FEATURED AUTHOR: BARBARA FRANCESCA MURPHY

ABOUT THE BOOK

"They did not mean to hurt the boy, much less kill him. They only wanted to teach him a lesson."

A stunning family saga set in Ireland and Italy, Lucina's Letters is a gripping character study that explores the deep, dark repercussions of one long-ago deed.

Family has always been of the utmost importance to Lucina, but when she learns the truth about an event that almost ripped the family apart, she sets about mending the familial bond even if her efforts are from beyond the grave.

One well-timed letter allows her to bring the family together and drag not just one secret but many into the light.

But what will the consequences be; will the now-grown-up girls come to terms with their actions on that fateful day and subsequently their own struggles in life? Were the messenger's intentions just honourable and will the truth set them free and restore the family unit once again?

Book Details 

Title: Lucina’s Letters

Author: Barbara Francesca Murphy

Genre: contemporary fiction / literary fiction 

Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers (March 31, 2022)

Print length: 224 pages

 

 
 

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH BARBARA FRANCESCA MURPHY

A few of your favorite things: nature in any shape or form.
Things you need to throw out: probably some clothes (I own way too many).
 
Things you need in order to write: peace and quiet.
Things that hamper your writing: lack of time.
 
Things you love about writing: seeing the plot developing and characters coming to life.
Things you hate about writing: anything to do with computer knowledge .
 
Easiest thing about being a writer: being able to write whenever and wherever you want.
Hardest thing about being a writer: being one small fish in a sea of other bigger fish, interruptions.
 
Things you love about where you live: the quietness.
Things that make you want to move: the weather.
 
Things you never want to run out of: books to read, ideas.
Things you wish you had never bought: probably some spur of the moment clothes purchases.
 
Words that describe you: creative, spontaneous, fun-loving.
Words that describe you, but you wish they didn't: irritable, stubborn.
 
Favorite foods: ginger, tomatoes.
Things that make you want to throw up: nothing.
 
Favorite beverage: red wine.
Something that gives you a pickle face: trash in nature.
 
Favorite smell: coffee, vanilla, freshly baked bread.
Something that makes you hold your nose: grease, fried foods.
 
Something you are really good at: changing plans, organizing stuff, making decisions.
Something you are really bad at: keeping money in my pockets.
 
Something you like to do: travel more, own my own boat.
Something you wish you had never done: nothing, as I believe everything you do you do for a reason, even if you don't understand it at the time.
 
Last best thing you ate: strawberries.
Last thing you regret eating: chocolate.
 
Things you'd walk a mile for: jewelry.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: bad smells.
 
Things to say to an author: I loved the plot, I liked this character.
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: any "good advice" from someone who isn't an author themselves and have no idea what it is like to actually write a book.
 
Favorite things to do: traveling, spending time with friends and family time, reading, walking.
Things you'd run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: anything technical.
 
Things that make you happy: nature, family, the sea.
Things that drive you crazy: rude people.
 
Proudest moment: more than one: seeing my family grow, publishing my books, getting my own place.
Most embarrassing moment: after playing a prank on someone, having to sing a song in front of a jam-packed local pub, neither knowing the words to the song nor being able to sing. I wanted to move house afterwards.
 
Most daring thing you have ever done: moved to a different country not knowing anyone at age 16, jumping out of a plane, going on a jet ski ride with my teenage son.
Something you chickened out from doing: bungee jumping.
 
The last thing you did for the first time: scuba diving, taught by my son.
Something you'd never do again: riding a snow mobile on an Icelandic glacier and getting lost.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barbara Francesca Murphy was born in Austria in the 70s. She started writing at an early age, some of her short stories were published in local magazines. As a child and teenager she travelled extensively, getting a taste and knowledge for foreign cultures, fuelling her imagination. She graduated from high school in America and went on to study tourism and management shortly after completing her college course. She settled in Ireland, where she has been living ever since. Lucina's Letters is her second published book. Her first one, Second Chances, was published in 2019.


 
Connect with Barbara:
Website  |  Instagram  |   
Goodreads 

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  
Barnes & Noble 

FEATURED AUTHOR: R.T. DOUGLASS

ABOUT THE BOOK

 
Jack Wellington moves from the big city to make a new start. He jumps at the opportunity to become a detective in Summerville.


A peculiar case is assigned to him as artwork has been stolen and a dog is missing. Fellow detective Charlie Finch, a man adorned with decades of service, uncovers clues with Jack. They become intrigued by the words and actions of a neighborhood boy and wonder how much he might know.


Clues are followed but it’s the kids in the neighborhood who provide the most relevant clues. As Jack gets closer to them with their questions, the pressure of the kids struggle unfolds.


A puzzling crime, a struggle to balance life, the challenges to succeed in a new department, in the little town of Summerville.

Book Details:

Title: The Little Town of Summerville - A Dog Named Chubby

Author: R. T. Douglass

Genre: cozy mystery / literary fiction

Published: November, 1, 2021

Print length: 200 pages

    


LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH R.T. DOUGLASS

Things you need in order to write: music playing in the background. Lots of variety, as long as it’s not too heavy.
Things that hamper your writing: getting too tired seems to dissolve good ideas.  Also, the corky things (a bad review, an unexpected bill, etc.) that can happen in life which may require some time to figure out and then I can get back to undistracted writing.


Easiest thing about being a writer: the freedom to express a story with only the boundaries that I have set in place.

Hardest thing about being a writer: finding the balance of showing enough detail so the intention cannot be misunderstood but not going so far it becomes boring. 


Things you love about where you live: it’s a quiet refuge for me: a small mid-west town surrounded by the farmlands. The local events are simple and the invites to backyard BBQs are often.
Things that make you want to move: the stores and restaurants are limited so a country drive is needed now and then.


Things you never want to run out of: coffee.
Things you wish you’d never bought: the 100 pack of floppy disks.


Words that describe you: short in stature, big in heart, someone who enjoys life. A husband and father with a son in college and a daughter in high school. Will plan carefully but not afraid to take risks.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: usually good on the social side but sometimes lost for some reason and can become introverted, wishing I was writing so I could edit my next sentence forty times to get it to sound right.

Favorite foods: pies - any kind made fresh is fantastic. My favorite lunch is grilled chicken salad with an iced tea. BBQs on nights and weekends with sides of veggies also brings big smiles.
Things that make you want to throw up: Tuna Noodle Casserole. It’s an evil degradation of tuna. It’s so gross, I wouldn’t even serve it to a cat.

Favorite music: I did many road trips with Dad and eventually got addicted to big band music: Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Duke Ellington, etc.. There are no more road trips and I have Dad's big band collection now, but I still spin the albums and CDs. I also listen to just about every kind of music and enjoy lots of the new music.
Music that make your ears bleed: the heavy metal, the heavy rap, and the country music that is so syrupy sweet with its phony country accent and, no surprise, every song sounds the same. But don’t get me wrong—there’s plenty of country music that sounds great.

Favorite beverage: although it is a rarity to have one, old school Coca-Cola is my favorite.

Something that gives you a pickle face: Abraham Lincoln said it best. “If this is coffee, please bring me some tea; but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee.”

People you consider as heroes: people who make positive changes at the local level - in the local community (and yes, there are plenty of local communities in the big cities). It’s just my opinion, but that’s where I think the greatest impact resides to form a better society.

People with a big L on their foreheads: people who make big promises to form a better society but their history and personal life doesn’t match what they are saying.



Last best thing you ate: Triple Chocolate Layer Cake.

Last thing you regret eating: Triple Chocolate Layer Cake.

Favorite places you’ve been: the rivers and streams high up in the Colorado rocky mountains. It radiates with a natural beauty. There’s living creatures everywhere and at night you can see more stars than you ever dreamed existed.

Places you never want to go to again: I’m not much for the big cities, but I have lots of friends who live in the cities, so not trying to down it—it’s just not me.


EXCERPT FROM THE LITTLE TOWN OF SUMMERVILLE

Jack poured a coffee and reached the back door with mug in hand. He stepped onto the screened-in porch as the twilight of morning brightened the yard. He enjoyed the peaceful surroundings of the porch. It was completely different from the small apartment he left behind a few months ago. He had worked in the Saint Louis police department for five years and jumped at the opportunity to work in Summerville.

He settled into an old wicker chair he’d found at a garage sale and grabbed the tablet lying next to it to get caught up on sports and local news. He was on his second mug when the phone hummed away on the table. He noticed the number was from the police station.

“Hello, this is Jack.”

“Hi Jack, this is Captain Ottoman. I need you to get over to 28 Little Creek Lane. Someone was in the house during the night and the homeowner is very upset.”

The captain sounded tired and cranky with no patience for conversation, so Jack didn’t bother explaining it was supposed to be his day off.

“Yes sir. I can get over there right away.”

“Thank you,” and the captain ended the call.

Jack got back inside, buzzed the electric shaver over his face, jumped into some clean clothes, and was out the door quickly. He thought about the history of the town as he drove to the location.

Summerville had been founded during the railroad days of long ago. It was a crossroads of railway tracks built by the Summers Rail & Cargo Company. John Summers became so impressed with the area he established the town and moved his family to the beautiful location with its wide valley and soft hills. Blueprints were drawn for the town which included shops, neighborhoods, and parks, which would enjoy the modern luxuries of the era, and of course, the ability to travel by railway.

Today Summerville still enjoyed the shops of the downtown area, its many parks, and the atmosphere of its small college. A group of businessmen and a strong town council maintained the town with its modest Midwest economy. At times, a getaway for some of the city dwellers to get refreshed by the small-town charm. It was a pretty town, safe and friendly, and Jack Wellington intended to keep it that way.

Jack pulled up to 28 Little Creek Lane as the sun cast its long early morning shadows. Each lawn had its own style, with a tree or two in the front yard and shrubs along the side that acted like a fence. There were sidewalks on the narrow residential street which had gas streetlamps that would shine day and night.

He got out of the car and checked his dark hair in the reflection of the car window. He was above average height with a lean and strong build for a mid-twenties guy, but his collar was crooked. He shook his head, rebuttoned his shirt, and hoped no one was watching as he tucked it back into his pants. A quick check to make sure he had pen and notepad in his back pocket, and he took the walkway across the yard to the front porch entrance. Up the stairs, across the porch, and a few taps on the door. The homeowner opened the door.

“Hello. I’m Jack Wellington from the Summerville police department. Captain Ottoman asked me to come over this morning.”

The homeowner tried to smile, but her eyes were swollen with a sunken tainted darkness around them. Her sterling gray hair looked a bit out of place with a sadness upon her face.

“So, you’re a policeman?”

“Yes, I’m a detective,” and Jack showed her his credentials.

She gave a soft grasp of Jack’s hand, “I’m Elizabeth Ashley,” and she invited him into her home. They walked down the entrance hallway and dropped into the living room. Two couches and a couple of chairs formed a horseshoe with a coffee table in the center. The couches faced each other, and the chairs sat on the end with a straight view to a fireplace. She sat on the couch and Jack took a chair.

***

Excerpt from The Little Town of Summerville - A Dog Named Chubby by Robert Douglass.  Copyright 2021 by Robert Douglass. Reproduced with permission from Robert Douglass. All rights reserved.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  



Robert has spent the majority of his life studying Theology. He also has an A.A.S. in Microsoft Networking Technology from Glendale Community College and is a Microsoft Certified Professional.


Robert likes reading, writing, and exploring natural wonders. His favorite pastime is telling tall stories around the campfire.


Other interests include driving old sports cars on country roads, watching baseball, college football and an occasional movie, but the main interest is writing a story more entertaining than the last one.


Connect with Robert:
Website  |  Facebook   |  Twitter
 
Buy the book:
Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: STEVEN MANCHESTER

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Three generations of dads, playing traditional roles in each other's lives, arrive simultaneously at significant crossroads. The decisions they make and the actions they take will directly – and eternally – affect each other.

After a life of hard work and raising children, Robert is enjoying his well-deserved retirement when he discovers that he has an illness he might not be able to beat. At 19, Jonah is sprinting across the threshold of adulthood when he learns, stunningly, that he's going to become a father. And Oliver – Robert's son and Jonah's dad – has entered middle age and is paying its demanding price. While reconciling the time and effort it has taken him to reach an unfulfilling career and an even less satisfying marriage, he realizes that it's imperative that he keep it all together for the two men who mean everything to him.

When different perspectives lead to misunderstandings that remain unspoken – sometimes for years – it takes great strength and even more love to travel beyond the resentment.

Dad: A Novel chronicles the sacred legacy of fatherhood.

Book Details:
Title: Dad: A Novel
Author: Steven Manchester
Genre: literary fiction
Publisher:The Story Plant (September 14, 2021)
Print length: 336 pages 

 

GUEST POST

Steven Manchester’s new heartfelt book, DAD: A Novel has just been released.

It's become a bit of a signature for Steven to include a poem at the very end of his novels.


The Greatest Teachers


by Steven Manchester



My children have taught me…

that trust is sealed before the first step

and real understanding does not require words;

that a baby’s breath and angels’ wings make the same sound,

and bonds forged on sleepless nights are eternal.



My children have taught me…

that the greatest wonders are found within the smallest moments;

and the grip of a tiny hand slips away much too fast;

that the word “proud” can inspire unimaginable feats,
while the word “disappointed” can scar the soul.



My children have taught me…

that doing something means so much less than being there,

as one day at the park is more valuable than ten visits to the toy store;

that laughter is contagious and can destroy all worries,

and Santa Claus is alive and well—all that’s needed is faith.



My children have taught me…

that the most powerful prayers are made up of the simplest words,

humbled, grateful and spoken from the heart;

and that for most ailments, the best medicine is a kiss
or a hug for someone who wouldn’t dream of asking.



My children have taught me…

that friends can be made with no more than a smile

and real blessings are found amongst family and friends;

that the future promises magic and wonder,

and that dreams must be chased until each one comes true.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers, Ashes, The Changing Season and Three Shoeboxes; the multi-award winning novel, Goodnight Brian; and the beloved holiday podcast drama, The Thursday Night Club. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN's American Morning and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright, as well as the winner of the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival and the 2018 New York Book Festival. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing.


Connect with Steven:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon
 

FEATURED AUTHOR: VICTORIA WRIGHT

ABOUT THE BOOK 

How can one innocent question shatter everything?

Hello. I’m Evie Prince. A proud forty something bi-racial highly successful woman. I’ve always known where I was going and what I was doing. Until I found myself in a place that I never thought I would be – single, living through a pandemic, and unemployed.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the unthinkable happened. Someone asked – What do I really want to do with my life? What kind of a foolish question is that? I was soon to learn it was the kind of question that would turn my world upside down. Trying to answer that question led me from Colorado to Martha’s Vineyard and uncovered things about my family that would either make or break me. 

Follow my journey to self-discovery and meet the people in my life that helped me remember that everything I needed was contained within. 

Book Details 

Title: Listen Within, A novel of discovery and finding true self

Author: Victoria Wright

Genre: literary fiction

Series: The Evie Prince Series

Published: September 30, 2021

Print length: 200 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH VICTORIA WRIGHT

Things you need in order to write: for me to write at my best, I absolutely need a quiet space, an open heart, and snacks.

Things that hamper your writing: I find it hard to write when I am feeling stressed, doubt my abilities as a writer or when I am hungry.

Things you love about writing: writing to me is the ultimate creative space. It allows me to build worlds, share wisdom, and gives me a space to release my emotions.  

Things you hate about writing: just like when I read a good book that I don’t want to end, I dislike writing the ending. How to do it. Will it leave the reader satisfied? Also, I get discouraged when I can’t find the perfect word(s) to create the right emotion.

Easiest thing about being a writer: you can do it anywhere at any time.

Hardest thing about being a writer: being okay that not everyone will like what you have written as much as you do.

Things you never want to run out of: toilet paper, cheese, and chocolate.

Things you wish you’d never bought: three-inch heels.

Words that describe you: positive, level headed, big heart, creative, persistent.

Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: stubborn.

Favorite foods: sushi, lobster, Thai food, fresh baked goods, freshly squeezed juice.

Things that make you want to throw up: fast food, liver, and head cheese.

Favorite beverage: Arnold Palmer (non-alcoholic) Mojito (alcoholic).

Something that gives you a pickle face: eggnog.

Favorite smell: fresh mint.

Something that makes you hold your nose: cigarette smoke.

Something you’re really good at: baking.

Something you’re really bad at: rock climbing.

Last best thing you ate: lobster.

Last thing you regret eating: fast food hamburger.

Things you always put in your books: I always try to put an element of my own personality in each character.

Things you never put in your books: hate.

Things to say to an author: “I love your work.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “Why don’t you just . . .”

Favorite places you’ve been: Hawaii, Martha’s Vineyard, New Zealand, Japan.

Places you never want to go to again: states that do not welcome diversity.

Things that make you happy: family.

Things that drive you crazy: family.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: leaving my well-paying job to find my true self. 

Something you chickened out from doing: bungee jumping.



ABOUT THE AUTHOR 


Inspirational writer Victoria Wright has embarked on a journey to find her true self. In the process, she is remembering how to be whole, to look inward for guidance, and to know her truth. Her journey is full of beauty and discovery. She invites you to join her on your own journey of remembering.

Connect with Victoria:
Website  |  Blog  |  
Facebook  

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  
Barnes & Noble

FEATURED AUTHOR: DENNIS ROTH

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the 1970s, in western Pennsylvania, a multi-millionaire’s singularly selfish decision destines his two sons, half-brothers, to wage war in a winner-take-all battle for the family legacy.

The father, wealthy Henry Molnar, shares a secret with his lawyer and best friend, Murray Applebaum; a secret so damaging and powerful that neither has ever dared to reveal its truth. But the final whispered directives of Molnar set in motion a series of events with far-reaching consequences for his family.

With his last breath, Molnar instructs Applebaum to disclose the existence of his illegitimate son, Phillipe-André Desforges. The surprise revelation at Molnar’s funeral thrusts the family members onto paths of deception, corruption and blackmail.

Revenge infused hatred and contempt for his father and his empire permeate Phillipe-André’s daily thoughts. It compels him to employ an arsenal of devious strategies to wrest control of Molnar Enterprises from his benevolent brother, Jason Molnar.

With such high stakes, Jason as the bequeathed chairman of the board must garner the psychological strength to withstand his half-brother’s siege. The consequences of failure will deliver to Phillipe-André what he has long believed to be rightfully his.



Book Details

Title: The Bastard’s Inheritance 

Author: Dennis Roth

Genre: literary fiction

Series: The Bastard’s Trilogy, book 2

Publisher: Five Square Press (September 1, 2021)

Print length: 293 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH DENNIS ROTH

Things you need in order to write: a peaceful quiet space.

Things that hamper your writing: distractions, conversations, iPhone, texts.

Things you love about writing: getting to know and being surprised by my characters.

Things you hate about writing: stiff joints from sitting at the computer too long.

Easiest thing about being a writer: writing when my muse is with me, like very early mornings.

Hardest thing about being a writer: getting started without my muse.

Things you love about where you live: for being a small city, Pittsburgh has the amenities of a very large one.

Things that make you want to move: the dreariness from November through March.

Words that describe you: teacher, perfectionist, controlling.

Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: egotistical, snob.

Favorite foods: comfort foods from recipes of my long deceased grandmother.

Things that make you want to throw up: liver.

Favorite music: classical guitar music.

Music that make your ears bleed: hip hop/rap.

Favorite beverage: Viader Wine.

Something that gives you a pickle face: anything with vinegar in it.

Favorite smell: freshly baked home-made bread.

Something that makes you hold your nose: port-a-potties.

Something you’re really good at: knowing when to say “that’s enough.”

Something you’re really bad at: golfing.

Things you’d walk a mile for: ice cream.

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: broiled liver.

Things you always put in your books: my heart and soul.

Things you never put in your books: a first person narrative.

Favorite places you’ve been: Siena, Italy.

Places you never want to go to again: Tyrone, Pennsylvania.

Things that make you happy: intelligent conversation.

Things that drive you crazy: incessant talkers.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: sailing with only my wife and me to the Caribbean.
Something you chickened out from doing: going on Space Mountain at Disney World.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Dennis Roth is always stretching his boundaries and does the same for his readers and fictional characters. This has led to a remarkable life. When he has become an expert in a field, he moves directly off to another. After earning an engineering degree from MIT, he founded what has become one of the largest structural engineering firms on the east coast of the US. He retired young and lived with his wife on-board their 35-foot sailboat, Second Wind, in the Caribbean. After enjoying a thousand magnificent sunsets and then burying the anchor, he moved to watercolor painting. His innate skills blossomed into beautiful, nationally shown and awarded landscapes and seascapes that he exhibited and sold in his art gallery, Studio Phase 3. Since 2012 he has dedicated his creative energies to writing poems and stories which in addition to being published in journals and magazines, have been collected in his two chapbooks, Reflections & Other Musings and Harry & Other Stories. And now he has created The Bastard’s Trilogy anchored by the new novel The Bastard’s Inheritance.

Dennis Roth is a teacher at heart. Since high school, he has shared his knowledge, serving as a tutor of students in math and science, as an instructor and lecturer to architectural and engineering students at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, and as a teacher of his unique watercolor techniques to budding watercolorists.

On the side, Dennis Roth has learned Spanish and Italian to help him understand more fully the cultures of Mexico and Italy during his months-long visits to those countries.

These broad and extensive experiences provide Dennis Roth the material to weave his imaginative and thought-provoking writing, writing that is about life and living, its joys and sorrows, its thrills and disappointments. Whether in his poems inspired by his struggle with depression or in his stories of love and loss, we find he writes about reality with depth and conviction that can only be achieved by someone of his vast experience. He inspires us as he has his hundreds of students to use our minds to improve our souls.


Connect with Dennis:

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:

Amazon


FEATURED AUTHOR: JANET TODD

ABOUT THE BOOK

Eccentric Fran wants a second chance. Thanks to her intimacy with Jane Austen, and the poet Shelley, she finds one.

Jane Austen is such a presence in Fran's life that she seems to share her cottage and garden, becoming an imaginary friend.

Fran’s conversations with Jane Austen guide and chide her – but Fran is ready for change after years of teaching, reading and gardening. An encounter with a long-standing English friend, and an American writer, leads to new possibilities. Adrift, the three women bond through a love of books and a quest for the idealist poet Shelley at two pivotal moments of his life: in Wales and Venice. His otherworldly longing and yearning for utopian communities lead the women to interrogate their own past as well as motherhood, feminism, the resurgence of childhood memory in old age, the tensions and attractions between generations. Despite the appeal of solitude, the women open themselves social to ways of living—outside partnership and family. Jane Austen, as always, has plenty of comments to offer.

The novel is a (light) meditation on age, mortality, friendship, hope, and the excitement of change.

Book Details

Title: Jane Austen and Shelley in the Garden: An Illustrated Novel

Author: Janet Todd

Genre: literary fiction


Publisher: Fentum Press
 (September 7, 2021
)
Print length: 336 pages

 LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH JANET TODD

A few of your favorite things: warm croissants, cut flowers, china fruit.
Things you need to throw out: high heel shoes, red handbags.

Things you need in order to write: pen and envelope,  laptop.
Things that hamper your writing: not a lot. Can withstand need to clean house, garden.

Things you love about where you live: big trees, big sky, crumbling walls.
Things that make you want to move: the weather.


Things you never want to run out of: marmite—and books.
Things you wish you’d never bought: an exercise bike.

Favorite foods: dumplings, Dutch apple pie, fresh figs .
Things that make you want to throw up:   kippers for breakfast.
 
Favorite music: Purcell’s Fairest Isle—made me want to live in England. Memo to self: never trust a song.
Music that make your ears bleed: loud stuff coming from next car in a traffic jam.
 
Favorite smell: wallflower (it is an actual flower!).

Something that makes you hold your nose: sulphur, reminds me of dried egg.
 
Something you’re really good at: working.

Something you’re really bad at: stopping work.

Something you wish you could do: meditate.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: darn a sock. No call for it now—thank God.
 
Something you like to do: walk down a grassy lane alone—without an umbrella.

Something you wish you’d never done: don’t let me start . . .

Last best thing you ate: lamb hotpot, rhubarb crumble. Yum.

Last thing you regret eating: the Easter chocolates bought as presents but never given because of lockdown.
 
Things you’d walk a mile for: champagne and smoked oysters in a friend’s garden.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: meetings with  spreadsheets and ‘brainstorming.’
 
Things you always put in your books: food, rivers and woodland, poetry.

Things you never put in your books: I’m from the Jane Austen school of amorous encounter, so not a lot of explicit sex. But there again, do write funny sex—and even nasty sex . . .
 
Things to say to an author: compliments.

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Darling, how daring of you to . . .

Favorite places you’ve been: Aberdovey, Trincomalee, Pine Barrens (NJ), Venice.

Places you never want to go to again: Delhi, someone pinched my passport and I was stuck with no money—or identity.

Things that make you happy: good health.

Things that drive you crazy: being asked for feedback after buying some sticky tape or a bag of bulbs; getting duckweed out of pond, tax returns.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Janet Todd is a novelist, biographer and internationally renowned Jane Austen scholar. She is a former president of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge. Now a full-time writer and literary critic, she has published several books: Jane Austen's Sanditon, Don’t You Know There’s a War On?, Radiation Diaries, Aphra Behn: A Secret Life, and A Man of Genius. She is an Emerita Professor at the University of Aberdeen and an Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge. Born in Wales, she grew up in Britain, Bermuda and Ceylon/Sri Lanka and has worked at universities in Ghana, Puerto Rico, India, the US (Douglass College, Rutgers, Florida) Scotland (Glasgow, Aberdeen) and England (Cambridge, UEA). She lives in Cambridge, England and Venice, Italy.

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FEATURED AUTHOR: RODNEY ROSS

ABOUT THE BOOK

Tara Atwater holds the right combination of numbers to the record-breaking Ohio state lottery. But what to do about the boyfriend, stabbed to death, on the kitchen floor? It was, after all, his ticket. A diversionary fire might be the answer. Left in her grandparents’ care as her reckless mother worked the carnival circuit, Tara learned about sleight-of-hand flame, purposely created to distract from something far bigger, at age nine. As decades flicker past, from the 1970s until the beginning of a global pandemic, the diversionary fire is a strange art that will touch her and those she loves. From the most marginal of means to unimagined wealth and status, Tara learns that good luck and bad luck, no matter how dense the inferno, can look a lot alike.



Book Details

Title: Diversionary Fires

Author: Rodney Ross

Genre: literary fiction

Published: June 25, 2021

Print length: 354 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH RODNEY ROSS

A few of your favorite things: gardening, cats (and kittens), theatergoing, London and teeth whitening gear. 

Things you need to throw out: a shameful hoarder’s supply of plastic bags from various stores . . . dried-up tubes of SuperGlue . . . brass polish I will never use . . . socks that no amount of bleach will ever render white again . . . Pier 1 scented candles bought on clearance that, alas, have no scent . . . and my bathroom scale, because it taunts me with lies.

Things you need in order to write: I don’t necessarily require quiet, but I DO require a certain vibe: tranquility and time free of pressing chores/errands. Awaiting my “muse” is a little too precious, but I am must be in the proper frame-of-mind. Otherwise, it’s not writing, it’s typing.

Things that hamper your writing: in all honesty, when I am in the midst of writing—and especially when re-writing and editing—I try not to read the fiction of others. It tends to seep into, and affect, my own output . . . not necessarily their style or language, but more a questioning of my character’ motivations, sub-plot resolutions, dialogue. I find great inspiration in many authors, but the somewhat-neurotic need to compare myself to others is counter-productive.

Things you love about writing: all of its possibilities.

Things you hate about writing: what the publishing industry has become.

Easiest thing about being a writer: I find a blank page (or screen) exhilarating. You can do whatever the hell you want.                                                                                                                    
Hardest thing about being a writer: knowing when it is FINALLY time to release my newborn into the cruel world, where it will be alternately wholly embraced and cruelly pinched.

Things you love about where you live: the desert mountains, especially at dawn and dusk . . . the anticipation of “winter” season after the grueling hot summers. . . the demographic diversity of residents.

Things that make you want to move: the grim faces of disapproving people who are older but no wiser . . . jarring snobbism . . . and white entitlement.

Things you never want to run out of: Bath & Body works plug-in refills . . . cat litter . . . panko bread crumbs . . . Trader Joe’s jarred chunky tomato and pepper pasta sauce . . . TP (after the COVID-19 chaos) . . . and baking soda.

Things you wish you’d never bought:  a Swiffer . . . an expensive dining room table runner that my cats inevitably cast to the floor . . . a blood-pressure contraption (because it’s addictive) . . . and that stupidly-large quantity of pricey white bath towels.

Words that describe you: the Ultimate Taurean . . . loyal to those loyal to me . . . tenacious . . . relentless . . . reliable . . . combustible . . . unpretentious.

Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: temperamental . . . cynical . . . distant.

Favorite foods: sushi, properly-cooked pasta, Chicken Parmesan, a fresh shrimp cocktail and vodka (and, yes, I consider it a food). 

Things that make you want to throw up: canned beets, Brussel sprouts, yams/sweet potatoes, and overcooked peas.

Favorite music: I will always succumb to the Pet Shop Boys and most dance/club music from the 80’s.


Music that make your ears bleed: Country/Western (except for Dolly).

Favorite beverage: a cold (and I mean ice chips) Grey Goose martini, up and dirty, with blue-cheese stuffed olives, in a stemmed glass.

Something that gives you a pickle face: anyone at my table who orders veal.

Favorite smell: Gardenia or tuberose.                                                                                    
Something that makes you hold your nose: rotting seaweed on a poorly-kept beach.


Something you’re really good at: pop-culture trivia, especially TV shows, films, and celebrities.

Something you’re really bad at: understanding any professional sport.


Something you wish you could do: fly.


Something you wish you’d never learned to do: politely tolerate bores.


Something you like to do: nap excessively.

Something you wish you’d never done: hurt someone intentionally. As soon as I saw the pain in their face, I was filled with self-disgust, and it has stayed with me for decades.





Last best thing you ate: sauteed calamari. 

Last thing you regret eating: too many Girl Scout Thin Mints after midnight.

Things you’d walk a mile for: my family; to help an injured or wanting animal; and a child in danger.                                                                                                                                                

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: people who not-so-casually talk about their income, what they drive, where they vacation, and who they know.

Things you always put in your books: a housepet of some sort.                                              
Things you never put in your books: a happy ending just for the sake of it.

Things to say to an author: “I wept throughout.” “I think about   ___ INSERT BOOK TITLE HERE____ all the time” “I laughed out loud and startled people around me.” “I bought a copy for a friend.”                                                                                                                                            
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “I’m a bit of a writer, too. I kept a diary.  I’ve lived a fascinating life. Would you help me tell my story?”

Favorite places you’ve been: London, Paris, New York City . . . always.


Places you never want to go to again: Providence, Rhode Island; Hilton Head, South Carolina.

Favorite things to do: long drives to nowhere in particular (as long as someone else is at the wheel); a deep-dive into esoteric YouTube videos; and watching my cats tussle and chase one another.


Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: attending church.



Things that make you happy: meeting people who are unapologetically themselves; a beautiful garden maintained not by a company but the homeowner; cold A/C on an insufferably-hot day; and anything that is a baby (children, kittens, puppies, rabbits, you name it).

Things that drive you crazy: needy gasbags who practically wear a “Notice Me!” sandwich board.

Proudest moment: my marriage.


Most embarrassing moment: forgetting the anniversary of said marriage the very NEXT year.




Best thing you’ve ever done: my marriage.

Biggest mistake: not also adopting the twin brother of my cat Jerry. It is an eternal regret I left him alone at the shelter. (He was, thankfully, adopted the next day.)

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: parasailing (I am terrified of heights).

Something you chickened out from doing: singing Karaoke.

The last thing you did for the first time: drove across the country (the move from South Florida to Southern California with three unhappy cats).

Something you’ll never do again: get into the ocean.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

Author Rodney Ross lives, writes, and sweats in Southern California.

The Cool Part Of His Pillow, now in its 2nd edition from JMS Books (first published by Dreamspinner Press), was the 1st Place Winner in the LGBT Fiction category from both the Indie Excellence Awards and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards; Silver Medalist in the 2013 Global EBook Awards; and Honorable Mention in the 2012 Rainbow Book Awards.

Other works include Signing Off in the short story collection Impact, from Other World Ink; Otis, a short fiction from JMS Books about a Christmas Eve where lessons are taught and learned; Bended Knee, from JMS Books, a short, bittersweet contemplation of same-sex marriage; and a non-fiction contribution to the The Other Man: Twenty-One Top Writers Speak Candidly About Sex, Love, Infidelity, Heartbreak and Moving On, also from JMS Books. A trio of essays from this book are being adapted into a play for 2016 by Chicago playwright Bernard Rice. Rodney's work is one of the three.

Past achievements include an optioned screenplay and play, both currently unproduced. Other screenplays earned Honorable Mentions or runners-up citations in the Monterey County Film Commission, FADE-IN and the LGBT One-In-Ten Screenwriting Competitions. Ross was also cited as 'Most Creative' in the Key West Mystery Fest Writing Competition.

Connect with Rodney:
Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads  |  Book trailer 


Buy the book:

Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: BOBBY JOHNSTON

 

ABOUT THE BOOK

Sinners, saints and saviors collide in Bobby Johnston's stories, which chronicle the savagery and poetry of oppressive Catholic upbringing in 1970s Rust-Belt America. Johnston weaves landscapes of transgression and absolution, humor and resilience into his sharp-eyed tapestry of recall.

Book Details

Title: The Saint I Ain’t: Stories from Sycamore Street

Author: Bobby Johnston

Genre: literary fiction, short story, coming of age, Americana, poetry

Publisher: Fomite Press (January 9, 2021)

Print length: 125 pages

LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT WITH BOBBY JOHNSON

A few of your favorite things: musical instruments, classic Mercedes-Benz vehicles, cats.
Things you need to throw out: anxiety, VHS tapes, used guitar strings.


Things you need in order to write: Macbook Pro, time, space.
Things that hamper your writing: Youtube, musical instruments, anxiety.


Things you love about writing: freedom.
Things you hate about writing: juggling projects in progress.

Easiest thing about being a writer: finding inspiration.

Hardest thing about being a writer: engaging on social media.


Things you love about where you live: Dodgers games, incredible variety of restaurants, weather.
Things that make you want to move: traffic, smog, wildfires, earthquakes.


Things you never want to run out of: new musical instruments, new movies to watch, ideas, time, space, old and new friends.
Things you wish you’d never bought: rental of the film Hillbilly Elegy.


Words that describe you: honest, independent, artistically adventurous, stubborn.
Words that describe you but you wish they didn’t: stubborn.

Favorite foods: street tacos, BBQ, Asian cuisine, Buffalo wings, Italian sandwiches, cheese, popcorn.
Things that make you want to throw up: fish.

Favorite music: good music of any genre.
Music that make your ears bleed: bad music of any genre.

Favorite beverage: beer.

Something that gives you a pickle face: milk.

Favorite smell: BBQ.

Something that makes you hold your nose: burnt hair.

Something you’re really good at: composing music. 

Something you’re really bad at: dancing.


Something you wish you could do: dancing.
Something you wish you’d never learned to do: worry so much.


Last best thing you ate: Buffalo wings.

Last thing you regret eating: Buffalo wings.

Things you’d walk a mile for: The Buffalo Bills. The Los Angeles Dodgers.
Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: The New England Patriots. The San Francisco Giants.

Things to say to an author: “I bought the printed version.”

Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: “It’s not my cup of tea.”

Favorite places you’ve been: Paris, France. New Orleans, Louisiana.

Places you never want to go to again: Las Vegas, Nevada.

Favorite things to do: spend time with family and friends. Jogging.

Things you’d run through a fire wearing gasoline pants to get out of doing: house cleaning, changing cat litter box.

Best thing you’ve ever done: being a birth partner with my wife.

Biggest mistake: Not trying out for Jeopardy when I was younger.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: publishing this book.

Something you chickened out from doing: learning to dance.

The last thing you did for the first time: bought property.

Something you’ll never do again: ocean diving (sharks).

BOOK TRAILER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR  

Bobby Johnston is a Los Angeles based film composer, multi-instrumentalist, and US Air Force veteran. Bobby’s composer credits include original scores for directors Larry Clark, Laura Gabbert, Stuart Gordon, and Darren Lynn Bousman. Called “A new voice in film” by Film Score Monthly, Johnston broke into the movie industry with an unusual approach to composition; using only acoustic instruments and often performing every instrument himself. In subsequent years, he has accented his process by bringing in many instrumental soloists. Johnston scored the award-winning documentaries City of Gold and Bleed Out (HBO), and his music has been featured extensively on the popular radio program This American Life. The Saint I Ain’t is his first book.




Connect with Bobby:

Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble

A LOOK AT THE MENU BY STEVEN MANCHESTER

#1 Bestselling author, Steven Manchester, is excited to announce the release of his long-anticipated, soul-awakening novel, The Menu.

ABOUT THE BOOK


Blessed with a high emotional IQ, Phinn Reed enters the world with the promise of finding his soul mate. With heaven’s memories erased, his romantic quest teaches him that the heart often sees clearer than the eyes—and that not everyone has ordered the same items from The Menu. Evidence that love stories come in many different forms, The Menu is a spiritual journey involving more than just a man and a woman; it is a modern-day tale that reaches far beyond the boundaries of reason.

Book Details:

Title: The Menu

Author: Steven Manchester

Genre: literary fiction

Publisher: Luna Bella Media, Incorporated (June 2, 2020)

Print length: 318 pages


Early Reviews:

“If you liked The Shack, then The Menu is a must read.” – John Lansing, Bestselling Author

“Congratulations on The Menu. Continue to use your gifts to glorify God!” – Matthew West, Christian Singer/Songwriter

“Steven Manchester writes like Nicholas Sparks on steroids.” – Jon Land, USA Today Bestselling Author

“The Norman Rockwell of Literature, Steven Manchester has bared his soul in the intense story, The Menu.”  – Shannon Gonzalez, Book Blogger, Literarily Illumined

EXCERPT FROM THE MENU

“It’s important that I know compassion,” Phinn said.
“It’s yours, but not before experiencing pain and suffering,” God answered.
Glancing up at his Father, Phinn gave it some thought. “Sure, I’ll accept pain and suffering for compassion.”
God nodded.
“I also wish to have commitment and wisdom and…”
“Good choices, Phinn, but not before conquering trials and tribulations,” God said.
Phinn looked up from the menu again. “And courage?” he asked.
“After overcoming fear.”
“Honor?”
“Once you have faced shame.”
“Success?” Phinn asked.
“Much failure,” God answered.
Phinn stared at his master before closing the menu and handing it back. “I can’t have any of the good without the bad, can I?”
“Sure, it’s called love; and no matter what you do, I’ll always love you,” God promised. “Pretty clever design, don’t you think?”




Check out past features of Steven on A Blue Million Books:
November 27, 2019
July 27, 2018
May 30, 2018
December 23, 2017
February 21, 2017
May 17, 2014

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Manchester is the author of the #1 bestsellers Twelve Months, The Rockin' Chair, Pressed Pennies and Gooseberry Island; the national bestsellers, Ashes, The Changing Season and Three Shoeboxes; the multi-award winning novel, Goodnight Brian; and the beloved holiday podcast drama, The Thursday Night Club. His work has appeared on NBC's Today Show, CBS's The Early Show, CNN's American Morning and BET's Nightly News. Three of Steven's short stories were selected "101 Best" for Chicken Soup for the Soul series. He is a multi-produced playwright, as well as the winner of the 2017 Los Angeles Book Festival and the 2018 New York Book Festival. When not spending time with his beautiful wife, Paula, or their children, this Massachusetts author is promoting his works or writing.


Connect with Steven:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the book:
Amazon

FEATURED AUTHOR: KIRAN BHAT

ABOUT THE BOOK

The Internet has connected – and continues to connect – billions of people around the world, sometimes in surprising ways. In his sprawling new novel, we of the forsaken world, author Kiran Bhat has turned the fact of that once-unimaginable connectivity into a metaphor for life itself.

In we of the forsaken world, Bhat follows the fortunes of 16 people who live in four distinct places on the planet. The gripping stories include those of a man’s journey to the birthplace of his mother, a tourist town destroyed by an industrial spill; a chief’s second son born in a nameless remote tribe, creating a scramble for succession as their jungles are destroyed by loggers; a homeless, one-armed woman living in a sprawling metropolis who sets out to take revenge on the men who trafficked her; and a milkmaid in a small village of shanty shacks connected only by a mud and concrete road who watches the girls she calls friends destroy her reputation.

Like modern communication networks, the stories in, we of the forsaken world connect along subtle lines, dispersing at the moments where another story is about to take place. Each story is a parable unto itself, but the tales also expand to engulf the lives of everyone who lives on planet Earth, at every second, everywhere.

As Bhat notes, his characters “largely live their own lives, deal with their own problems, and exist independently of the fact that they inhabit the same space. This becomes a parable of globalization, but in a literary text.”

Bhat continues:  “I wanted to imagine a globalism, but one that was bottom-to-top, and using globalism to imagine new terrains, for the sake of fiction, for the sake of humanity’s intellectual growth.”

“These are stories that could be directly ripped from our headlines. I think each of these stories is very much its own vignette, and each of these vignettes gives a lot of insight into human nature, as a whole.”

we of the forsaken world takes pride of place next to such notable literary works as David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas, a finalist for the prestigious Man Booker Prize for 2004, and Mohsin Hamid’s Exit West, which was listed by the New York Times as one of its Best Books of 2017.

Bhat’s epic also stands comfortably with the works of contemporary visionaries such as Umberto Eco, Haruki Murakami, and Philip K. Dick.




Book Details:

Title: we of the forsaken world . . .

Author: Kiran Bhat

Genre: Literary Fiction/Metaphysical Fiction

Publisher: Iguana Books (January 22, 2020)

Print length: 216 pages
On tour with: Pump Up Your Book




IFs ANDs OR WHATs INTERVIEW WITH KIRAN BHAT

IFs


If you could talk to someone, who would it be and what would you ask them?

I would love to interview Virginia Woolf. I would like to see if she is as depressing as she comes across in her public portrayals. I somehow doubt it. I think all writers are full of as much life as their writing, and yet we always diminish them, try to make them look crazy or torn. If not her, then maybe Oscar Wilde. I think he’d be absolutely wild in a threesome.

If you could live in any time period which would it be? 

Well, as a person of Indian origin, if I live anywhere outside of India, I would have to be stuck to the modern times, because life for people of color has only been kind in contemporary times. That being said, I would love to be around during the time of the Vijayanagara Empire, just to see how my maternal state of Karnataka would have looked, at its time of greatest enlightenment.




ANDs


5 favorite possessions:

    •    books
    •    games
    •    computer
    •    phone  
and
    •    my own two feet

5 things you need in order to write: 

    •    space
    •    concentration
    •    solitude
    •    inspiration
and
    •    a good mood

5 things you never want to run out of: 

    •    love
    •    ecstasy
    •    conquest
    •    heritage
and
    •    self-respect

5 words to describe you:
    •    intense
    •    friendly
    •    melancholic
    •    lonely
and
    •    never yet fully alone

5 things you always put in your books: 

    •    different countries
    •    rich characters
    •    evocative language
    •    stylistic experimentation
and
    •    the bare truth   

WHATs

What’s your all-time favorite city? 

I love Bombay. As a city, it encompasses everything one can know about India, and yet it is accessible to anyone. It’s the only city in India that I think is truly inclusive, and it’s so bustling, so hectic, so loud; it gives me everything I need and then some. 



What author would you most like to review one of your books? 

I would love it if James Wood were to review my book. He is a serious critic, and I always find that I like what he says. I also think he would like my sort of writing, so I hope he would take it seriously.


What book are you currently working on?

I’m working on a vast novel that will take place in 240 regions, last a decade, and somehow be embodied by two archetypal characters. How it all comes together, I’ll let you know come 2021 when the first book of the volume comes out.

What’s your latest recommendation for:
Food: Bibimbap
Music: Astrud Gilberto
Movie: Sholay-e-Azam
Book: The Complete Stories of Henry Lawson
TV: Doctor Who
Netflix/Amazon Prime: Black Summer





ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Kiran Bhat is a global citizen formed in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia, to parents from Southern Karnataka, in India. An avid world traveler, polyglot, and digital nomad, he has currently traveled to over 130 countries, lived in 18 different places, and speaks 12 languages. His list of homes is vast, but he considers Mumbai the only place of the moment worth settling down in. He currently lives in Melbourne, Australia.


Connect with Kiran: 
Facebook


Buy the book:

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