabeth Bennet’s set of a TV show. Young, freckled produc- pitch itself as “a space-age drink” after
practical friend, Charlotte, who is married tion assistant J. Alex Cook tosses a sassy line astronauts drank it in space. Perhaps the
to the vile Mr. Collins; many others convey at star actor Liam, and after they banter most interesting section is a year-by-year
the “serious business” of marriage in high with cameras running, the show runner list of the various consumer developments
society, as Eleanor Tilney notes in “A decides Alex should have a recurring part. from 1946 to 1964, the peak of the baby
Nominal Mistress”; and, in Lona Manning’s Alex’s turn in front of the cameras quickly boom: 1949, for example, saw the intro-
“The Art of Pleasing,” Penelope Clay is a leads to an unexpected—and unwanted— duction of Clearasil, Dunkin’ Donuts, and
naughty widow who is adept at the game of degree of fame. Meanwhile, show writer the television remote control. Silverstein’s
love. While these reimagined characters’ Paul Keane is very drawn to Alex, who has slim book is a delightful journey through
domestic situations vary—unmarried, mar- never dated anyone, and soon the two of a time that saw “the birth of the modern
ried, widowed, spinster—they are Austen- them are having mind-blowing sex. Alex, brand.”
esque in principle, desiring men who who grew up in homophobic Indiana and is
respect their intellect and strong character. nervous about his fans’ obsessed attention, ★ The Joy of Job:
Each author’s style matches the elegance of wants Paul to be discreet about their rela- An Investigator’s Perspective on the
the Regency period; Austen fans will be tionship, but Paul loves public displays of Most Righteous Man on the Earth
pleased. affection and thinks Alex worries too much. Maribeth Vander Weele. Sagerity, $24.99
After a fight just before Alex travels to shoot trade paper (138p) ISBN 978-1-7322-4081-0
Shadowed on location, Paul goes back to his ex and Journalist Vander Weele (Reclaiming Our
Thomas Waite. Marlborough, $14.95 trade Alex hooks up with Liam. But Alex still Schools) presents a novel interpretation of
paper (329p) ISBN 978-0-9850258-2-3 longs for Paul, calling and texting him and the story of Job in this work of trenchant
Waite’s so-so second technophile novel shaking their already fragile emotional analysis. For readers who have wondered
(after Terminal Value) follows the misadven- states. Nonstop drama will have readers why an uncaring God allowed Job, a faithful
tures of “tall, youthful-looking thirty- racing to the satisfying end of this very follower, to lose everything—apparently
three-year-old” Dylan Johnson and his enjoyable romance. just to test his faith—Vander Weele poses
girlfriend, Heather Carter. Currently the question: what if friends, servants, and

Nonfiction
unemployed, both made—and lost—a family abandoned Job not because of their
good portion of a fortune when they sold lack of understanding or compassion, but
their jointly owned mobile-computing con- because Job wasn’t a good person? With
sulting firm. The two now face the prospect Boomer Brands: Iconic Brands meticulous analysis of the text, Vander
of jail time and further hefty financial losses that Shaped Our Childhood Weele sheds light on aspects of the narrative
for their part in coercing a murder confes- Barry Silverstein. GuideWords, $12.95 trade and Job’s character that she believes have
sion out of their evil former partner, paper (192p) ISBN 978-0-9965760-3-1 been misinterpreted for millennia. Instead
Harvard MBA Rob Townsend, who was Silverstein (Let’s Make Money, Honey), a of being a righteous, innocent man, Job
once Heather’s “handsome blond boy- business writer and former marketing and emerges as someone who has mistreated his
friend.” Rob is about to be released from jail brand management consultant, explores the servants and family, cheated people in busi-
for lack of evidence in the murder of Dylan’s way in which brands “tunneled their way” ness, and puts his wealth above all else. In
best friend, computer genius Tony Caruso. into the consciousness of the Baby Boomer fact, Vander Weele suggests, Job seems not
Meanwhile, Dylan and Heather are generation. In 14 breezy but highly infor- to have had much of a relationship with
approached by a mysterious African mogul, mative chapters, Silverstein covers various God before his suffering. Vander Weele’s
who offers them a chance to do “important product categories that were popular during excellent exegesis offers refreshing insight
work... technology with a humanitarian the Boomer childhood years, from breakfast into an oft-shrugged-off Old Testament
heartbeat.” Soon Dylan and Heather are off cereals of the 1950s to early “green” prod- classic.
on a wild and at times convoluted ride com- ucts arising from the environmental move-

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The Messy Joys of Being Human: ferent from fiction, and extends beyond the observations about the meaning of
A Guide to Risking Change and book itself; many authors will want to use Gethsemane (oil press), the breaking of
Becoming Happier their books as brand extensions. Self- Christ’s body, and how the rivalry between
Helen Rosenau. Riverview, $17 trade paper publishing, Chandler and Palachuk Ishmael and Isaac extends to current conflicts
(264p) ISBN 978-1-7325337-5-2 observe, makes authors into entrepre- in the Middle East are particularly revealing.
Rosenau, a writer and visual artist, pas- neurs—if they aren’t already—with the Anyone interested in the Christian heritage
sionately advocates for readers to do the deep success of their book firmly in their hands. of Jerusalem will relish Moubarak’s tour.
reflective work she feels is necessary to live The authors weigh the pros and cons of self-
joyful lives. She divides her lessons into five publishing versus going with a traditional Phantoms of the Hotel Meurice:
sections: “Getting to Know Us,” which helps publishing house, and tackle profitability, A Guide to the Holocaust in Paris
readers assess their present situations and distribution, soliciting endorsements and Jeremy R. Mack. Tandem Lane Editions, $38
reflect on hopes for the future; “Our Messy reviews (they suggest that when readers (238p) ISBN 978-1-7326338-0-3
Joys,” which encourages readers to reex- privately reach out to praise a book, authors Psychoanalyst Mack does a solid job of
amine limiting beliefs; “Risking Change,” should “reply with gracious appreciation summarizing the war crimes of Vichy
which advises on how to makes changes and ask the reader to post a review online”), France against the Jews in this accessible
intelligently and with intention; “Learning selling on Amazon, and a plethora of other history. He begins with the history of
to Fly,” which counsels readers to stay on the how-to topics. Backed with case studies and French anti-Semitism, which predated
self-growth road and not succumb to worries; resources, this is a useful guide for nonfic- Nazism and the depth of which partially
and “You, Me, Us,” which exhorts the virtues tion authors aspiring to bestsellerdom. explains French actions between 1940 and
of living a life full of love. Along the way, 1944. Mack, using secondary sources, then
Rosenau shares her own insecurities and past ★ One Friday in Jerusalem: traces the promulgation of anti-Jewish leg-
missteps, such as her dedication to a Walking to Calvary; islation, including statutes aimed at
“visioning collage” filled with “worldly aspi- A Tour, a Faith, a Life enabling the French to seize Jewish assets
rations” like writing a New York Times best- Andre Moubarak. Twins Tours & Travel, $20 before the Germans could. Mack does not
seller. She also provides helpful instructions trade paper (240p) ISBN 978-0-9992494-2-0 mince words: he concludes that the “French,
for readers to dig deeper with writing Tour guide Moubarak’s engaging passively and actively, turned their country
prompts at the end of each chapter. “Chances thoughts and observations about Christ’s into... an outpost of Auschwitz, a supply
to grow are rarely easy or fun,” she writes, journey to Calvary will make readers feel as and delivery center for the murder industry
advising readers not shy away from hard though they are walking the streets of of the camp.” By the war’s end, he notes,
introspection. Though she provides no easy Jerusalem. Combining insights as a native more than 70,000 Jews living in France had
answers, Rosenau’s set of practices, inspiring of Jerusalem who grew up near the Via died. Mack makes clear that, despite public
prose, and questions for contemplation will Dolorosa (the Way of Sorrows) and as a statements by prominent politicians such
be of use to readers looking for guidance Palestinian Christian­— a marginalized as Jacques Chirac and Emmanuel Macron
without demanding strictures. identity that, in his words, allows him to denouncing French complicity in the
identify with the also-rejected Christ— Holocaust, denial remains prevalent; for
The Nonfiction Book Publishing Moubarak brings both past and present to example, he notes, the website of the Hotel
Plan: The Professional Guide to life as he leads readers down the road of Meurice, which had served as the headquar-
Profitable Self-Publishing Christ’s last steps. His descriptive prose ters of the German Military Administration,
Stephanie Chandler and Karl W. Palachuk. (“The Old City of Jerusalem is a mosaic of has an extensive history section that, glar-
Authority Publishing, $19.99 trade paper ancient churches... Byzantine Greeks. ingly, skips 1940–1945. The author’s goal
(302p) ISBN 978-1-949642-00-1 Coptic and Ethiopian churches. African “to undo the obvious attempts on the part
Two independent-publishing gurus Christians... medieval Latin Catholic of the Parisians and the French to forget,
present a keen-eyed, thorough view of the churches from the Crusader era, and deny, disavow, and to try to remain obliv-
basics of getting a self-published book churches of the Franciscan Terra Sancta mis- ious of the events” of the 1940s is more than
written, designed, distributed, and publi- sion”) conjures the sights and smells of met. Illus.
cized. They know their stuff: Palachuk modern-day Jerusalem, with vendors
owns a technology consulting firm, the standing beside sacred locations. Photos River Queens: Saucy Boat, Stoat
Sacramento Small Business Server User round out the text, providing glimpses of Mates, Spotted Dog, America
Group, and a publishing business, the locations associated with the 14 stations of Alexander Watson. Orange Frazer, $27.95
Great Little Book Publishing Company, the cross. At each stop, Moubarak recounts (320p) ISBN 978-1-939710-85-7
while Chandler is a former bookstore owner personal stories tied to the themes as well Watson’s delightful memoir recounts
and the CEO of the company through which as pertinent insight into biblical and his- how he and his partner, Dale—both real
they (appropriately) self-published this torical accounts of what Christ encountered estate investors—bought a fixer-upper
book. They demonstrate that the strategy as he was put on trial, tortured, and forced 1950s wooden Chris-Craft boat for $14,500
of self-publishing nonfiction is very dif- to carry his cross to Calvary. Moubarak’s and sailed it from Oklahoma to Ohio. They

B O O K L I F E .C O M 51f
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began by overhauling the boat inside and “4 Gates to Peak Team Performance” animals appearing in a spirited art style.
out; after two years, it was finally seaworthy, (namely: safety, purpose, belonging, and Alliterative verses describe silly scenarios
and they traveled along various rivers (with peak performing). Andreatta’s enthusiasm and playful interactions between the sub-
an overland tow from the Arkansas River in may well prove contagious for her target jects: “Kaia the kind kitten/ kissed a koala
Little Rock to the Tennessee River) to their audience, encouraging them to apply her and a kooky kangaroo kissed a kiwi.”
Cincinnati home. Watson and Dale—the advice to their own workplace teams. Elsewhere, “Mia the messy meerkat/ mis-
River Queens of the title—have an enjoy- takenly made/ mushroom muffins/ mixed
able banter throughout, arguing who’s Your Kid’s Gonna Be Okay: with/ marshmallows.” Varjolie fills each
going to take the dog for a walk or how to Building the Executive spread with a feeling of improvisational
signal for help when their boat breaks Function Skills Your Child play while giving each of the animals its
down, but it’s really the folks they meet Needs in the Age of Attention own kooky personality. Readers may pick
along the way who steal the show: Alon, an Michael Delman. Beyond BookSmart, $15.95 up on some new vocabulary words and unfa-
aging mechanic who assists the men in the trade paper (236p) ISBN 978-1-73203-490-7 miliar animals while reading the tongue-
boat’s restoration; John Bartlett, a crazy Delman, founder of the student coaching twisting lines aloud (“Queenie the queru-
Cajun captain the likes of which “one does company Beyond BookSmart, offers a lous quetzal/ quacked quadrillion quotes/
not meet in Grandmother’s living room”; coherent and accessible approach to helping in Quebec”). Unexpected animal pairings
and a smattering of river rats, retirees, and kids function effectively in the “Age of (a tarantula, tiger, and turtle share one
good old boys. No matter who they Attention,” a period when everyone must spread) enliven this offbeat romp. All ages.
encounter, the two gay city slickers and their struggle to optimize “the most precious
dog charm and impress with their beautiful commodity we have: our time and our Posthumous
boat and their love of the “muddy water” attention.” He focuses on the executive Paul Aertker. Flying Solo, $9.95 paper (200p)
that runs through their veins. This is a heart- function skills that help students set and ISBN 978-1-940137-99-5
warming look into the heart of America. achieve goals, such as managing impulses In a bittersweet story about honoring a
and emotions, starting and staying focused loved one’s memory, 12-year-old Ellie has
Wired to Connect: on tasks, prioritizing, planning, orga- returned to the United States with her
The Brain Science of Teams nizing, and problem solving. Throughout, father after living in Paris. They are both
and a New Model for Creating Delman weaves in anecdotes from students adjusting to a new reality without Ellie’s
Collaboration and Inclusion he has helped as well as from his own chil- mother, who died of cancer in France. Ellie
Britt Andreatta. 7th Minding Publishing, $17.99 dren (for example, an app one of his daugh- knows that there is much of her brave, viva-
trade paper (184p) ISBN 978-0-9973547-5-1 ters initially called “dumb” proved very cious mother to be found in the children’s
Consultant Andreatta, who “creates sci- useful in helping her regulate time spent on stories she left behind—and that bringing
ence-based solutions for common work- her phone). In numerous “Something to her mother’s writing into the world will
place challenges,” devotes her spirited Try” sections, Delman equips parents and provide solace. But Ellie is unable to guess
primer to the significance of work groups kids with invaluable problem-solving the password that will allow access to her
today, when “nearly 90% of workers say resources: students with writer’s block can mother’s computer—a password that her
they spend one-third to one-half of each day try simply writing “blah blah blah” a few mother seems to have changed shortly
working in teams.” These teams are fre- times to get over the hump, those with before her death. Aertker’s narrative transi-
quently composed of members “from reading problems are given specific “active” tions between the present day and the fam-
another region, or even country, thanks to reading strategies, and kids struggling with ily’s time in Paris, including Ellie’s moth-
technology and web-based work tools.” To decision making can create a useful “deci- er’s diagnosis, treatments, and death.
underscore key points, Andreatta uses 14 sional balance sheet.” Thanks to his reas- Through the expansive, well-conveyed
case studies from successful or not-so-suc- suring tone, Delman leaves parents with a flashbacks, Ellie reflects on her family’s
cessful teams in workplaces both large and well-stocked toolbox of practical ideas to painful ordeal and her vividly portrayed
small. Andreatta employs simple lightbulb help their children organize and navigate mother’s eternal optimism in the face of her
graphics at the end of each section to mark their schoolwork, schedules, and lives. illness. While there are tear-jerking
points in “Your Learning Journey,” moments, Aertker’s novel doesn’t dwell on

Children’s/YA
declaring the importance of “engaging with the family’s sense of loss, instead focusing
concepts in a personal way.” Readers will on Ellie’s crystallized recollections and life’s
learn about the new model for group success steady drumbeat forward. Ages 9–12.
(“coordination, cooperation, collabora- Tongue Twisting ABCs
tion”), the neurochemistry associated with Joshua Savage, illus. by Claudia V. Varjolie. I Can Be Kind
teamwork, and the importance of mentor- Savage Publishing, $3.99 e-book (28p) Heather Lester, illus. by Amanda Appiarius.
ship. They’ll also learn about the “boosters” ASIN B01D7X77AC For Good Media, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-
and “threats” that either add or drain Savage’s quirky alphabet book features a 9992621-3-9
“energy” from group efforts, and about the friendly menagerie of active, wide-eyed A sensitive girl named Alice describes

51g B O O K L I F E , F E B R UA RY 2 5 , 2 0 1 9
REVIEWS ®

what she likes (horses, her bike, “the sound


snow makes when you step on it”) and dis-
likes (roosters that chase her, rising early).
Most of all, she doesn’t like it when bad
things happen. Her diverse family members
offer tips for how she might improve the
world, including being kind and brave, and
learning from the past and from others.
Putting the ideas into action, she stands up
to bullies, contributes to a bake sale, and
visits a museum, where she views a drawing
of black activists carrying protest signs (dis-
cussed in back matter). Appiarius illus-
trates in a straightforward art style, with
characters who communicate through clear
expressions and dialogue balloons. Lester
provides an authentic missive about
choosing kindness and making personal
connections. Proceeds from book sales go to
charities started by kids. Ages 5–6.

B O O K L I F E .C O M 51h

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