Book Awards, Editorial Reviews & More!
Book Awards, Editorial Reviews & More!
Kevin Davis makes a living in mental health, but Kevin is a phony. He is a liar, a cheat, a fraud, a quack, a bootleg psychiatrist peddling unorthodox treatments while posing as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Still, Chicago has its share of ailing patients desperate to alleviate their burdens, and Kevin is all too […]
Autumn Simmons is a woman of many dimensions. She is an artist, a humanitarian, a world traveler, and a soon-to-be mother. But if her nearly forty years have taught her anything, it is that change often comes without invitation. She might have imagined a charmed life in Italy with her baby’s father, and for a
Mikaila Emery’s life seems quite ordinary until she encounters a brilliant manifestation of holiness in a dreamlike vision. There, she sees her best friend get in a terrible car accident: With a cavalier attitude toward both her safety and her faith, Mikaila’s friend Chara climbs into an SUV thinking, “I could put my seatbelt on,
Once an ardent supporter of his chosen political faction, former virtue marketing professional Adam Brand is now adrift. He has no motivation, no direction, no job, and no prospects. Jaded by the antics of right-wing conservatives and unimpressed with left-leaning supporters, Adam is done with the flawed parties that ruined the country that once was.
At the tail end of a lackluster high school career, Calvin McShane is stumbling toward college with more questions than confidence. He’s a competent athlete, but rarely the star. He has friends, but often feels out of place. His family isn’t broken, but it’s far from the glossy picture of 90s domestic bliss. And his
A philosophical journey that is intellectually rich and thoroughly enjoyable. On Wednesday morning, Aurelia Tueri died. But thanks to the technology she received as a refugee to Senhika, death was only a temporary situation. While Aurelia is glad to be alive, having a fancy AI enhancement wasn’t an advancement she asked for. Still, when she
A big-hearted tribute to small towns and enduring love. Breakups are seldom easy, but for Morgan, this one stings more than most. As if getting dumped by a man the world idolizes weren’t enough, Morgan is basically evicted from his fancy NYC apartment with zero fanfare, zero notice, and zero options but to head back
A sweeping emotional tale that blends intimacy with a perceptible sense of suspense. The Story of You by Daniel Maunz is a poignant novel that intertwines the complexities of parenthood, communication, and the weight of unspoken truths. At its center is Will Banfield, a devoted father trying to reach his four-year-old son, Quince, who is
A novel that fuses suspense, indulgence, and tenacity. St. Columba is a long way from Vermont, but it is the place Gemma calls home these days. Here, among sun-drenched Caribbean beachlines and sunburnt tourists, this young woman makes ends meet by selling timeshares during the day while retreating at night to Luna, her beloved, dilapidated
A heartfelt tribute to the craft of storytelling, the faces that inspire it, and the communities that nurture it. Weaving together flash fiction, memoir pieces, essays, and stories rooted in everyday encounters, The Long Red Hair and Other Short Stories by Nancy Martin is a fast-moving collection that peels back the curtain on ordinary events and
A raw and beautifully fractured exploration of grief. A Pleasant Fiction: A Novelistic Memoir by Javier De Lucia is a stark and intimate exploration of loss, memory, and the uneasy terrain of healing after tragedy. At its center is Calvin, a man reeling from the death of his family. Instead of collapsing into expected rituals
A seductive tale that lingers long after the last page. LIPS: Kiss The Lips That Lie by Peter Gooch unfolds as an intimate study of passion and duplicity, where family influence collides with individual desire. At its center is Selene Ormond, an alluring English au pair whose polished exterior conceals a past in Britain she cannot quite
A masterful work of storytelling that brings noir and nuance to the family saga genre. Arkansas Black by Alexander Blevens is a Southern Gothic tale of fractured kinship, rural identity, and generational survival. The story opens in a Northwest Arkansas orchard, with a devastating spring frost that wipes out the Fitch family’s apple crop. This initial
The rare novel that is both heartbreaking and uplifting. Forgiven by Bruce J. Berger is a layered, emotionally resonant novel about family, faith, and the difficult paths to healing. The story follows the Covo family, each member bearing private grief and unresolved conflicts. Nicky is a Holocaust survivor and respected Brooklyn psychiatrist who is rocked
A fierce, funny, and fearless novel. Penny might be withdrawn, but she is not oblivious. She arrives in Ann Arbor hoping for a typical college experience, but is unexpectedly drawn into the glittering orbit of a charismatic but deeply troubled sorority girl with cutting wit and a pharmacy’s worth of pills at her disposal. Stella
A powerful story about resilience, redemption, and personal reckoning. The bond between mothers and daughters can be fiercely protective. So when Lucy Merrell reads a bad-news text from her mom, Paula, she is devastated. “Greg and I got into a nasty argument last night and he hit me.” Greg is an abusive husband? How could
Sharp literary fiction laced with tension, the story maintains an atmospherically suspenseful tone. Noel Walker is a walking contradiction. Socially attuned yet reliant upon personal space, he lives in one of America’s most crowded metropolitan areas. His opinions on artificial intelligence run hot and strong, but his family includes an AI-operated robocat. And he craves
A compelling blend of hard-boiled detective fiction and post-crisis realism. Rat Town Blues by Brian Kaufman is a gritty neo-noir mystery set in a not-so-distant future where the world feels both familiar and uncomfortably off-kilter. The story follows Mark “Slag” Ferguson, who is a down-on-his-luck bartender and an ex-boxer. Slag takes on jobs as an
A vivid and grippingly claustrophobic read that is satisfying from beginning to end. Dance With Me by Livia J. Elliot is a haunting and poignant fairy tale for adult readers, blending delicate imagery with psychological depth. The story follows a ceramic ballerina who exists only to dance atop her music box for her admiring elven owners.
A poignant reflection not just on what leaves a mark, but on what binds us back together. Turning fifty naturally invites reflection, a time to measure our choices and question whether the life we’ve built is truly the one we intended. When vivacious Franny reaches that milestone birthday, however, nothing suggests to her family that
An articulate, erudite, and intellectually incisive novel. “You have metastatic Stage IV prostate cancer, Will. It has spread.” This news is not entirely unexpected for septuagenarian Will Barnes. From damaged Marine to proud grandfather, Will’s life has been marked by significant milestones, irreversible choices, and thoughtful adaptation. And now, time is running short to complete
An anthem for those navigating intimacy and mid-life change. In the 1800s, Abraham Lincoln famously reminded audiences, “And this, too, shall pass away.” It seems Lincoln’s speech wasn’t a memorable part of the Catholic school curriculum for Nika Stewart. Instead, she drags suffocating expectations into adulthood, including an ominous conjugal debt and the relentless chaos
Walk a Mile in My Shoes – Surviving Life’s Challenges is a dramatic first-person account of the wild twists and turns in Paul Bradford’s life. With roots as a Southern boy coming of age in the 1960s, Bradford’s heartwrenching story spans some seven decades of internal and external upheaval. For readers who can handle conflict,
Notorious bandit Santo Valdez is dead, and his merciless successor, El Diablo, brings more trouble for the Western Lands than his name suggests. The reading of Valdez’s will promises a fortune to his gang, but the treasure is buried and concealed in a riddle that will frustrate El Diablo for years to come. In this
