The Duchess of Kokora, Phera Ylir Mdana, has entered the marriage games of the neighboring kingdom of Ryene. But she’s not there to woo the dashing Prince Dominic.
Her true objective? To win back one of the other contestants, Lady Rocelle Virae—Phera’s true love and ex-fiancée.
Love proves to be a game like any other when Phera must not only mend matters with her childhood sweetheart, but conceal her true intentions in order to earn votes and stay in the competition.
And as long-brewing political tensions simmer beneath the surface, the playful veneer of the competition begins to crack. In the end, Phera, Dominic, and Rocelle find themselves united in a desperate bid to prevent a duel that threatens the integrity of the kingdom, the stability of the continent, and any hope for a happily ever after.
From playing the DM in Dungeons and Dragons to writing fantasy novels, Nikhil Prabala loves storytelling, delighting in fantasy fiction from the epic to the cozy and everywhere in between. TheDuchess of Kokora is his first published novel.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he graduated from Stanford in 2019 and is currently based in the Bay Area. In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing, singing, playing the guitar, tabletop games, and spending time with friends and family.
Morningwood is back with big plans to create a death tourism industry. Working with his old Metaphysics professor from Texas Alchemical and Metaphysical University, he delves the purgatorial realms gathering data for his venture. Standing in their way is university president T. Smedley Stalwart and his band of religious zealots – the Ancient and Loyal Order of the Holy Armadillo. FBI agents Flockham and Morales return to infiltrate and monitor ALOHA.
With the help of brilliant metaphysical engineer Yong Mi Hernandez, safety inspector Conrad Dopplebock, and guided by the wisdom of Cotton Widdershins, the Deus Tex Machina is a success. Sort of.
Rob Witherspoon was born and raised in rural Texas. He earned a BA in Physical Education, UT Arlington 1985 and a BS in Aerospace Engineering, UT Arlington 1990. He lives in north central Texas with his wife and youngest daughter and has spent much of his life in rural communities and on the ranch.
Felicity Koerber is finally getting her life together. She has a fiancé, her bean to bar chocolate shop on Galveston’s historic Strand has become a gathering spot for the community, and she is ready to embrace whatever the future holds. She’s ready for another launch party – despite the disaster at her grand opening, when she’d first gotten involved with solving a murder. And this time she’s embracing her status as a sleuth. She’s hosting a murder mystery weekend to celebrate the new Mystery Flavor line of craft chocolate bars. She’s held a contest to choose the attendees, who will all stay at her aunt’s flip hotel and enjoy the island. It’s all supposed to be perfectly random – only, Felicity starts to uncover connections between her guests. When one of them winds up murdered, Felicity has to keep her aunt from becoming the main suspect.
The killer is very clearly calling Felicity out, leaving clues that mean little to anyone other than her. But that doesn’t narrow down the suspect pool. Her guests are there because they love the true crime podcast she’s been featured on. And she can’t decide whether the killer wants her to catch them – or just wants to taunt her.
Meanwhile, Felicity is also playing host to her future in-laws and discovers that her fiancé’s sister, who is also a cop, is very competitive. Can Felicity hold her own and make a good impression, while keeping her business together and her aunt out of jail? And can Felicity solve it in time to protect the people she cares about from becoming additional victims?
Satchmo the retired police dog turned therapy dog returns to help her sniff out a few clues, and one of the guests brings along a ferret named Cheeseburger, who keeps showing up in the most unexpected places.
Top Ten list for A CHOCOLATE IS ANNOUNCED by Amber Royer
In my newest Bean to Bar Mystery, A Chocolate is Announced, my protagonist Felicity hosts a murder mystery weekend at the hotel her aunt is in the process of flipping. Of course, everything goes horribly wrong.
Mystery weekends are something between a party, a play and a game. There are so many moving parts, it would be easy for something to go wrong. And in a book, it’s best if everything goes wrong. So what are my top ten ways to ruin a mystery weekend?
10. Show up early and ask lots of questions to the folks trying to get everything set up. This is sure to put them in a bad mood when dealing with the guests that arrive on time. This happens to Felicity – before she’s even had her coffee.
9. Bring a pet, without asking permission. Everyone is bound to love your little snookums, right? Nobody will be allergic to or frightened of your pet, right? Well . . . not always.
8. Bring your laptop and phone. You can spend your down time working on something else. That won’t annoy anyone at all, even if you don’t really engage with what’s going on.
7. Show up drunk. It’s bound to be 5 o’clock somewhere. Especially in a beach town like Galveston, where my Bean to Bar stories are set.
6. Take pictures and video of everything, without permission, even during parts of the event that are clearly scripted, and post it immediately. (Felicity has to set ground rules about this one.)
5. Criticize the food. Imply that it’s unappetizing and unsafe. Even if someone winds up being poisoned on sight, you shouldn’t just blame the buffet. So go ahead and make everybody paranoid.
4. Steal things. Nothing will turn people against each other like making them suspect that someone is a thief.
3. Invite extra people. Or even better, manipulate the guest list so that you replace the people who should have been invited with people who know and dislike each other.
2. Make it impossible for everybody to leave. Otherwise, how can they be fully annoyed by all the steps you’ve taken to ruin the fun.
1. Commit an actual murder. This is sure to overshadow whatever lame mystery was scripted for the weekend. Congratulations! You have become a genuine villain. Look forward to being caught by a LARPer or armchair detective.
Of course, not all of these steps are likely to be committed by the same person. Which leaves Felicity with a large pool of suspects, and a lot to deal with as she sifts through the clues. It was a fun book to write. I hope you enjoy the read!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amber Royer writes the Chocoverse comic telenovela-style foodie-inspired space opera series, and the Bean to Bar Mysteries. She also teaches creative writing and is an author coach.
Amber and her husband live in the DFW Area, where you can often find them hiking or taking landscape, architecture, and wildlife photographs.
If you are very nice to Amber, she might make you cupcakes. Chocolate cupcakes, of course! Amber blogs about creative writing technique and all things chocolate at http://www.amberroyer.com.
Children’s Horror / Fantasy / Magic / Chapter Book
Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press
Page Count: 246
Publication Date: January 9, 2024
SYNOPSIS
Stewart sees a ghostly figure out of the corner of his eye. He and his friend, Andy, begin a ghost investigation that leads to an adventure of a lifetime. Coming face-to-face with a ghost, the boys make a decision to join forces with a group of girls, who have encountered a ghost of their own. The kids soon find that the ghosts that they’ve encountered are in imminent danger and need their help. Can the kids devise a plan to help the ghost in time? Will they be able to reunite a ghost with his lost family? Complete with a ghost village and a feud, this story takes on a life of its own.
Award-winning author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England and moved to Texas, where she lives with her family. She writes YA, general fiction, middle grade, early reader chapter, and picture books. She is the founder and CEO of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press.
Desperate to honor his father’s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.
Once the Army discharges him following World War II, Layken returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time—a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and for time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.
But the banker firmly denies his request. Now what?
Then, the banker makes an alternative proposition—marry his unwanted daughter, Sara Beth, in exchange for a two-year extension. Out of options, money, and time, Layken agrees to the bargain.
Now, he has two years to make a living off the land while he shares his life with a stranger.
Where did your love of [books, writing, reading, and/or storytelling] come from?
I always love answering this question because it takes me back to my childhood. I can still remember the excitement I felt when I first learned to decipher words in the Dick and Jane readers. It’s a love I’ve never lost. I never planned on becoming an author. I just loved to read. But I had a true story that begged to be told and I realized one day I would have to write it, or else I’d have to tell the entire story to someone else. That began my writing journey.
How long have you been writing?
Long before I ever tackled writing a book, I wrote poems, songs, and short stories. I published my first full-length novel in 2013.
What kind(s) of writing do you do?
Besides working on books, I have an active blog that I enjoy creating new content for. I regularly blog twice a week and depending on if I have a guest or book reviews, it can turn into three times a week. But one of the most fun and satisfying writing jobs I’ve ever had was interviewing music artists and writing features for Buddy Magazine (The Original Texas Music Magazine). I’d say the most unique artists I ever interviewed was Kinky Friedman. He has no filters.
What was the hardest part of writing this book?
The hardest part of writing this book was staying true to the time period. I wasn’t born until the fifties, so I did a lot of research to make sure I kept it authentic. A good example is what they called their meals back then. It wasn’t breakfast, lunch, and dinner like we do now. It was breakfast, dinner, and supper. So, I had to keep on my toes and not write lunch. That word didn’t become widely used until the 1960s. When I was growing up, we called them breakfast, dinner, and supper. Little details like that help keep the story on track for the time period.
In researching this book, did you learn any unexpected, unusual, or fascinating information?
I took a trip to Missouri two years ago to conduct hands-on research for this book. I spent hours in the Dade County Library looking at old newspapers from the ‘40s via microfiche. One of the most interesting articles I found was a plea from President Harry S. Truman calling for all households in America to dedicate one day per week to have no meat. Even though the war was over, there were still shortages and the country was rebuilding.
Did you first experience rejections when submitting this manuscript for publication?
I queried agents for A Beggar’s Bargain for one full year and only got generic rejections that said the story didn’t fit what they were looking for. I swear they all use the same form letter. That’s when I decided to switch gears and go with a hybrid publisher, which has been a unique experience.
What projects are you working on at the present?
I am currently working on the second book in The Bargainers Series, A Noble Bargain. It differs totally from A Beggar’s Bargain, introducing new main characters. The story begins in Arkansas, and because of drastic circumstances, they start out on a road trip to St. Louis, Missouri. The car breaks down at Layken Martin’s farm and that intertwines the characters. I am close to halfway through the new story. Then, there will be a third book, and I don’t have a title for it yet.
Jan Sikes writes compelling and creative stories from the heart.
She openly admits that she never set out in life to be an author, although she’s been an avid reader all her life. But she had a story to tell. Not just any story, but a true story that rivals any fiction creation. She brought the entertaining true story to life through fictitious characters in an intricately woven tale that encompasses four books, accompanying music CDs, and a book of poetry and art.
And now, this author can’t put down the pen. She continues to write fiction in a variety of genres and has published many award-winning short stories and novels.
Jan is an active blogger, a member of Story Empire, a devoted fan of Texas music, and a grandmother of five. She resides in North Texas.
Contemporary Fiction / Linked Short Stories / Humor
Publisher: Cune Press
Date of Publication: February 20, 2024
Number of Pages: 198 pages
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Shahrazad’s Gift is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo—magical, absurd and humorous. The author focuses on the off-beat, little-known stories, far from CNN news: a Swedish belly dancer who taps into the Oriental fantasies of her clientele; a Japanese woman studying Arabic, driven mad by the noise and chaos of the city; a frustrated Egyptian housewife who becomes obsessed by the activities of her Western gay neighbor; an American journalist who covered the civil war in Beirut who finds friendship with her Egyptian dentist. We also meet the two protagonists of McCullough’s Confessions of a Knight Errant, before their escapades in that story.
These stories are told in the tradition of A Thousand and One Nights.
Shahrazad’s Gift is a short story format with multiple characters in Cairo. Some are struggling to start fresh and others just struggling. I was drawn to read this book due to it’s short stories and tie to A Thousand and One Nights. When I was a girl, my mother would take out a tattered book filled with short stories of fables. She read about the different magical and strange myths from all around the world. With a missing cover, I never knew what that book was called but the mystery of it intrigued me and it became my favorite. Ultimately, because they highlighted something in common. Some say the human condition. While true, I find it’s the symmetry I gravitate towards. What makes us human and more connected but our flaws? The oddities we encounter and how we face them? I found this highlighted in this book very well.
The book starts right off with plenty of strange events and humor. I do advise readers that this book has mature themes and language. Though, it does play into quite a bit of the humor itself.
I’ve been reading more books with mixed perspectives and this one does a great job of immediately diving into their lives. I love characters that speak their mind like Batilda and found myself laughing to Keiko’s perspective. Especially the absurdity of situations and ‘inside thoughts’ that were sometimes completely out of the box.
Shahrazad’s Gift has a bit of mystery, sly humor, and ultimately the complicated and perplexing struggle of real life. It’s the intricacies of everyone’s day to day, the culture that shaped them, and the struggles they endure. All shaped in a colorful narrative that centers on human connection.
Overall, Shahrazad’s Gift was well-written and is robust in imagery. The characters are diverse and complicated in different ways. Though, I found them most to be likeable. I had a bit of trouble starting out but once I had a sense of all the characters, it flew by!
Gretchen McCullough was raised in Harlingen Texas. After graduating from Brown University in 1984, she taught in Egypt, Turkey, and Japan. She earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and was awarded a teaching Fulbright to Syria from 1997-1999. Her stories, essays and reviews have appeared in The Barcelona Review, Archipelago, National Public Radio, Story South, Guernica, The Common, The Millions, and the LA Review of Books. Translations in English and Arabic have been published in: Nizwa, Banipal, Brooklyn Rail in Translation, World Literature Today and Washington Square Review with Mohamed Metwalli. Her bi-lingual book of short stories in English and Arabic, Three Stories From Cairo, translated with Mohamed Metwalli, was published in July 2011 by AFAQ Publishing House, Cairo. A collection of short stories about expatriate life in Cairo, Shahrazad’s Tooth, was also published by AFAQ in 2013. Currently, she is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Composition at the American University in Cairo.
Embark on a Magical Adventure with Lilly, Boris, and Jack!
Get ready to join Lilly, Boris, and Jack on an unforgettable journey filled with excitement, laughter, and a touch of mayhem. Brace yourself for a whirlwind of mishaps as these three fairies plan a magnificent magical ball, only to encounter an unforeseen disaster! Experience the magic of friendship with Lilly, the quick-witted and resourceful fairy, Boris, the mischievous fairy with a heart of gold, and Jack, the troublemaker with a curious, adventurous spirit on their latest adventure.
Throughout, Lilly, Boris, and Jack teach the true meaning of friendship and teamwork. Together with their friends, they’ll overcome challenges, learn valuable lessons, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Don’t miss out on this enchanting tale!
Award-winning author Amanda M. Thrasher was born in England and moved to Texas, where she lives with her family. She writes YA, general fiction, middle grade, early reader chapter, and picture books. She is the founder and CEO of Progressive Rising Phoenix Press.
Publisher: Milford House Press, an imprint of Sunbury Books, Inc.
Date of Publication: February 6, 2024
Number of Pages: 215 pages
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THE PERFECT STORM meets THE FIRM
Reap the Wind is a thrilling action/adventure novel that follows three lawyers as they embark on a treacherous journey from Houston to Cincinnati during a catastrophic hurricane. Josh Goldberg is on a mission to be with his girlfriend for the birth of their child. Along the way, they’ll face terrifying obstacles like tornadoes, hailstorms, and driving rain. But the real danger may come from within as they struggle to survive each other’s company. His two travel companions—his best friend, a drug-addicted lawyer, and his conniving boss who has her own agenda.
Don’t miss out on this unforgettable odyssey that might just be a suicide trip.
“Reap the Wind is a bold, bracing and blisteringly original take on the legal thriller form. Joel Burcat has fashioned a seminal tale focusing on the nightmare of all road trips in which a storm raging outside the car is matched only by the storm raging within. Burcat dares to tread on the hallowed ground of John Grisham and Scott Turow and ends up blazing a fresh, daring literary tale of his own. Not to be missed!”
—Jon Land, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
I thanked him and rolled up the window. I drove about twenty miles per hour. When we reached the opening for the bridge the winds, which were already roaring, picked up and the car rocked violently. The bridge wasn’t long, maybe a quarter mile, flat, cement, four lanes with a divider, and a rail on each side at about waist height. A red sign with big white letters at the entrance to the bridge read:
TRINITY RIVER
WARNING: DANGEROUS WINDS
The sign was whipping back and forth like it wanted to unscrew from the ground and fly off. I was sorely tempted to step on the gas and rocket across the damn bridge.
I started venturing across tentatively, slowing to maybe ten mph. When I was a few dozen feet across, the wind picked up even more and the car began to rock. I mean serious rocking. I glanced at Geoff. He was holding the above-head grip with one hand and had his other on the dashboard. I glanced in the rear view. Diane had put down her work and had her hands on my seat to brace herself.
I tapped the gas and sped up to thirty. The rocking eased a bit. When we were about half-way across, a big gust coming down stream hit us from the side. The car began to go up on two wheels. The front and back wheels on my side felt like they weren’t gripping the deck. The wind was like a giant fist, pushing us off the bridge onto the narrow shoulder. As my wheels were pushed, the noise from the concrete corduroy strip on the shoulder warned me we were approaching the edge of the bridge. The car felt like it was going to roll onto its roof and over into the river.
“The hell with it,” Geoff shouted over the wind. “Get off the damn bridge.”
I stomped my foot on the gas and the car shot ahead. It was all I could do to keep the wheels on the bridge. I turned the steering wheel hard to the left, as though I was making a left-hand turn, to keep from getting blown off the bridge. The tires squealed on the wet pavement above the noise of the wind. When I got to the other side, just a few seconds later, I quickly had to correct the wheel and the car swerved wildly as we rocketed onto the highway doing at least seventy. A seagull shot past the windshield. Not flying. It was like it had been launched from a canon.
“Holy shit,” Geoff said.
I must’ve looked insane. As I pumped the brake Geoff said, “You should see your face, bro, you look mad. I mean crazy-mad.”
There was a pull off on the other side of the bridge surrounded by scrubby trees. It looked like someone’s driveway. I braked hard and pulled way over, almost in the grass away from the travel lane, and put the car into park. The Town Car purred quietly. A gust of wind buffeted us from time to time. We rocked back and forth with the trees.
On the southbound lanes, a line of trucks waited for the opportunity to run the gauntlet of wind. The deputy monitoring the traffic looked at our car and shook his head. His expression told me all I needed to know about what he thought of us.
“Just give me a second,” I said looking at Geoff. “Man, I could use a drink.”
Geoff immediately pulled a small metal flask from his jacket. He smiled at me and wiggled the bottle back and forth. “Seriously? You want some Makers?”
I shook my head. “Nah. It’s just a figure of speech. I need all of my wits for the rest of the drive…”
Joel Burcat is an award-winning author of three environmental legal thrillers: Drink to Every Beast (illegal dumping of toxic waste), Amid Rage (a coal mine permit battle), and Strange Fire (a fracking dispute). His most recent book, Reap the Wind, is about three lawyers trying to drive from Houston to Cincinnati in a climate change-induced hurricane.
He has received a number of awards, including the Gold Medal for environmental fiction from Readers’ Favorite for Strange Fire, and as a Finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards for Amid Rage. He has written numerous short stories. Burcat imbues his novels with facts to educate his readers about critical environmental issues while they are being entertained by the story.
Burcat’s books are infused with realism developed over a forty plus year career as an environmental lawyer.
Historical Fiction / Family Saga / Historical Romance
Publisher: Next Chapter
Page Count: 412
Publication Date: December 7, 2023
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Susannah Mobley, expecting a baby by her lover, a slave owned by her family, submits to an arranged marriage to Hezekiah James who is headed to Texas to claim a Spanish land grant. Caught in a series of lies about the origin of a beautiful ring woven from her red hair and the circumstances of her pregnancy, Susannah embarks on the harsh trip to Texas, grieving for her lost love and determined to control her destiny.
On the wagon train journey, Hezekiah is tested by his beliefs and strengths with his slaves and Native Americans, as well as a strange Mad Stone. His determination to build a plantation as fine as Susannah’s home place and to make the best decisions for Susannah fails. Susannah will have to decide if she can live with the consequences of her lies and open herself to this man who shows every form of contrition or if she will allow longing for what she cannot have to destroy her life.
~~~
The Knotted Ring is currently a semi-finalist status
in the Laramie Awards for Western and Americana Fiction.
“An often engrossing and well-handled story of the 19th century.”
Myra Hargrave McIlvain, a sixth-generation Texan, is a storyteller who has written Texas historical markers (yes, real people write those things lining Texas highways), articles for newspapers and magazines such as Texas Highways, and six nonfiction books about famous and infamous Texas characters and places.
McIlvain found her real love when she wrote her first historical fiction. All her tales take place in Texas during major periods of its history. However, The Knotted Ring was inspired by an old family story, and in her search to understand what may have happened, she imagined their lives set in a time that she knew well––the establishment of the first Anglo colony.
McIlvain views history as the story of a people; the people she knows best have made Texas home.
In the aftermath of a devastating sickness that shatters their close-knit beach town, six lonely kids are drawn together during the unpredictable autumn equinox. Among them are fourteen-year-old Lorelei, who yearns to be an oceanographer, and her peculiar younger brother, Tad, who possesses an otherworldly curiosity.
When Lorelei has a strange and almost deadly encounter in a sea cave, her loyal boyfriend, Casey, cannot reconcile her fantastical experience with the rational world. Condi, Lorelei’s best friend, understands ocean magic but isn’t free to share what she knows. Kait, a girl from Ireland, regrets her impulsive move to America-all because of an odd occurrence involving her deceased boyfriend’s lost surfboard. When tides turn and the moon shifts, Isaac, the new kid in town who despises the ocean, is forced to face the truth-a profound and powerful magic lives in the deep.
Guided by a wise surf master, mystical old women known as the Beachlings, and an open-hearted grandmother, six kids embark on transformative adventures that challenge their beliefs about possibilities and the intense nature of love.
Amethyst, The Shallows is the brand-new companion novel
to The Aquamarine Surfboard.
****
PRAISE FOR AMETHYST, THE SHALLOWS “Amethyst, The Shallows‘ sensitive and potent prose stirs the reader, leaving a lasting impression. Although this novel is the second installment in a series, it stands strong independently, welcoming newcomers and returning readers alike.” —Literary Titan
Kellye Abernathy’s passions are writing and serving trauma survivors as a yoga teacher and practical life skills advocate. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary English Education from the University of Kansas. Her home is in land-locked Plano, Texas—where she’s dreaming of her next trip to the sea!
The Page Unbound 