Success In the Press: The Journey Begins by Cynthia Elder

"Get it." -Kirkus Reviews

✹

"Get it." -Kirkus Reviews ✹

From the Author:
West Barnstable, 1830. Lighthouse keeper Joseph Nickerson and members of the Jenkins and Fish families are tied to the sea through their work. Their voices are those of men and women who braved years-long sailing voyages as the United States split apart at the seams.

Young James Jenkins follows the sailor’s life, rising over a decade to become a merchant ship captain who transports guano, tea and coal around the globe. He finds his match in Ruth Fish, the daughter of a ship’s captain who bristles with passion to see the world and escape the confines of her small town.

Separated for years from his family, James binds himself to them through letters that span the vastness of oceans and time. At home, the rumbles of conflict over slavery reverberate into every corner of life.

James and Ruth are united in their vision to sail the world together while their country strains under the tension between North and South.
An uncertain future awaits.

Based on the true story of a family from West Barnstable, Massachusetts, during the final chapter of the Great Age of Sail and the tumultuous years leading up to and through the Civil War.

““A well-developed novel that uses copious historical sources to vividly bring its characters and scenes to life.””

— Kirkus Reviews

Our Take: Based on the true story of a family from Massachusetts during the final chapter of the Great Age of Sail and tumultuous years leading up to and through the Civil War, The Journey Begins offers a richly researched portrait of seafaring life during one of America’s most turbulent eras. Sweeping and quietly powerful, it promises lyrical prose and a strong sense of place. The novel follows two families as they navigate oceans and upheaval, distance and duty. It’s a story of love, letters, and longing—perfect for readers drawn to historical fiction rooted in truth, and to tales where the pull of the sea echoes the deeper pull of home.

From a Reader: “A well-developed novel that uses copious historical sources to vividly bring its characters and setting to life.”

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Success In the Press: The Devil Pulls the Strings by JW Zarek

2025 Shelley Book Awards Hall of Fame for Paranormal Fiction ★ 2021 Chanticleer Best Book Grand Prize Winner ★ First Place Ozma Award ★ First Place Cygnus Award

★

2025 Shelley Book Awards Hall of Fame for Paranormal Fiction ★ 2021 Chanticleer Best Book Grand Prize Winner ★ First Place Ozma Award ★ First Place Cygnus Award ★

““A remarkable paranormal tale that delivers plenty of plot developments, curious characters, and otherworldly things.” ”

— Kirkus Reviews

From the Author: Boone Daniels has problems—crippling panic attacks, a childhood haunted by a wendigo, and the guilt of nearly killing his best friend in a joust. When he fills in at a New York gig, a meeting turns deadly: a body drops from a balcony, bullets fly, and Boone barely escapes with his life. In the chaos, he uncovers a plot to summon the Devil through a cursed Paganini piece—one that could trap Baba Yaga and destroy modern-day NYC. Now, pursued by steampunk vampires and guided by a Romani immortal, Boone must race through time to stop the melody and earn his redemption. All he ever wanted was to keep a promise to a friend—the same friend he almost killed last Sunday. Can a small-town Missouri musician outplay the supernatural and save NYC's soul?

Bragging Rights:

• 2025 Shelley Book Awards Hall of Fame for Paranormal Fiction

• 2021 Chanticleer Best Book Grand Prize Winner

• First Place Ozma Award

• First Place Cygnus Award

Adapted script:

• Best American Script at 2024 Berlin Film Festival

• Best TV Pilot Episode Script at 2024 London Film Festival.

Our Take: Fast-paced and richly imagined, The Devil Pulls the Strings blends history, myth, and music into a high-stakes urban fantasy with real emotional weight. As Boone Daniels stumbles into a world of cursed compositions and supernatural power struggles, his personal demons run as deep as the forces he’s up against. This is a story about guilt, redemption, and the threads of folklore that still tug at the modern world—perfect for readers drawn to layered mythologies and unconventional heroes.

From a Reader: “The author created an excellent worldbuilding […] you have a bit of everything: there is mythology, folklore, magic, immortal creatures, action, adventure, secret societies, time travel and many mysteries . So I never got bored. For me, this whole combination of elements was very original and epic!”

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Success In the Press: Girl, Unemployed by Desiree Prieto Groft

#1 in New Releases for Single Women's Fiction ★ #3 in New Releases for Humor ★ #4 in New Releases for Women’s Humorous Fiction ★ #5 in Travel Humor

★

#1 in New Releases for Single Women's Fiction ★ #3 in New Releases for Humor ★ #4 in New Releases for Women’s Humorous Fiction ★ #5 in Travel Humor ★

From the Author: Entitled, politically incorrect Jessica Puente goes from princess to pauper overnight when she loses her fabulous jet-setting job in the Great Recession. Jess must come of age again, find a job, and overcome her hubris.

Jess crash-lands in her old-fashioned Spanish-speaking hometown of San Antonio, where she fights with old frenemies and her family. Bailing with partner-in-crime millennial Missy for New York City, Jess is sure that the Big Apple will provide the way back to the glamorous lifestyle she deserves. But in the new upside-down “gig” economy, Jess must compete for jobs, grad school, and a 115-square-foot guest room with the types of kids she used to babysit.

Settling into the historic hotel for women, Jess is shocked that World War I behavioral codes still rule. Her adventures don't quite measure up to her dreams as she resentfully grapples with choosing between what she wants and what she can afford.

Bragging Rights: Girl, Unemployed hit several Amazon Bestseller categories.

#1 in New Releases for Single Women’s Fiction

#3 in New Releases for Humor

#4 in New Releases for Women’s Humorous Fiction

#5 in Travel Humor

#51 in City Life Fiction

Our Take: Wry, sharp, and full of millennial chaos, Girl, Unemployed captures the disorienting freefall from glamor to grit with biting humor and cultural commentary. The book skewers job-hunting in the gig economy, intergenerational tensions, and the sobering realities of post-recession ambition—all while dragging a reluctant protagonist through self-inflicted disasters and unexpected moments of clarity. It’s a smart, witty coming-of-age-again story that will resonate with anyone who’s ever chased big dreams on a small budget.

From a Reader:

“Girl, Unemployed is a brilliant, witty, and refreshingly raw exploration of reinvention in a world that no longer plays by the old rules […] Groft delivers a mirror to our times—where the ones who thrive aren’t those who cling to the past, but those who dare to forge a new path, rooted in community and positive relationships.”

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Success In the Press: Dirty Suburbia by Sara Hosey

“Distinguished, engrossing, splendidly entertaining.” - Kirkus Reviews

★

“Distinguished, engrossing, splendidly entertaining.” - Kirkus Reviews ★

From the Author: Dirty suburbias are working-class neighborhoods in which girls who are left to fend for themselves sometimes become predators, as well as affluent communities in which women discover that money is no protection against sexism, both their own and others'.

One young woman sets up her abusive, cheating boyfriend, hoping he'll get arrested so that she can rescue him and win him back. A teenager arranges to meet up with an older man she's met online playing video games; she brings a knife with her, just in case. A middle-aged divorcee attempts to rekindle a romantic relationship with her high school English teacher, who happens to be a former nun. A struggling academic falls in love with a Henry David Thoreau impersonator, and a well-adjusted grad student goes home for Christmas only to be repulsed by her family's casual cruelty.

Despite the ugliness and injustice, they face, as well as the failures of their families and communities, these characters often find relief in friendship and connection, and sometimes, even discover meaning and cause for hope.

““Distinguished, engrossing, splendidly entertaining.””

— Kirkus Reviews

Our Take: Gritty, intimate, and unflinching, Dirty Suburbia is a collection that lingers. These stories examine the quiet violence and fierce resilience of girls and women navigating spaces that should protect them—but often don’t. Sara Hosey writes with empathy and edge, offering a mirror to suburbia that’s cracked but deeply reflective. It’s a bold, clear-eyed exploration of power, survival, and the complicated ways women come of ageand come undone. Perfect for readers who love short fiction that’s sharp and bracingly real.

From a Reader: “The characters are devastating and wonderful and so familiar. […] The writing is mesmerizing, poetic, and gritty. It’s literary without ever being boring. Every story in this collection stomped on my heart and then picked it up and handed it back to me.”

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Success In the Press: Article 9 by Daniel Holub

Featured in CALIFORNIA BOOKWATCH June 2025 & MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS

★

Featured in CALIFORNIA BOOKWATCH June 2025 & MIDWEST BOOK REVIEWS ★

From the Author: On Thanksgiving, the first high-profile abduction and assassination by ISIS operatives is broadcast online. As the world watches in horror, American agencies struggle to respond. The best intelligence organizations cannot predict (much less protect) the next victim.

Deep in the heart of Texas, Brooks Davis is thrust into this drama. He started the day at a construction site, then is drugged and trafficked across the Mexican border. Brooks must battle his way across the Mexican wilderness, determined to reach the demarcation line between life and death. As he uses his wits to evade Mexican cartels and military forces, Brooks’ wife, Molly, and their sons are coping with FBI surveillance and protection.

From the Oval Office to the Mexican presidential palace, a battle is unfolding over Article 9 in the US/Mexican extradition treaty. Geopolitics weave a new net that threatens to ensnare him. How can Brooks escape and atone for the harm he has done to the love of his life?

Our Take: Fast-paced and high-stakes, Article 9 is part survival thriller and part geopolitical drama, with a strong sense of place and immediacy. The novel moves quickly from borderland violence to international tension, blending action sequences with questions of policy, loyalty, and personal redemption. For readers drawn to modern-day thrillers with a patriotic edge, this one reads like a movie—gritty, tense, and unrelenting.

From a Reader:

"An extraordinary tale of the new west in which mortal peril is met with fearless resolve. The book's opening paragraph grabs your attention and doesn't relinquish it until the end. It is an intense and gripping hybrid of physical courage and political intrigue."

"Holub's debut novel grabs you from the beginning, shakes you in the middle, and doesn't let go. This political thriller is a fast-paced, character-driven saga you'll want to finish in one sitting. Hold on and buckle your seat belt for a supersonic ride that will not disappoint."

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