Oh My! But don’t worry — we have much weirder stuff.
Welcome to Book Plug Friday — the Saga continues!
And in case you ever doubted that PJM readers (and writers) are a diverse lot, our offerings for you today range from Zombie stories to Prayers, Commandments, and Psalms for Good Children to Share With Their Parents, to the secrets of healing energy, to a smelly planet.
But wait, that’s not all — there’s also robots and destruction and war, and a whodunnit and something for every taste.
Once upon a time we used to go go to bookstores and pick books from the shelf in the belief that they’d been vetted and carefully chosen, and they were the best of what was out there. Then we became writers and learned that the process of picking books was often more like that of a drunk stumbling in the night and falling on his face on a puddle or other. Random, and, frankly a little smelly.
But at least the books on the shelves had been spell checked and typeset… most of the time. The few cases in which we found that half of a book had been printed at the end of the other, or that the copy editor seemed to have a whimsical approach to “correcting” archaic speech (such as turning thou to thought) never dented our confidence, because we knew we were in the hands of professionals.
Many people are afraid of reading indie because they’ve heard that the books are totally un-checked and that most of them are cr*p.
While I’ll admit there are books out there that were never so much as spell checked (I’ve published some myself, having had an attack of stupidity and put up the wrong version) and that most indie books up there will not be to your taste.
But then most books on the shelves probably were not to your taste, either. And as for spelling errors, you could find them and aplenty in the old “professional” books.
Fortunately, Kindle has a solution for that — download the preview, hunt cunningly, and maybe you find many great reads and many favorite authors, now that the choice is in your hands!
… but before we get to the good stuff, a bit of administrivia: Submit your plugs to [email protected]. Every mail to that address will receive by return electron our submission guidelines. We’ve made one change: the deadline for any Friday is midnight Tuesday of the preceding week so we have time to process them.
This should include everything up to 1 August. But we’re still learning how to do this efficiently; if you don’t see something here, give it a week and resubmit it.
These are the submission guidelines:
- Include the TITLE, the AUTHOR’S NAME, and YOUR BLURB of no more than about 50 words. Yes, we can dig them off the page, but the easier you make it for us, the better we like it. Having to do a lot of hacking about makes us cranky. You wouldn’t like us when we’re cranky.
- Include a link to Amazon. Right now we’re having trouble with iTunes and B&N links but that should be temporary.
- Deadline for Friday is Tuesday midnight Mountain Time the preceding week. That is, if you want it in this Friday, we needed it by last Tuesday midnight Mountain Time.
- No more than 2 books per author per week, and don’t resubmit a plug for at least a month.
- Please submit a blurb of 50 words or less with each book.
- If you’re named after another author’s character, we need a signed note from the author or his/her heirs.
- It’s free, don’t complain about the service.
- The whim of the editors is law, even with respect to the preceding six rules.
I Would Like My Bailout in Bacon
By Wesley Morrison
A collection of satire, politics, geekery, and dogs
Night Machines
By Kia Heavey
It’s not really cheating if it’s only a fantasy. Right? But Maggie loses control as lust becomes love, and things she believed confined to her imagination are somehow known to her spectral lover. A harmless mind game spins out of control and threatens the sanctity of Maggie’s greatest treasure—her family.
And All the Stars
By Andrea K Höst
Warning: Contains swearing, sexual situations, and Australians.
Three (Legends of the Duskwalker)
By Jay Posey
This powerful debut novel drops you into a desolate landscape of twisted metal and concrete as you follow the mercenary Three as he tries to save a mother and young son. Part cyberpunk, part zombie-thriller, and all action, the lyrical prose and terse dialogue keeps you engrossed to the end.
Urdaisunia
By Kyra Halland
Rashali, an Urdai peasant and rebel against the conquering Sazars, and Eruz, heir to the Sazar throne, walk intertwining paths of love, danger, intrigue, and war as they fight to save their beloved land of Urdaisunia from treachery, invasion, and the scheming of the gods.
Chosen of Azara
By Kyra Halland
In a search that spans centuries, Sevry, the last king of the war-ravaged land of Savaru, hunts for the woman who is heir to the power that can restore life to his long-dead land.
The Alecto Initiative
By Jordan Leah Hunter & Owen R. O’Neill.
Growing up in Hell prepared her for everything but freedom. The Alecto Initiative is the story of an extraordinary young woman forced to come of age while looking Death in the eye. It is the powerful and thought-provoking beginning to a new science-fiction series unlike any you have ever read.
The Long Patrol – CSS H.L. Hunley, Charleston, and The Civil War 1863-2004
By Michael J. Kozlowski
On February 17th, 1864, the Confederate submarine H.L. Hunley became the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in combat. An hour later, she and her crew vanished for one hundred and thirty-one years. Why?
By the Hands of Men, Book One: The Old World
By Roy M. Griffis
With the Great War raging around them, wounded Lt. Robert Fitzgerald falls in love with Russian nurse Charlotte Braninov. Torn apart by illness and betrayal, they pursue separate quests that take them across a world on the verge of change. From the trenches of France to the streets of London, they learn that hands of men can create a hell on earth – or, through the redemptive power of love, a heaven in which to truly live.
Memoirs of the Walking Dead: A Story from the Zombie’s Point of View
By Jason McKinney
Boy and cat lead dull lives. Boy goes to club, gets sick and dies. His cat dies too. That sucks. Boy and cat wake up dead. Zombie boy meets zombie girl. Zombie cat likes zombie girl. Zombies break up and boy joins the Army. Now unlife is even more interesting. Meet Paul Rierson. He’s a zombie; though don’t let that fool you—Paul’s got a pretty big heart considering he doesn’t have a working one. And though he’s new to the whole un-dead experience, there’s no doubt he’s a pretty thoughtful guy. Sure he craves the taste of living flesh, and there’s that whole being hunted on a daily basis thing—zombie-life is no walk in the park—but when Paul meets Tracey Dobbs, a fellow newbie to the un-dead life, he’s smitten. He also comes to realize that in matters of life and death, perhaps being alive is not all it’s cracked up to be.
When That Great Ship Went Down: The Legal and Political Repercussions of the Loss of RMS Titanic
By GMW Wemyss and Markham Shaw Pyle
This celebrated history of the crony capitalism, political pressures, and dirty deals that affected the Titanic enquiries, wrote new law, and changed our world, has been praised by Telegraph contributors James Delingpole – as a ‘cool reassessment’ – and Anne-Elisabeth Moutet: a ‘vivid reconstruction; …far more than another clever Titanic book.’
Benevolent Designs: The Countess and the General: George Washington, Selina Countess of Huntingdon, their correspondence, & the evangelizing of America
By Markham Shaw Pyle
Lady Selina Shirley was the daughter of Washington Shirley, second earl Ferrers; she married Theophilus Hastings, ninth earl of Huntingdon. As Selina, countess of Huntingdon, she became the patroness of the evangelicals in – and out – of the Church of England, including the early Methodists in England, Wales, and America alike.
And she had a distant cousin in America: George Washington, to whom she decided to write about her plans for a mission to the Native Americans and the settling of her congregants on the frontier.
In the midst of revolution, war, peace treaties, reprisals, and the birth of a new nation, the Countess and the General shared first a correspondent, in Phillis Wheatley, America’s first Black author and poet; then, a correspondence; and eventually, a friendship and something of a vision. The Countess entrusted to her distant cousin the General her hopes of maintaining charities in the former colonies, settling the back-country with pious families, and evangelizing the Native Americans. The General came to endow what became Washington College – now Washington & Lee University – where one of America’s first Black clergymen was educated, and to move towards abolitionism. Their lives and correspondence, and their actions, touched at various points those of John Wesley and George Whitefield; Phillis Wheatley; Olaudah Equiano the Black British writer whose voice powerfully indicted slavery; the Reverend Samson Occom, the Mohegan evangelist; and Granville Sharp, the pro-American British civil servant who midwifed abolitionism and helped create Sierra Leone. In the end, they helped to create the forces that evangelized the American frontier, put down slavery, gave the United States its standing sense of a special moral mission in the world, and made the Nonconformist Conscience a permanent factor in British politics.
Wings
By Sarah A. Hoyt
It is a collection of short stories, written by Prometheus Award Winning Author Sarah A. Hoyt… Ahem… when I first started to break into the professional leagues. I contains stories published in Analog, Asimov’s and Amazing, some of which will never be published anywhere else because I still find them traumatic to re-read. The stories range from ancient Bithynia to the far future, and (considering I sell individual short stories for $2.99) you get a whole bunch of them at a really good price.
Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes: The Low-Carb Mediterranean DietBy Steve Parker M.D.
Dr. Parker has created the world’s first low-carbohydrate Mediterranean diet, designed for people with diabetes and prediabetes. His plan blends the healthy components of the traditional Mediterranean diet with the ease and effectiveness of low-carb eating. “Conquer Diabetes and Prediabetes” teaches how to lower blood sugars naturally, reduce diabetic medications, and lose weight if needed.
Dream StudentBy J.J. DiBenedetto
What would you do if you could see other people’s dreams?
Sara Barnes is about to find out. When she starts seeing dreams that aren’t hers, she learns more than she ever wanted to know about her friends, her classmates…and a strange, terrifying man whose dreams could get Sara killed.
Dream DoctorBy By J.J. DiBenedetto
“I didn’t expect to be woken up by someone I don’t know dreaming about killing somebody. I thought I was done with that…”
But Sara’s not done. As if adjusting to life as a newlywed and starting medical school weren’t difficult enough, she’s started seeing dreams again – and the dreams might destroy Sara’s hopes of becoming a doctor, wreck her marriage and even end her life…
Dreams of Barry’s StepfatherBy AUTHOR
When they met as students at Yale in the late sixties, Ann and George could not have been more different. She was a student radical and a single mother. He was a hell raising fraternity brother and the scion of a political family. Incredibly they fell in love, married, and together became greater than they could have been separately. The change was most felt by Ann’s son, whose Kenyan father had abandoned him, sending him to an unimagined destiny.From the corridors of power in Washington, to battlefields in Vietnam and Iran, and ultimately to the surface of the moon, this is a story of how the changed destinies of human beings can also change the world.
The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining CaperBy AUTHOR
Colin Fraser was the first man to walk on Mars as commander of the Ares. But little did he know that his greatest adventure would take place after he returned to Earth from the Red Planet. With further voyages of interplanetary exploration curtailed due to budget cuts, Fraser joined a private company that proposed to capture an asteroid and mine it for its almost limitless wealth. The only catch was that he would have to commit the first act of space piracy in history by stealing his old ship and using it to divert the asteroid named Daedalus.
Stealing the ship, diverting the asteroid, and avoiding federal prison or destruction will be the least of Fraser’s worries, however.
Aluvir and the Circle of TwelveBy Sean R. Rhoades
The formidable mercenary guild known as The Circle of Twelve had perfected a simple, lucrative business model: Orc Exterminators Incorporated. Their latest job clearing caverns of dungeon vermin was supposed to be routine. But soon they were caught up in a web of ancient intrigue involving dark elves, daimonic possession, and nothing less than the dragon apocalypse. Would anyone be left alive to pay their wages?
Prayers, Commandments, and Psalms for Good Children to Share With Their ParentsBy Mommy
Intended for good children to share and discuss with their parents, this introductory prayer book includes sections on how and why to pray; the names and basic teachings of Jesus; prayers of mercy, thanks, and praise; prayers of protection from evil and for guardian angels; the ten commandments; and psalms of poetic praise of God.
PHANTASMICBy Evie Long
Arden’s mysterious new roommate is unbelievably handsome and sexy. And he’s just so into her. The only problem is…he might be…well…a ghost. There’s also the fact that he might have been an insanely jealous murderer back when he was alive. But still…He’s such an amazing lover. And it’s not like he can leave her for someone with smaller thighs. Arden must solve the mystery of her unusual and dangerous new roomie – and then decide whether or not to give up the ghost.
Catskinner’s Book (The Book Of Lost Doors)By Misha Burnette
Catskinner’s Book is the story of a young drifter named James, and Catskinner, the monster who lives in his head. When James is attacked by a stranger who seems to know his secret, he learns that he is not the only monster in a suddenly strange and dangerous world.
Injured Reserves (Kindle Single)By DC Bourone
“A transcendent war story, part novella, part epic poem. The language is raw and glorious. The story will break your heart and lift your soul…” –Jan S. Strnad
“Injured Reserves recounted in stunning detail a very bloody war battle. How could this subject matter read like poetry?… I was mesmerized.”–S.M. Johnson
Murder Never RetiresBy Sylvia Stern
Rushmore Oshansky, ex-private dick, moves from New York to Palm Springs to enjoy a peaceful retirement. Little does he realize how in demand a single, slightly overweight guy who still has his own hair and teeth would be. At the Sun Villas retirement community he finds plenty of horny senior women, overly nosy men and possibly…murder. When someone starts leaving pink love notes he begins to wonder if he, like the previous owner of his 2 bedroom, l 1/2 bath, centrally located condo, will soon end up dead.
Mine Tomorrow: Polon Percival and the Political Ploy By William James Briggs
Polon Percival is a struggling, self-appointed private investigator living on the mining planet Klayton. After he accepts a routine case he unwittingly becomes involved in a planet-wide political ploy.
Although he would rather recline with a nice pipe, a tall drink, and his sultry but efficient robotic servant Portia than save Klayton from tyranny, he is given no choice.
A pair of maniacal but well-mannered mine owners force him to defend his reputation, and with it, the future of Klayton.
Filled with action, mini-golf, vexed interns, meek accountants, true love, and street-smart robotic professors Mine Tomorrow: Polon Percival and The Political Ploy, is a comedic novel that promises to please fans of classic sci fi.
The Search For Bryant HunterBy Stan Smith
A ghost ship. Unexplained disappearances. UFOs.
A massive pleasure yacht, the Sirene, is discovered by the Coast Guard sailing aimlessly…with absolutely no one aboard. The yacht’s owner, mysterious industrialist Morgan Hunter, assembles a small group of experts to search for his son Bryant, one of the yacht’s missing passengers. But is Bryant the only reason for the search? And what about those strange lights at night?
What the group finds, and what the search reveals, may answer forever the riddle of the Bermuda Triangle and UFOs.
Join Kristin Ewell, Ike Neumann, Duke Duquesne and Stephen Minter as they embark on a journey into the hidden secrets of the ocean’s deeps in “The Search for Bryant Hunter.”
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