An emerging country star returns to his hometown to overcome his serious
writer's block and reunites with his high school sweetheart. Together they
rediscover love and learn that the best music is the music you make
together.
About the Author
Jaimie Engle writes stories with a magic touch for film, television, and
books. Her feature film JUST JAKE sold to TrueBrand Entertainment for
release on UpTV Faith & Family Network, with the novel adaptation sold
to Vinspire Publishing (2023). Besides writing, Jaimie enjoys kickboxing,
baking grain free treats, and supports her sons in professional theater and
varsity football with her husband in Florida. Fun fact? Jaimie was an alien
on Seaquest. Social @JaimieEngleWrites & www.JaimieEngle.com.
It was cold and rainy, with low visibility. A perfect morning for sabotage.
The company jet carrying a Senior VP mysteriously crashes shortly after
taking off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) says it was an accident.
The victim’s wife says it was murder. Frank Adams, an independent
aviation accident investigator has been hired to find out. Mounting evidence
and an additional murder convince Adams that there was indeed foul play.
As what seemed to be disparate events become increasingly linked, Frank
reveals a crime of international dimensions. Accustomed to working
independently, Frank is forced to call on the help of an old girlfriend as
well as a retired DC cop. But unraveling the truth could cost him his life
as well as the lives of his friends.
About the Author
A retired Aviation Safety Inspector for the FAA, Daniel V. Meier, Jr. has
always had a passion for writing. During his college years, he studied
History at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW) and American
Literature at The University of Maryland Graduate School. In 1980 he
published an Action/Thriller, Mendosa’s Treasure with Leisure Books
under the pen name of Vince Daniels.
He worked briefly for the Washington Business Journal as a journalist and
has been a contributing writer/editor for several aviation magazines.
Guidance to Death is a return to a favorite genre of his,
Action/Thriller/with the added intrigue of Murder/Mystery.
Other books by Dan are Blood Before Dawn, the sequel to the award-winning
novel, The Dung Beetles of Liberia. Bloodroot, also an Historical novel is
about the Jamestown settlement in the early 1600’s and No Birds Sing
Here, is a work of Satirical Literary Fiction.
Dan and his wife live in Owings, Maryland, about twenty miles south of
Annapolis and when he's not writing, they spend their summers sailing on the
Chesapeake Bay.
Running away is what Zak Skinner does best, and he’s just done it again, having transferred from NYU to University of Chicago. His fresh start goes south when he accidentally uncovers evidence of an on-campus, organized crime scam involving drugging students, getting them to commit crimes on camera, and blackmailing them to continue under the threat of expulsion. Digging deeper, Zak discovers that the university scam is just the tip of the iceberg, connected to a broader ring of crimes linked to a darkweb underworld. Following clues proves too dangerous. They know, they’re watching him. But he’s in too deep now to turn back. Zak is led to a compound within Chicago’s abandoned Steelworker Park, only to discover that he’s being hunted. Following the path toward the truth transforms him from a nerdy academic to a rabid activist hell-bent on exposing the most elaborate and expensive scam on the US economy and its unsuspecting victims. While trying to find a way out alive, Zak discovers there’s something much more personal he’s been running from – his past. And now there’s nowhere to hide.
About the Author
Lisa Towles has 6 mystery/thrillers in print. Her 2019 thriller, The Unseen, was a Finalist in the Thriller category of the Best Book Awards by American Book Fest and her 2017 thriller Choke won a 2017 IPPY and a 2018 NYC Big Book Award for Thriller. Lisa’s published books include The Unseen, Choke, and the following titles published under her previous name, Lisa Polisar: The Ghost of Mary Prairie, Escape, Blackwater Tango, and Knee Deep. She is an active member and frequent Panelist/Speaker of Mystery Writers of America, Sisters in Crime, and International Thriller Writers. She has an MBA in IT Management and works full-time in the tech industry in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lisa is a graphic designer and video creator, with a passion for supporting other authors.
Pulse is a Dystopian Sci-Fi Horror novel set in 2040 around a creature and a music festival. It will be releasing in 2021. Think Fyre Festival, Black Mirror, and X-Files combined. The book is being praised for its genre-bending style utilizing screenplay-like formatting while bouncing all the plotlines with the pace of a thriller. B.A. Bellec is the award-winning author of Someone's Story. The coming of age story called a masterpiece by multiple reviewers. How do you follow up on a masterpiece? You change genres and reach for the top of the mountain again. Early reviews have already praised Bellec for his fantastic use of horror and incredible world-building.
About the Author
Bryan “B.A.” Bellec’s debut novel, Someone’s Story, won the Reader Views Young Adult Book of the Year as well as various other honors. Someone’s Story is a young adult coming-of-age book and has seen good support over Instagram, YouTube, and Goodreads. One of the aspects that makes Bellec’s projects unique is he includes musicians in his novels and then he actually produces the songs as his book goes through the editing stages.
Bellec was born in Richmond, BC and raised in Langley, BC, before settling in Winnipeg, MB. His first adventure was a career in Finance, where he spent 15 years developing his business skills. His highest achievement was the Certified Payroll Manager designation. He currently still consults with businesses on their systems and processes. Over that period of time, he also attended Lights Film School where he started to nurture his early creative abilities.
A self-starter always interested in research, he taught himself many of the aspects of storytelling through reading books, screenplays, and material online. Whenever he found an inspirational piece of art, he quickly went to the source to find the story behind the artist who created the work. It took many years after attending film school for him to finally combine his creative skills with his life experience and tell these stories he had been holding back. Some of his favorite creative people: Lukas Rossi, Justin Furstenfeld, Peter Jackson, Stephen Chbosky, J.K. Rowling.
During COVID-19, Bellec started a YouTube channel and was awarded a grant from The Canada Council for the Arts. He also pounded away on the keyboard to bring his second novel, Pulse, from his imagination to the page. He can’t wait to release that book along with the new songs that will go with it! If you have any questions reach out to him on social media or email babellec@babellec.com
England, 1609. Matthew did not trust his friend, Richard’s stories of Paradise in the Jamestown settlement, but nothing could have equipped him for the privation and terror that awaited him in this savage land.
Once ashore in the fledgling settlement, Matthew experiences the unimaginable beauty of this pristine land and learns the meaning of hope, but it all turns into a nightmare as gold mania infests the community and Indians become an increasing threat. The nightmare only gets worse as the harsh winter brings on “the starving time” and all the grizzly horrors of a desperate and dying community that come with it.
Driven to the depths of despair by the guilt of his sins against Richard and his lust for that man’s wife, Matthew seeks death, but instead finds hope in the most unexpected of places, with the Powatan Indians.
In this compelling and extensively researched historical novel, the reader is transported into a little-known time in early America where he is asked to explore the real meanings of loyalty, faith, and freedom.
About The Author
A retired Aviation Safety Inspector for the FAA, Daniel V. Meier, Jr. has always had a passion for writing. During his college years, he studied History at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington (UNCW) and American Literature at The University of Maryland Graduate School. In 1980 he published an action/thriller with Leisure Books under the pen name of Vince Daniels.
He also worked briefly for the Washington Business Journal as a journalist and has been a contributing writer/editor for several aviation magazines. In addition to, Bloodroot, he is the author of the award-winning historical novel, The Dung Beetles of Liberia that was released in September 2019 and the highly acclaimed literary novel, No Birds Sing Here in April 2021.
Angelica Delfino takes a special interest in the lives of her three nieces, whom she affectionately calls the daughters of her heart. Sensing that each woman is harboring a troubling, possibly even toxic secret, Angelica decides to share her secrets—secrets she had planned to take to the grave. Spellbound, the nieces listen as Angelica travels back six decades to reveal an incredulous tale of forbidden love, tragic loss, and reinvention. It is the classic immigrant story upended: an Italian widow’s transformative journey amid the most unlikely of circumstances.
Inspired by Angelica’s example, the younger women share their “First World” problems and, in the process, set themselves free.
But one heartbreaking secret remains untold...
***Free ebook of No More Secrets – thru June 10th***
Excerpt
Tupperware in all the pastel shades. Head-to-toe clothing and accessories in the same hues. Who does that? Bellastrega shook her head at the avalanche of plastic that accompanied Velia Russo into the kitchen. She was already on her third trip back from the car, puffing and panting as she placed her food gifts on the kitchen table. Bellastrega could feel her jaw clenching at the thought of all those white devils—heavy sauces and creams and pounds of sugar—contaminating the kitchen.
Velia held one finger. “One more trip,” and then she was gone.
Bellastrega turned her attention back to the hearty vegetable stew that had been simmering on the stove. She sighed contentedly as she breathed in the aroma of the rosemary and Italian seasonings. Angelica’s favorite. As she glanced at the appetizing array of vegetables, she mentally calculated how long it would take to finish cooking. Everything was on schedule, and dinner would be on the table at six o’clock. Why had Velia decided to arrive three hours early?
From the start, Bellastrega had her misgivings about this all-girls weekend. She had listened while Angelica lovingly described each niece and shared her concerns regarding their unhappy lives. At first, Bellastrega had humored her, not realizing Angelica was intending to help her nieces get back on track. Her duty as aunt, she had explained.
Bellastrega had formed her own judgments regarding the three younger women. Usually right on target, Bellastrega had been surprised when this particular incarnation of Velia Russo arrived, laden with her food gifts. From Angelica’s descriptions, Bellastrega had expected a younger version of her mother, Rosetta, a heavy-set hausfrau and gossip, not this glamour-puss who could pass for a younger Martha Stewart. But first impressions could be deceiving.
“Help. I need your help.” The whiny voice interrupted Bellastrega’s thoughts. Sighing, she lowered the heat and made her way to the living room.
Bellastrega resisted the urge to laugh as she took in the comical sight before her. To save herself another trip, Velia had decided to lug in a large Pullman using her left hand, carry a pastry box in her right hand, and use her teeth to hold on to her purse.
All this for a weekend get-together? What would she have packed for a longer trip? Bellastrega forced a smile as she took the pastry box from Velia.
About the Author
In 2008, Joanne Guidoccio took advantage of early retirement and launched a second act as a writer. Her articles and book reviews have been published in newspapers, magazines, and online. When she tried her hand at fiction, she made reinvention a recurring theme in her novels and short stories. A member of Crime Writers of Canada, Sisters in Crime, and Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Joanne writes paranormal romances, cozy mysteries, and inspirational literature from her home base of Guelph, Ontario.
I can’t answer that question. I can’t tell him I’ve spent my whole life trying to disappear. I can’t tell him that I was born a drug addict. Or that I’ve been in foster homes so terrible I wished I didn’t exist. And I can’t tell him that last year ended any ambition I had to make it somewhere better in this world.
Drug addict parents. The foster care system. Living on the streets of New York City.
Zoie Cruz is used to an unflinching world that takes without giving back. But at seventeen she isn’t used to Northern Michigan, a family that wants her to succeed, and sobriety.
Everything changed on Christmas morning last year. Her social worker calls it a tragedy and her weekly Narcotics Anonymous meeting wants her to open up. All Zoie wants is to be left alone to get high.
When she meets local golden boy Dean, he’s determined to pull Zoie out of her darkness. And she’s determined to keep her walls sealed shut.
In a whirlwind struggle to stay clean, Zoie’s secrets can only stay hidden for so long.
R.H. McMahan a.k.a. Mickie is a Puerto Rican and Irish author, born and raised in Chicago. She started making up stories on the playground in first grade, convincing all of her friends that she was Harry Potter's sister. It's a good thing she transferred schools before her classmates were old enough to figure that one out! But that is where her love for creating fictional worlds began.
In her adult life, Mickie has a BA in Creative Writing and is currently working on her MFA in the same field. She is the author of Almost Girl, a Central Michigan University award winning, short story and many, many works in progress. Mickie writes YA contemporary fiction, drawing from her own life experiences, dealing with mental health and complicated family dynamics.
Mickie spends the majority of her time writing but when she does find a moment to put the pen down, you can find her tending to her various pets, reading about witchy things, drawing, or dancing ballet.
I had just started over with a new career, boyfriend, and confidence after escaping a vicious murder investigation. When Pinkie’s arrest leaves me struggling to run his two bars, I vow not to let my mentor and friend go down for something he didn’t do. Now I’m forced to trust the cops, people who hurt me, and known criminals. Will it be enough to free Pinkie and save my life?
Excerpt from Chapter 3 and song lyrics:
The band takes the stage again. Before the first note Jon says, “This is for Gillian.” He beams his sexy smile at me. I immediately recognize the opening riff to Dark Energy, the song he wrote for me about how I turned my screwed up life around.
Dark Energy lyrics
Shadows always lurk into the voids.
The great destroyer follows me.
A powerful force
Rips apart my universe
As I want it to be.
Dreams they shatter across the sky
Like shooting stars flying by.
Give it up. Throw it away.
One less win. Another day.
In this dark energy.
Find someone else to conquer.
What does it mean this dark energy?
Dark energy won’t control my fate.
Why do I deserve this dark energy?
I create my own history.
Don’t push this, this on me.
Tipping the balance
Shed some light and set it free
This dark energy.
Find someone else to conquer.
What does it mean this dark energy?
Dark energy won’t control my fate.
I do not deserve this dark energy.
Dark Energy by Brian Miller and Dark Energy .germans remix by Brian Miller and Bobby Hoke, are available for download or streaming from your favorite music source including Spotify, Pandora, iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Deezer, Beatport, Tidal, Juno Download.
About The Author
Addison Brae is an award-winning author of new adult and adult romantic suspense and young adult contemporary fiction. She lives in Dallas, Texas on the edge of downtown. She has been writing since childhood and continues today with articles, video scripts and other content as an independent marketing consultant.
When she’s not writing, Addison spends her time traveling the world, collecting interesting cocktail recipes and hosting parties. She’s still addicted to reading and enjoys jogging in her neighborhood park, sipping red wine, binge-watching TV series, vintage clothing and hanging out with her artistic other half and their neurotic cat Lucy.
Black ≠ Inferior is a collection of poems divided into 2 parts. The first part is a collection of thematically linked poems exploring Blackness and the myriads of issues it attracts. The second part oscillates themes— talking about consent, a query of death, a celebration of love among others. In his usual stylistic, this collection deals with weighty matters like race and colourism with simple and clear language.
In Black ≠ Inferior, we see Tolu’ Akinyemi reacting in response to the world, to issues that affect Black people. Here, we see a poet shedding off his burdens through his poems; hence, the beauty of this collection is in the issues it attempts to address. In this collection, Tolu’ wears a coat of many colours – he is a preacher, a prophet, a doctor and a teacher.
We see Tolu’ the preacher in these lines:
‘I wish you can rise through the squalor of poverty
and voices that watercolour you as under-represented.
I wish you can emblaze your name in gold,
and swim against every wave of hate.’
This is a collection of poems fit for the present narrative as any (Black) person who reads this collection should beam with confidence at the end. This is what the poet sets out to achieve with his oeuvre.
Tolu’ A. Akinyemi hails from Nigeria and lives in the UK where he has been endorsed by the Arts Council England as a writer with “exceptional talent”.
Tolu is the author of seven outstanding books which includes, Dead Lions Don’t Roar (Poetry, 2017) Unravel your Hidden Gems (Essays, 2018) Dead Dogs Don’t Bark (Poetry, 2018) Dead Cats Don’t Meow (Poetry, 2019) Never Play Games With The Devil (Poetry, 2019) Inferno of Silence (Short Stories, 2020) A Booktiful Love (Poetry, 2020). Two poetry collections, “Black ≠ Inferior” and “Never Marry a Writer” are scheduled for publication in early 2021.
A former headline act at Great Northern Slam, Crossing The Tyne Festival, Feltonbury Arts and Music Festival, and featured in various Poetry Festivals, Open Slam, Poetry Slam, Spoken Word and Open Mic events in and outside the United Kingdom.
His poems have appeared in the 57th issue (Volume 15, no 1) of the Wilderness House Literary Review, The Writers Cafe Magazine- Issue 18, GN Books, Lion and Lilac and elsewhere.
His books are based on a deep reality and often reflect relationships, life and features people he has met in his journey as a writer. His books have instilled many people to improve their performance and/or their circumstances. Tolu’ has taken his poetry to the stage, performing his written word at many events. Through his writing and these performances, he supports business leaders, other aspiring authors and people of all ages interested in reading and writing. Sales of the books have allowed Tolu’ donate to charity, allowing him to make a difference where he feels important, showing that he lives by the words he puts to page.
