Success In the Press: What Awaits by Ernie Gammage

American BookFest 2022 Book of the Year Finalist

★

American BookFest 2022 Book of the Year Finalist ★

From the Author: Relationships are tough. Present or future, crazed or loving, they’re tough. Full of the “what ifs” that define speculative short fiction, some stories are an easy read, heartwarming even; others…not so much. In some there’s peace, love, and epiphany, in others revenge, horror, and death. From Mexico to Titan, Memphis to the foothills of the Himalayas, the unpredictable and the unexpected await in this exploration of the predicament that is the human condition.

• This Room of Gold – Across time and space, Myla stumbles into what might be her best future. Is it?

• Tattooed – Laird gladly loses himself in Nita’s tattoo, but how is he going to find his way back? And if he doesn’t…?

• In The Black Wood – Efram wades into the Black Wood and finds more than he anticipated. Have he and his friends unleashed the End Times?

• The Reader – Channeling gifts from a long family line, Lysette becomes a clairvoyant. When the role becomes too much for her, can she find a way to escape its grip?

• Stockyards – Angie has the perfect marriage until the old woman gives her a frightening gift, one that will change her life forever. Now what?

For fans of Neil Gaiman, Margaret Atwood, Kurt Vonnegut, Haruki Murakami, and George Saunders. For Adult and New Adult readers. Not appropriate for children.

Our Take: A bold, cerebral collection that moves through genres, geographies, and timelines—but always lands on the messy complexity of being human. Each literary tale is surprising and deeply varied: some intimate and unsettling, others cosmic and tender, all with twists that linger long after the last page. From the eerie to the uplifting, this collection invites you to consider the paths we take—and the strange, beautiful, or terrifying possibilities that lie just beyond them. A smart, genre-crossing read for fans of literary weirdness and emotional depth, What Awaits is great for readers seeking contemplative fiction.

From a Reader: “[…] a collection of short stories that will leave you bewildered and intrigued. Each story has a twist, an understood assumption, or at times the author lets you fill in the ending with your own imagination.”

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Success in the Press: Precise Oaths by Paige E. Ewing

Literary Titan Silver ★ "A romp of a book." - Angela Knight, NYT bestselling paranormal romance author

★

Literary Titan Silver ★ "A romp of a book." - Angela Knight, NYT bestselling paranormal romance author ★

From the Author: Even though spider-kin Liliana sees the past, the future and into men's souls, she can still be surprised. After all, no one wakes up wondering if they'll be accused of murder by a werewolf. Wolf-kin Peter Teague of Fort Bragg's Criminal Investigation Division analyzes the venom in six dead soldiers. The victims were killed by a spider-kin, and Liliana is the only spider-kin in Fayetteville. Peter's handsome boss, the dangerous fae Colonel Bennet, watches Liliana with burning ember eyes, but refuses to call his investigator off. It's up to Liliana to keep Peter from executing her and convince the skeptical scientist she's not the murderer, all while keeping her new friend from getting eaten by the real killers. And if that's not enough, she might even have to socialize!

How will she survive the paranormal mystery that puts her as the prime suspect?

““Set in a richly imagined world populated by both endearing and intriguing characters””

— Literary Titan

Our Take: Precise Oaths is a smart, atmospheric mystery set in a world where military precision and magical politics collide. With a murder investigation that puts spider-kin Liliana at the center of suspicion, this story blends urban fantasy with suspense in a way that feels both grounded and imaginative. The pacing is tight, the dialogue sharp, and the world richly built—but what lingers is the sense of a heroine caught between power, perception, and survival. A great fit for readers who love character-driven fantasy with layered stakes.

From a Reader: “Brilliant, clever, and sympathetically written! Liliana is the cure to my arachnophobia.”

Bragging Rights:

Literary Titan Silver

Over 70 5-star reviews on Goodreads.

"Precise Oaths is tremendous fun. It's hard to write a thought-provoking book that's also fun to read, but Paige pulled it off in spades… A romp of a book." - Angela Knight, NYT Best Selling paranormal romance author

"Liliana is spider-kin—a neurodivergent loner who tells fortunes and longs for connection with others. I was rooting for her right from the start." - Patrice Sarath, fantasy and romance author

"Some unlikely alliances and Liliana's abilities give us a rollicking adventure and set the stage for more stories to come." - Nancy Jane Moore, author of The Weave

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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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