Success In the Press: How to Bury Your Dog by Eva Silverfine

5-star review from Readers' Favorite

★

5-star review from Readers' Favorite ★

From the Author: Lizzy has largely retreated from the world: she tends her adopted strays and goes to work, but she has forsaken lifelong pastimes and declines invitations from old friends. On the day she buries Happy, the abandoned basset hound she adopted years before, she learns a real estate developer is threatening the heart of her rural community—a tranquil pond and a relict stand of hemlocks. For Lizzy this is a magical place, hidden from the modern world.

Coaxed by an old friend to join a group fighting the development, Lizzy is reluctant—she wants to avoid both hope and him. But she realizes she can no longer keep the outside world at bay. As the battle over the development unfolds, Lizzy opens herself to two young neighbors who share her love of the natural environment—an awkward sixteen-year-old and an inquisitive ten-year-old. And as Happy’s elements return to the earth, Lizzy experiences her own transformation as buried memories find their way to the surface in increasingly curious ways.

““An absorbing, restorative tale of community and nature.””

— Kirkus Reviews

Our Take: This quiet, beautifully observed novel reminds us that healing rarely looks heroic—it’s slow, grounded, and often begins with saying yes to the smallest of invitations. How to Bury Your Dog is a tender meditation on grief, memory, and our ties to the land we call home. With writing that honors both the pain of loss and the quiet joys of rediscovery, this is a story for anyone who has ever felt the ache of change—and found unexpected hope in community, memory, and a patch of wild green.

From a Reader: “I […] loved the gentle, big-hearted tone that this book takes; the author casts a loving eye on all of her characters, foibles and all. Silverfine’s heartfelt, thoughtful story will be an easy, pleasant read for anyone who enjoys literary fiction.”

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Success In the Press: Starman After Midnight by Scott Semegran

"Darkly Funny" - Publishers Weekly

★

"Darkly Funny" - Publishers Weekly ★

From the Author: In suburban Wells Port, things are not what they seem: wild animals appear unexpectedly in backyards, raised garden beds produce fruit in days, not weeks, and a mysterious figure lurks across sidewalks late at night.

The stories in Starman After Midnight weave an often hilarious and sometimes melancholy spell. Four young boys are terrorized by a wiener dog on their walk to school, but strategize for a safer route. A beer-loving man befriends a likeminded neighbor, only to discover his jovial new acquaintance is a registered sex offender. An elderly Uber driver suspects a young rider is being lured by a night stalker and debates whether he should help her or mind his own business.

Connecting these stories are two next-door neighbors—Seff and Big Dave—who couldn't be more different: one a progressive-minded writer, the other a conservative plumber. Their love of beer drinking, backyard philosophizing, and gossiping brings them together. When several pets in the neighborhood wind up missing or worse—dead—Seff and Big Dave monitor their security cameras for the culprit. When they discover a naked man roaming their street late at night, suspicions are raised while hysteria spreads through the neighborhood social media app. What is the connection between the missing pets and this naked man? Seff and Big Dave form a posse of neighbors to find out.

““Darkly funny... Semegran has a knack for drawing colorful characters. This waggish slice of life is worth a look.” ”

— Publishers Weekly

Moving between humor and surrealism, friendship and grief, Starman After Midnight is a novel told in stories, a collection that adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts. From the quirky imagination of Scott Semegran, Starman After Midnight packs a comedic punch and uncovers the magic that seems possible in ordinary places.

Our Take: This genre-blurring, voice-rich collection slips easily between laugh-out-loud suburban absurdity and moments of startling tenderness. Told in interconnected stories, Starman After Midnight captures the strange magic of ordinary lives—where wiener dogs become villains, neighbors become investigators, and a beer on the porch might spark an existential breakthrough. Scott Semegran writes with equal parts warmth, wit, and just enough weird to keep you guessing. A perfect pick for fans of slice-of-life fiction with a surreal twist, or anyone who suspects there’s more to the cul-de-sac than meets the eye.

From the Reader: “There is a reason this author is one of my favorites. His writing is so flawless and makes reading a delight […] I love how quirky the two main characters are and how their friendship just...is. You have to read this to understand what I mean by that.”

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Success In the Press: The Cali Book of the Dead by Max V. Carp

"A story that readers will feel to their core." - Los Angeles Book Review

★

"A story that readers will feel to their core." - Los Angeles Book Review ★

From the Author: Landon Briggs is a small-time crook, gambling addict, Iraq war vet, and a dabbler in Buddhism amongst other things. He finds a new mission in trying to stop his ex-wife from marrying Ray, the trucking company con man who is about to become his son's "new dad".

When Landon steals one of Ray's cigarette-filled trucks one sunny day, all hell breaks loose. Landon finds himself navigating an increasingly dangerous cat-and-mouse game while, along the way, friends and foes share their unexpected insights into what Buddhists call the "luminous path of innate wisdom". As the long Cali days tick by, the question arises: which final path will Landon ultimately travel?

““Max V. Carp integrates spiritual concepts such as Buddhism, oracles, destiny, dream sequences, and bodily possession into a rough and ready story that readers will feel to their core.””

— Kyle Eaton, Los Angeles Book Review

Our Take: Fast-paced, darkly funny, and strangely meditative, The Cali Book of the Dead is a wild ride through the sun-baked chaos of modern California. With dry wit, sharp edges, and a surprising spiritual undercurrent, Max V. Carp delivers a gritty meditation on fatherhood, forgiveness and the clarity that comes from chaos; This one is perfect for readers who like their redemption stories weird, wise, and a little bit wild.

From a Reader: “[…] it blew my mind. Fantastic plot, characters, one memorable scene after another, I could go on and on. [The] ending is not for the squeamish […]”

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Success In the Press: Blue Dragonfly by Joseph Bingham

International Review of Books Gold Medal Award

★

International Review of Books Gold Medal Award ★

From the Author: Pedí and Adací are born with unusual gifts inherited from their massacred ancestors. Pedí, a boy discounted and shunned due to his peculiarities and heritage, understands the healing plants of the forest and has a rare relationship with the animal world. Pedí can communicate with animals but stammers when he tries to talk with people. Adací is an adopted girl whose lineage is kept secret. Her dreams and visions of the past, present, and future, create havoc within her family and society. Despite her best efforts, these dreams often come true. She is afraid she’s going to kill the boy she loves.

Blue Dragonfly takes you into a tropical world of fantasy, disease, forbidden love, and strange creatures of the natural world.

Our Take: Blue Dragonfly is a lush and lyrical story set in a world where ancestral memory, nature’s magic, and quiet rebellion shape the lives of two young people with mysterious gifts. Pedí and Adací are outsiders in their own community, but their deep connection to the natural and spiritual realms offers both danger and possibility. With rich worldbuilding, emotional depth, and a thread of star-crossed love, this is a tender, imaginative novel for readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories laced with myth, mystery, and the magic of the natural world.

From a Reader: “Great storytelling and immediately engaging! Loved the mix of nature, ancient cultures, and the mix of real and the mythical. Would highly recommend!”

Bragging Rights:

★ Gold Medal Award from International Review of Books

What the author has to say about working with Yellow Bird: “Rebecca Maizel at Yellow Bird helped me so much with my early draft. Her suggestions helped me craft the final manuscript, though it still took me time as a beginning writer to make all the changes I needed to do.”

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Success In the Press: For the Minds and Wills of Men by Jeff Lanier

2023 Finalist in Historical Fiction

★

First Novel for the Next Generation Indie Book

★

2023 Finalist in Historical Fiction ★ First Novel for the Next Generation Indie Book ★

From the Author: MANHATTAN, 1953. Fear of communist subversion and espionage are tearing America apart. Abstract expressionism is on the verge of exploding, making New York the cultural epicenter of the world. While recovering a stolen Jackson Pollock for a wealthy client, art insurer Will Oxley falls for the client's daughter, Liz Bower, who leads him deep into the rebellious and seductive world of the abstract expressionist painters, their Village bar haunts and East Hampton binges. But when Will learns the painting-and Liz-may be hiding communist secrets better left hidden, he finds himself torn between exposing the girl he loves or risking his life by trusting her instead. Realizing nothing is as it seems, Will is caught between communist espionage, secret government programs, and the grip of cold war fear, suspicion, and betrayal where trust is all he has left...

With post-World War II New York, 1950s avant-garde art world, and the House Un-American Activities Committee hearings as background, the novel tells the story of abstract expressionism and mid-century American politics- through the thrilling search for a stolen Jackson Pollock.

Bragging Rights:

★ 2023 1st Place Winner in Fiction for the IndieReader Discovery

★ 2022 1st Place Winner in Historical Fiction and New Author Fiction for the Dragonfly

★ 2023 Finalist in Historical Fiction and First Novel for the Next Generation Indie Book

★ 2023 PenCraft Award A Best Book Winner

★ 2023 Readers Favorite Book Award Winner

★ 2023 Readers Favorite Five Star Book

Our Take: Set against the charged backdrop of Cold War paranoia and the birth of abstract expressionism, The Minds and Wills of Men is part noir thriller, part love story, and part art world history. Jeff Lanier skillfully blends espionage, political intrigue, and cultural revolution into a suspenseful and intellectual narrative. A compelling pick for readers drawn to atmospheric historical fiction—especially those curious about the collision of art, power, and trust in a world where nothing is quite what it seems.

From a Reader: “[..] an historical art fiction and cold war thriller that will both entertain and electrify the imagination. With a fair bit of noir, significant intrigue, and plenty of fact and fiction expertly intertwined, this story will rank high on the to-read meter and then even higher on the recommend-to-friends-and-family meter. In short, it’s fabulous.”

Get your copy today at the links below!

Amazon | Goodreads | Author Site