Holiday Gift Guide 2024 Fiction Selections<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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The Art of Farming<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n

T.D. Motley<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Fiction \/ Agriculture \/ Nature \/ Stewardship<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stoney Creek Publishing<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

August 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

144 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sam Bartlett\u2019s formidable antagonist has four legs. Sol, a miniature donkey, schemes daily to outwit his kindly caretaker. This delightful rural drama regales a symbiosis of plants, humans, dogs and livestock, with wild creatures observing from secluded, weedy perimeters.  <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Retired from teaching, artist Sam farms thirty acres. His popular paintings of vast prairies at sunset are selling well. He plans to market organic herbs and produce, hiring local after-school teens. Begrudgingly raised on a farm, he once swore that when he grew up he\u2019d never go back. Time and age break promises. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Elysia boasts a pretty town square, complete with a handsome county courthouse. Sam\u2019s girlfriend, Annie, is a food writer who travels a lot. Bartlett Farm is her sanctuary. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The Art of Farming<\/em> is a hopeful tale about stewardship of the land, the animals, and of each other. It honors the integrity of agriculture, as expressed in ancient literature and art. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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T.D. Motley<\/a> <\/strong>is a Texas painter and academic. Born in Beaumont, he\u2019s been drawing since age three. His family has farmed in Texas from the mid-nineteenth century. He and artist wife, Rebecca, marketed their organic, heirloom herbs and produce to North Texas chefs for years.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Bargainer Series by Jan Sikes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bargains struck out of desperation… In the Bargainer Series, flawed characters find hope through unorthodox life-changing agreements… Historical Fiction set in rural America in the 1940s takes the reader back in time for heart-wrenching drama, and unforgettable characters.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A Beggar’s Bargain<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Jan Sikes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fresh Ink Group<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

March 12, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

308 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A shocking proposal that changes everything. If he fails, he\u2019ll lose it all.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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World War II is over and he returns to Missouri to find his legacy in shambles and in jeopardy. A foreclosure notice from the bank doubles the threat. He appeals to the local banker for more time\u2014a chance to rebuild, plant, and harvest crops and time to heal far away from the noise of bombs and gunfire.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Desperate to honor his father\u2019s dying wish, Layken Martin vows to do whatever it takes to save the family farm.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The banker makes an alternative proposition\u2014marry his unwanted daughter, Sara Beth, in exchange for a two-year extension. Out of options, money, and time, Layken agrees to the bargain.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A Noble Bargain<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Jan Sikes<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Fresh Ink Group<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

October 22, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

279 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The year is 1948 and folks in the sawmill town of Crossett, Arkansas, work hard and play hard. Oliver Quinn does both. Oliver is the son of Irish immigrants who firmly believe in pursuing the American dream. His deepest desire is to play major league baseball. He only needs one chance to prove himself.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Rose Blaine is living in a nightmare where dreams don\u2019t exist. She\u2019s suffered for years at the hands of her violent moonshiner father and his partner. During a brutal attack, she must fight back or die. The aftermath is devastating.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Fueled by desperation, Rose strikes a life-changing bargain with Oliver. If he\u2019ll take her and her brother to St. Louis, Missouri, she\u2019ll introduce Oliver to her uncle, a baseball legend.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Jan Sikes<\/a> <\/strong>is <\/strong>a member of the Author\u2019s Marketing Guild, The Writer\u2019s League of Texas, Story Empire, and the Paranormal Writer\u2019s Guild. I am an avid fan of Texas music and grandmother of five beautiful souls. I reside in North Texas. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Best General in the Civil War<\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Conrad Bibens<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Stoney Creek Publishing<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

November 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

256 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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This autobiographical novel tells of Thomas\u2019 boyhood in Virginia, where he was almost killed by escaped slaves during Nat Turner\u2019s Rebellion. Thomas recounts his education at West Point, his service in the Mexican War, and his brush with death from an Indian arrow in Texas. The book is also a love story about his marriage to a Northern woman who may have influenced his decision to remain true to the United States. But Thomas insists his resolve was a matter of honor in fulfilling his oath of loyalty to the Constitution.  After the final Union victory, Thomas had to fight the Ku Klux Klan during Reconstruction as well as the hostility that now-President Grant still held against him. Many Americans wanted Thomas to run for president, and Grant no doubt feared the political aspirations of a man who he knew was The Best General in the Civil War<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Conrad Bibens<\/strong><\/a> worked at newspapers for more than 40 years \u2013 as a copy editor, wire editor, city editor and reporter, including 28 years at the Houston Chronicle<\/em>. A 1977 graduate of the University of Kansas, he grew up in St. Joseph, Mo., and lives in the Houston area<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Big Bend Country Mystery Series<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

JJ Rusz<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Far West Texas is Chihuahuan desert, some of its acres flat as an anvil, others pushed up by mountains that reach almost to the Rio Grande. Its biggest county\u2014Brewster\u2014is bigger than Connecticut, but couldn\u2019t scare up ten thousand people. Ranchers get by when drought doesn\u2019t drain the water table. Astronomers come to study the darkest skies in the continental USA. Artists drift through, hoping to make sense of it all. <\/p>\n

This is the setting for the Big Bend Country Mysteries, because crime happens everywhere and rugged land attracts interesting people, some of them even with a sense of humor.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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J J RUSZ<\/a> <\/strong>is the pen name of John J Ruszkiewicz, creator of the Big Bend Country Mysteries. He is now retired from the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught literature, rhetoric, and writing for 40 years. He spends most of his time now in Brewster County enjoying its dark skies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Cartoon Chronicle<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Chris Manno<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Humor<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

November 22, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

60 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Cartoon Chronicle: Fall 2024 through a classic cartoon lens. All-original cartoons in the best tradition of old-school giants like Jim Unger, Johnny Hart, Chic Young, Jeff MacNelly, Don Martin, and more.<\/p>\n

Pore over\u2014and own\u2014fifty pages and two hundred pithy, wry, subtle, hilarious, and bold black-and-white drawings. It\u2019s a vanishing art form.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Chris Manno\u2019s<\/strong> award-winning cartoons appear in periodicals worldwide. Several of his cartoon collections are available in paperback and Kindle format. He is also the author of the award-winning Texas novels East Jesus<\/em> and Blood and Remembrance. <\/em>Manno earned a doctorate in English from Texas Christian University, where he teaches writing.  Enjoy more of Manno’s cartoons in Cartoon Refuge<\/a>. <\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Confessions of a Knight Errant: Drifters, Thieves and Ali Baba’s Treasure<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/u><\/p>\n

Gretchen McCullough<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Novel<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Cune Press <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

October 2022<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

198 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The novel is a madcap comedy with two scoundrels on the run. They arrive back in Cairo during the 2011 uprising, but then find themselves in a girls’ camp in central Texas. This is a light-hearted novel for readers who delight in the quirky. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Originally from Texas, Gretchen McCullough<\/a><\/strong> is on the faculty at the American University in Cairo. Her novel, Confessions of a Knight Errant<\/em> was published by Cune Press in 2022. Shortly after, in 2024, they published a colleciton of short stories, Shahrazad’s Gift<\/em>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Dalhart Girls<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Sandra Fox Murphy<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Atmosphere Press<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

June 4, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

240 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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In the early 1950s of the Panhandle town of Dalhart, Texas, the church stands firm amidst community and gossip. But one December Sunday, Curtye Lee Logan, a shapely young woman from Colorado, enters Victory Church on the arm of bull rider Willie Bob Preston and takes a seat in the second pew. Curtye Lee’s arrival sparks gossip and draws the welcoming attention of ranch-wife Shelby Hauser and the pastor’s wife, Jane Connor. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Shelby narrates the journey of these three women, revealing how they secretly gather to study mysticism, unbeknownst to Pastor Henry Connor. As Dalhart recovers from hardships and losses of the 1930s Dust Bowl, the shadows of those years harbor secrets and pain for long-time residents. Despite the challenges of life in west Texas and scandals of a small town, the friendship between Shelby, Jane, and Curtye Lee remains steadfast as the Fates weave their destinies in unexpected ways.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sandra Fox Murphy<\/strong><\/a>, after retirement, started writing short stories, historical fiction, and poetry. She gathers tales and history of small-town Texas and published a trilogy of a girl\u2019s 1847 journey to Texas\u2014The Fidelia McCord Series. Her poetry has been published in The Ocotillo Review and other literary journals.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Genealogy Mystery Series by ML Condike<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Desk from Hoboken<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

ML Condike<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Genealogy Mystery<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Harbor Lane Books, LLC<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

March 5, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

427 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Genealogist, RaeJean Hunter, is hired to identify human remains believed to be Mary Rogers, the woman who inspired Poe\u2019s \u201cThe Mystery of Marie Roget.\u201d Mary died in 1841. So who would interfere with her investigation? Using DNA from two New England families, historical data, modern genealogical techniques, and guidance from a mystical antique desk, RaeJean accepts the cold case despite many reasons to abandon it.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Doll from Dunedin<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

ML Condike<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Genealogy Mystery<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Harbor Lane Books, LLC<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

October 22, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

357 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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An attorney hires genealogist RaeJean Hunter to locate the heir of a women she met a year ago. RaeJean has six months to locate the person, or her client loses a forty-million-dollar estate. While searching the deceased\u2019s townhouse, RaeJean finds a doll with mystical qualities and books about perfume heiress, Dorothy Arnold who vanished in 1910. She suspects Dorothy connects to her case. She follows leads to Idaho and New Zealand amid challenges and life- threatening events.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Author, ML Condike<\/strong><\/a> began writing in Granbury, Texas and now pens her works from Big Pine Key, Florida. Still active in Texas, she\u2019s the treasurer of Sisters in Crime North Dallas with stories in their anthologies. She wrote her novels while living in Texas and attending SMU\u2019s Writers Path.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>The Duchess of Kokora<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Nikhil Prabala<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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YA Romantasy<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

October 8, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

444 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Duchess of Kokora, Phera Ylir Mdana, has entered the marriage games of the neighboring kingdom of Ryene. But she\u2019s not there to woo the dashing Prince Dominic. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Her true objective? To win back one of the other contestants, Lady Rocelle Virae\u2014Phera\u2019s true love and ex-fiancee. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Love proves to be a game like any other when Phera must not only mend matters with her childhood sweetheart, but conceal her true intentions in order to earn votes and stay in the competition. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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And as long-brewing political tensions simmer beneath the surface, the playful veneer of the competition begins to crack. In the end, Phera, Dominic, and Rocelle find themselves united in a desperate bid to prevent a duel that threatens the integrity of the kingdom, the stability of the continent, and any hope for a happily ever after.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Born and raised in Austin, Texas, Nikhil<\/a><\/strong> graduated from Stanford in 2019 and is currently based in the Bay Area. In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing, singing, playing the guitar, tabletop games, and spending time with friends and family. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/span><\/span>Engines of Winter:<\/a> <\/strong><\/span><\/span>A Sci-Fi Fantasy Retelling of The Nutcracker<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

E.M. Rensing<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Science Fiction \/ Fantasy<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

November 11, 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Mech pilot Lieutenant Marie Stahlbaum wants to be out stalking the stars, taking the fight to the rat-like alien verrater that destroyed her homeworld. Serving now with the famed Colonel Drosselmeier, she thought she\u2019d finally get that chance. Instead she\u2019s stuck on guard duty, watching over a spoiled lord and his holiday merriment on the winter moon of Bavaria.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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When an verrater invasion crashes the party on Christmas Eve, Marie finds herself on a terrible new front line. With only a malfunctioning mech, nicknamed the \u201cNutcracker\u201d, and its former pilot on the radio, Marie sets off on a desperate hunt, pursuing the monstrous king of the verrater horde across the snowy wastes.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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But the history between the verrater and Colonel Drosselmeier is darker, and deeper, than anyone could imagine. And if Marie can\u2019t find a way to defeat the verrater king tonight, the whole of human space will fall.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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E.M. Rensing<\/a><\/strong> is an Air Force veteran who crafts unique science fiction worlds you’ll love to escape to.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Kitchen Heat<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

McFall & Hays<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Romance \/ Rom-Com<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Pumpjack Press<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

November 2023<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

325 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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When Kassi lands a waitress job at the infamous Rose and Thorn restaurant, she thinks her luck may finally be changing, especially after meeting Clay\u2014head chef and the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Their white-hot attraction is instant and undeniable. But after her marriage disaster, Kassi has sworn off relationships or even dating, maybe forever. So, what’s a girl to do? Put him in a sexy screenplay, of course. Kassi is writing a movie script for a contest. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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It’s a long shot, an impossible shot, but it could be her ticket to Hollywood. She comes up with a new plot about a hot chef and a waitress falling madly in love (and bed). It doesn’t take long before Kassi’s imaginary relationship and reality collide in unpredictable ways, but as things steam up in the restaurant kitchen, not everyone may be able to stand the heat, including hunky Clay.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Clark Hays<\/strong><\/a> is the coauthor of many books, some award-winning, in multiple genres including horror, alt-history, science fiction and romance. He is also a poet. Clark was born in Texas, moved then to California, Alaska and Scotland, with his father, legendary wildcat driller Hubert Hays. Clark writes with Kathleen McFall. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Knotted Ring<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Myra McIlvain<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Next Chapter<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

December 2023<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

412 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Susannah Mobley, expecting her slave lover\u2019s baby, submits to an arranged marriage to Hezekiah James, who is headed to Texas to claim a Spanish land grant. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Caught in a series of lies about her pregnancy, as well as the beautiful ring woven from her red hair, Susannah embarks on the harsh trip, grieving for her lost love and determined to control her destiny. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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On the wagon train journey, Hezekiah\u2019s beliefs and strengths are tested by Native Americans and the strange Madstone. Soon, Susannah will have to decide if she can live with the consequences of her lies and open herself to the man who shows every form of contrition or if she will allow longing for the child to destroy her life.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Award-winning author Myra Hargrave McIlvain<\/a><\/strong> brings characters to life in her historical fiction set in 19th-century Texas. She believes history is the story of a people, and the people she knows best are Texans.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lethal Standoff<\/a><\/em><\/u>
DiAnn Mills<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Romantic Suspense
Tyndale House Publishers
September 2024
368 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Lethal Standoff<\/em> delivers pulse-pounding romantic suspense in the heart of Texas. When a small-town standoff takes a deadly turn, Texas Ranger Carrington and private negotiator Levi are forced to team up despite their clashing styles. With lives hanging in the balance, the investigation reveals layers of conspiracy, betrayal, and buried secrets that threaten everyone involved. As danger escalates, both Carrington and Levi must confront their own fears and broken trust to uncover the truth\u2014and save innocent lives. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Fans of DiAnn Mills\u2019 signature blend of gripping suspense and tender romance will find a story filled with relentless tension, emotional depth, and characters struggling to reconcile justice and faith. Will love take root amidst the chaos, or will the case tear them apart forever? <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Perfect for readers of romantic suspense, inspirational fiction, and anyone who loves stories where every second counts.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>DiAnn Mills<\/strong><\/a> is a bestselling author who believes her readers should expect an adventure. Her titles have appeared on the CBA and ECPA bestseller lists; won two Christy Awards; the Inspirational Readers\u2019 Choice, Golden Scroll, and Carol award contests. DiAnn speaks and teaches writing all over the country.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Long Gone & Lost: True Fictions and Other Lies<\/a><\/em><\/u>
Bobby Horecka<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Literary Fiction 
Madville Publishing
March 2020
218 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A first work of fiction from a longtime journalist, and as such blends a lot of lines between what truly happened and what\u2019s just conjured, It was one of many books released that year that got slapped hard, having its debut at the same time that every door made a resounding thud heard round the world thanks to the ensuing pandemic. Still, somehow it managed a nod from the Texas Institute of Letters as a 2021 finalist for its Sergio Troncoso Best First Work of Fiction Award.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Wild Wind: Poems and Stories Inspired by the Songs of Robert Earl Keen<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Anthology<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Poetry \/ Story Collection<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Madville Publishing<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

November 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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This anthology of poems and short stories is an homage to Texas singer\/song-writer Robert Earl Keen, who stands in the songwriter\/storyteller tradition of Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, John Prine, and Keen\u2019s contemporaries Lyle Lovett and James McMurtry. The poems and short stories here are each inspired by Keen\u2019s songs, some expansions of themes of Keen\u2019s songs, others move in creative directions suggested by the characters in his work. Keen\u2019s songs are impressive for their literary sensibility (he was an English major at Texas A&M University) and have influenced many songwriters as well as authors of fiction and poetry.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Bobby Horecka<\/a><\/strong>\u202f is an award-winning \u202fprint journalist, and a writer of short fictions, prose and poetry. A fourth generation Texan, he lives with his wife, Jennifer, on their \u202fLavaca County farm. Bobby serves \u202fas the editor of five \u202fTexas community weeklies, including the\u202f Hallettsville Tribune-Herald<\/em>, Luling Newsboy & Signal<\/em>, The Moulton Eagle<\/em>, The Shiner Gazette,<\/em>\u202fand\u202f Yoakum Herald-Times<\/em>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Mad Money & Murder<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/u><\/p>\n

Jenni Stand<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Mystery \/ Psychic Detective<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Laughing Owl League, LLC<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

February 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Liz Pond is a private investigator in historic San Antonio, Texas. Her specialty is proving that con artists are frauds…by using her secret psychic abilities. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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After the failed rescue of a kidnapped woman, Liz has lost all faith in herself as a PI. She’s also lost her psychic abilities and doesn’t know if she’ll get them back. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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While walking along the San Antonio River Walk during its annual draining, Liz finds a body in the muddy riverbed. The victim’s roommate hires Liz to find the killer. Liz agrees to take the case because she can’t stand the idea of seeing a murderer escape justice. A romance with a police detective is bubbling just below the surface, plus a reluctant friendship with an investigative reporter she’s afraid will discover her secret. Will this end up being her last case? Or will Liz regain her abilities – as well as her confidence?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Jenni Stand<\/strong><\/a> lives in Texas with her husband, daughter, and slightly spastic dog. A lifelong fan of mysteries, she\u2019s always dreamed of becoming a writer. Jenni is the author of Mad Money & Murder<\/em>, the first book in the Pond Investigations Mystery series.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/u><\/i>The Nine Lives of Tito d’Amelia<\/u><\/i><\/a>
Ettore Farrattini Pojani<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction \/ Italian Literature
Bayou City Press
October 11, 2024
326 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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This is the first (and only) English-language version of the award-winning Italian novel, The Nine Lives of Tito d\u2019Amelia<\/i>. Nine Lives<\/i> is a love story about a cat, a family, and an Italian town. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Mixing fiction with fact, Nine Lives<\/i> tells the story of the town of Amelia, Italy, throughout the 32 centuries of its history. In fact, Amelia is considered the first organized city of central Italy, being four centuries older than Rome. The author uses the multiple lives of a cat named Tito as the way to span the centuries.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

A changing cast of characters traces the Farrattini line through the centuries, with Tito joining up with a Farrattini in each generation. Using his feline wiles, Tito bends humans to his will, helping them through many challenges from drought to wars to lovelorn marriages to selfish politicization of joint crises. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Ettore Farrattini Pojani<\/strong><\/a> is the heir of the noble Italian Farrattini dynasty, whose family palazzo is in Amelia, Italy, north of Rome. A music expert and critic, Ettore has published extensively on music topics and currently is a collaborator on the website Broadwayworld.com. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A dedicated traveler, Ettore is fluent in French and English besides his native Italian.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>The Pinocchio Murder<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/u>
Jo Cassie McRae<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Cozy Mystery
May 2024
361 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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In this second novel of the Kate Atherton Mystery series, the cozy Texas Hill Country town of Wheaton Creek is rocked when Kate\u2019s best friend, Giselle Freeman, is brutally attacked in her home workshop, and then a stranger is murdered. Solving the murder will stretch Wheaton Creek\u2019s resources to the limit, so Kate feels compelled to bring her formidable puzzle-solving skills to bear on who attacked Giselle. When her amateur sleuthing uncovers the possibility that a priceless necklace originally stolen in Sicily during WWII might be a link between the attack and the murder, things get complicated. Wheaton Creek\u2019s fledgling, still under-staffed police force has its hands full as they attempt to solve the complex and engaging puzzle, making newly appointed police chief Diego Vela unusually open to input from Kate. Much as he hates to admit it, Vela knows Kate\u2019s skills, developed as an agent for a shadow intelligence agency of the U.S. government, make her a valuable asset.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Jo Cassie McRae<\/a><\/strong> is a native Texan who lived on the edge of the Texas Hill Country for over 30 years. In addition to writing, McRae loves to read, garden, and cook, and, like the author\u2019s main character, McRae\u2019s bookshelves overflow with history books, biographies, historical fiction, and mystery novels.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Reap the Wind<\/a><\/em><\/u>
Joel Burcat<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Action-Adventure \/ Thriller
Sunbury Press, Inc.
February 2024
244 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Reap the Wind<\/em> is The Perfect Storm<\/em> meets The Firm<\/em>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Reap the Wind<\/em> is a high-octane action\/adventure novel that follows three lawyers as they embark on a treacherous journey from Houston to Cincinnati during a catastrophic hurricane. Josh Goldberg is on a mission to be with his girlfriend for the birth of their child. Along the way, they face terrifying obstacles like tornadoes, hailstorms, and driving rain. But the real danger may come from within as they struggle to survive each other\u2019s company. His two travel companions\u2014his best friend, a drug-addicted lawyer, and his conniving boss who has her own agenda.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/strong>Joel Burcat<\/strong><\/a> is an award-winning author of three thrillers: Drink to Every Beast<\/em> (illegal dumping of toxic waste), Amid Rage<\/em> (coal mine permit battle), Strange Fire<\/em> (fracking dispute). In Reap the Wind<\/em>, three lawyers take a high-octane suicide trip from Houston to Cincinnati through a climate change induced hurricane.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Shahrazad\u2019s Gift<\/a><\/em><\/u>
Gretchen McCullough<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Short Stories
Cune Press
February 2024
198 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Shahrazad\u2019s Gift<\/i> is a collection of linked short stories set in contemporary Cairo\u2014magical, absurd and humorous. These stories are told in the tradition of A Thousand and One Nights<\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Gretchen McCullough<\/a><\/strong> is on the faculty at the American University in Cairo. Confessions of a Knight Errant: Drifters<\/i>, Thieves and Ali Baba\u2019s Treasure<\/i>, a novel was published by Cune Press, Fall 2022. Shahrazad\u2019s Gift<\/i>, a collection of short stories was published February 2024 by the same press.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Stealing Saints: A Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery<\/a><\/em><\/u>
M.R. Dimond<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Mystery
Rock Rose Press
December 2024<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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There\u2019s nothing like an old-fashioned Christmas.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Young Texas attorney JD Thompson just wasn\u2019t expecting one like in the Bible.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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No hospital will admit his sister in premature labor. His friend Nick is homeless and jobless from recent injuries and old trauma. Neither has anyone to turn to but JD. Why can\u2019t they have legal problems, like the rest of his quirky friends?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Still, he assembles an ad-hoc medical team of a veterinarian, a retired nurse, and a damaged EMT with a service dog. Can they save his sister and her baby? Can JD solve the mystery that threatens to destroy Nick and defend Nick\u2019s service dog against the shelter full of cats JD lives with?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Join JD in his sixth zany adventure as he learns that sometimes it\u2019s best to go home by another way. Buy Stealing Saints<\/em> today to better appreciate your own holiday season.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>After stints in orchestras, law firms, cat rescue, bookkeeping, and technical communication, M. R. Dimond<\/a><\/strong> returned to a childhood dream of writing fiction, which turned out to be about musicians, lawyers, veterinarians, accountants, and cats. Her Black Orchid Enterprises Mystery series, set in her near-native Texas, currently contains six novels.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The St. Louis Enlows<\/em><\/u><\/a>
LP Arnold<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Literary Fiction
Sweetheart 129
December 2023<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

276 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The Enlows were a wealthy family who insisted they were ordinary in all other ways. \u201cWe were an ordinary family that lived in extraordinary times.\u201d Their story sets in a post-war neighborhood of St. Louis called Tower Grove. That historic neighborhood is where the immigrant family from Wales experienced their triumphs, sorrows, and defeats\u2026all in their beloved America. Jane Enlow\u2019s memories are the driving force behind this family story. The youngest of the three Enlow kids was the best tree climber in the neighborhood and better than the boys at their own games. With his business peers, Jules Enlow would sometimes crudely brag that his headstrong youngest child was his \u2018little pisser.\u2019 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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That crude but loveable nickname pleased Jane throughout her life. The fact that Jules chose her to take over the company at age twenty-one caused his associates\u2019 bushy eyebrows to flutter and patronizing \u2018harumphs\u2019 to be loudly growled.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sweetheart<\/em><\/u><\/a>
LP Arnold<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Literary Fiction
May 2021<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

296 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The beautiful Missouri Ozarks is the setting of my historical novel, Sweetheart. This is how I remember people, places, customs, and families from my youth. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sweetheart is a story of redemption. A young child\u2019s violent arrival in the Chaney family came at a time when that lonely and troubled couple was desperate for the renewal baby Rose could provide. The Chaney\u2019s were overjoyed by the gift of a child and could never bring themselves to call their little girl by her ordinary name. Thereafter, Rose was always known as \u2018Sweetheart,\u2019 with that often shortened to just \u2018Sweet.\u2019 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Sweetheart\u2019s teenage years were traumatic. Family relationships were lost, and years of secrets and misunderstandings diminished her adult life. Then from the past, Mr. Singer reappeared and held the secret key to renewed happiness. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The story relates, the long ago and the present day for Sweet, Mr. Singer, and her unlikely Ozark romance.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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The author, L P. Arnold<\/strong><\/a>, was a federal agent in the US Justice Department for many years then a business owner and rancher in Texas. A veteran of the US Army, he and his wife, Vicki, have lived in Arlington Texas since the 70s. They have three grown sons. <\/span><\/span>
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<\/a>Stones of Iona Series<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Margaret Izard<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Paranormal Romance<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Wild Rose Press<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Love\u2019s power binds all, lasting forever. Emotions control the magic Fae stones. In the wrong hands, they could destroy realms. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Margaret Izard<\/a><\/strong> is the enchantress of historical fantasy and paranormal romance. With a background steeped in dance, theater, and performance, Margaret’s journey from stage to page has been a captivating one. With each book she writes, Margaret invites readers on a journey through time and passion, leaving them spellbound until the last page.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/em><\/u>Sweet Jane<\/em><\/u><\/a>
Joanne Kukanza Easley<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Women\u2019s Fiction
Red Boots Press
September 2022
269 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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A drunken mother makes childhood ugly. Jane runs away at sixteen, determined to leave her fraught upbringing in the rearview. Vowing never to return, she hitchhikes to California, right on time for the Summer of Love. Seventeen years later, she looks good on paper: married, grad school, sober, but her carefully constructed life is crumbling. When Mama dies, Jane returns for the funeral, leaving her husband in the dark about her history. Seeing her childhood home and significant people from her youth catapults Jane back to the events that made her the woman she is. She faces down her past and the ghosts that shaped her family. A stunning discovery helps Jane see her problems through a new lens.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Joanne Kukanza Easley<\/a><\/strong> writes fiction about 20th Century women. Sweet Jane<\/i> was named the adult fiction winner at the Texas Author Project. Just One Look<\/i>, her second novel, was a May 2022 Pulpwood Queen Book Club Pick. I\u2019ll Be Seeing You<\/i> features characters from Sweet Jane<\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/em><\/u>This Time Around<\/em><\/u><\/a>
Kimberly Packard<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Rom-Com
This Time Around
June 2024
321 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Josie Gardner\u2019s life revolves around her amazing children and her career. But, when her husband threatens to take her kids in their divorce, and the business she\u2019s put most of her passion, time and money into building is at risk of failing, a panic attack shatters her grip on reality\u2026 and the present.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Josie wakes up in her teenage bedroom, thirty years in the past. She\u2019s forced to relive her emotionally devastating senior year of high school \u2014 the year she cut her father out of her life, caused one of her best friends to sever ties, and turned away the boy she loved.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Determined to get back to her children in her own time, Josie tries to fix the mistakes she made, in the hope that righting wrongs will send her back to the present. But when tempted by her high school crush Josie faces the real possibility of losing her future for good.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Kimberly Packard<\/a><\/strong> is an award-winning author of women\u2019s fiction. When she isn\u2019t writing, she can be found planning her next trip, asking her dog what\u2019s in his mouth or curled up with a book. She resides in Texas with her husband Colby, a clever cat named Oliver and a precocious black lab named Tully.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a><\/em>The Ways of Water: A Novel<\/em><\/a><\/u>
Teresa H. Janssen<\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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Historical Fiction
She Writes Press
November 2023
440 pages<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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As Josie Belle Gore, daughter of a train engineer and Texas seamstress, journeys with her itinerant family through the deserts and growing towns of the turn-of-the-century West and revolutionary Mexico, she learns that in her life, two things are constant: the preciousness of water and her role as the savior of her family.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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When unforeseeable circumstances force her family to scatter, Josie begins an odyssey that takes her from New Mexico to Texas, Chihuahua, Arizona, and finally post-WWI California, suffering betrayal and survivor\u2019s guilt\u2014her life shaken by boom-and-bust, world war, raging pandemic, and the changes they bring.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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With the help of compassionate friends and relatives, and no small amount of grit, Josie fashions an independent life; and like a river meeting the sea, with nowhere else to run, she must make peace with the past and good on her promise to the family she loves.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>A descendant of Texas pioneers, Teresa H. Janssen\u2019s<\/a><\/strong> debut historical novel, The Ways of Water<\/i>, is inspired by family lore. It won the National Cowboy Museum\u2019s Wrangler Award for Outstanding Western Novel of 2023, the Will Rogers Medallion, and other honors. Her prose has appeared in various anthologies and journals.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/a>Whiskers Abroad: Ashi and Audrey’s Adventures in Japan<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Carrie Lanell Carter<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Illustrated by Stacy Vickers<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Animal Fiction \/ Asian Travel Guide \/ Women’s Adventure<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Bayou City Press<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

September 19, 2022<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n