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Escape from the Czar: A Novella

by Paula Velho

"Escape from the Czar" is an intense novella that unfolds against the backdrop of late 19th-century Russia and the tumultuous times that shaped the destiny of Povilas Glamzo. Born to a serf family in Lithuania, Povilas dreams of escaping the drudgery of serfdom. His journey takes him to St. Petersburg, where he embraces the life of a factory worker, only to find disillusionment in the limited opportunities it offers. The narrative follows Povilas through various career choices, marr... more

Flat

by Neal Rabin

Embark on a swashbuckling adventure, teeming with betrayal, romance, murder, sea battles, and a healthy dose of satirical Renaissance humor. Between the final breath of the Spanish Inquisition, and Magellan's epic voyage, join unintended explorer, Lanning Delaford, plus an eclectic cast of characters including Ignatius Loyola, Ferdinand Magellan, (mostly) evil pirates, a mediocre Portuguese butcher, an alluring, bad-ass courtesan, and a peregrine falcon named Doug, as they traverse southern Euro... more

The Helping Heart

by Annie M. Ballard

Helen, nearly forty, returns to Stella Mare after twenty years with secrets. The village reminds her of things she’d rather forget, including her grief from her mother’s death, but she hopes to strengthen connections with her family. Turns out, being with her sisters is impossible. They don’t understand her, and she can’t understand them, though she’s tried. When the bickering becomes too contentious to be ignored, Helen tries to fix it. A hiking trip is Helen’s answer, even when the hike con... more

Fanning Fireflies

by LS Delorme

There is something rotten in Harrisville. It’s 1944 and Veronica works tirelessly just so she can afford to eat. Maybe one day she will save enough to own the home her family is living in, but for now, she doesn’t have time for fanciful thoughts, or much else. She doesn’t have time for the fire whispering to her, the ghosts trying to talk to her and the son of her boss, who can’t stop staring at her. She definitely doesn’t have time to think about Lazlo, the handsome black soldier that she ... more

Elly Robin goes to War

by PD Quaver

Having at last cleared her name after nearly two years as a notorious fugitive, 17-year-old piano prodigy Elly Robin learns that her true love, Edwin Friend, has finally realized his dream of flying for the American Escadrille, and she travels to war-torn France to reunite with him. But Edwin's plane has been shot down over Germany, compelling him to undertake a desperate journey through an alien land. While Elly's search for Edwin entangles her in a series of exploits--driving ambulances, fi... more

The Light at the Edges

by Deepti Kolte

Deepti Kolte's ‘The Light at the Edges’ is a collection of poems that radiates warmth and simplicity yet carries a profound message. With a clear intention to inspire readers, these poems encourage the reader to find hope in their outer as well as inner worlds. The poems are like the looking glass to reveal the magic in the mundane and the uneventful.

ESCAPE To Patonga

by Travis James

This is a modern Australian tale about living the dream, the vicious cruelty of gossip, and the inescapable pull of temptation. The suspicions of a close-knit sea-side village are aroused when a reclusive and dubious male rents an isolated shack. Riley’s life is falling apart. He’s on the brink of losing his business and marriage. Everyone wants a piece of him. Overwhelmed, he escapes to a childhood haven. But when he isolates himself in a run-down shack on the far side of the creek, the c... more

Florida Girls : A Novel (The Queenpin Chronicles Book 1)

by L.L. Kirchner

A liberty bond tour full of eager young women. A sunny town with a sleazy underbelly. When the Florida Girls start shooting back, will anyone survive? Set near the end of WW2, Florida Girls tells the story of how Thelma Miles turned up in Florida broke, orphaned, and hoping to escape her criminal past. A chance encounter with Kathleen Young results in Thelma joining a troupe of touring swimsuit models, where she meets the head of Tampa’s underworld. He offers her everything she never knew she... more

The Canticle of Ibiza

by Justin Kurian

Ibiza, Spain, 1988. Hedonistic villa parties, hidden Buddhist temples, lost marijuana farms, and outlandish artist communes. John encounters these and more on his quest to find his estranged friend Gunther. Along the way, he meets vibrant spiritual skiers, jaded hippies, and possible love-an international DJ named Diana Clarke. He also begins to discover mystical elements to Ibiza, and to life, he never expected to encounter. Will John find Gunther and start life anew, or will his oppressiv... more

Ernie's Bleachers

by Tim Pareti

Eddy Pareti lives under the shadow of his older brother and sister, straight A students who are the apple of their parent’s eye. He’s the black sheep of the family who dodges duties at his family’s tavern, Ernie’s Bleachers (now Murphy’s Bleachers), ditches school and fails seventh grade. The Cubs in 1945 are heading to the World Series, and Eddy sneaks into games and brushes up against baseball legends, including stars of the Negro League. But he runs into trouble with a bookie who wants him... more

Becoming Buddha

by Corey Croft

Most self-help books will describe remedies and issue lessons to escape the perverted spiral of depression and anxiety. They will aim at improving the quality of one's life and inform choices and states of mind that nurture a healthy and productive psyche. Not this book. Things can always get worse, and baby, they probably will. My life was, is and will probably always be painfully average. I am the glistening standard of what it means to be normal. My grades, my looks, my jobs, my partner... more

Scumbag Rehab

by Corey Croft

You hear all kinds of stories in a bar. All kinds of characters with all kinds of experiences. Booze is a mighty fuel. It brings out the best in some and the worst in every one else. If you post up on a barstool long enough, you might hear someone’s entire life story, whether you asked for it or not. If that barstool happens to be plugged into the wood at the Knowlton Tavern, then the story you would be hearing might belong to James ‘Feb’ February. Only at a dive bar full of the most desperat... more

Mette Hansdatter

by Phyllis Florin

This book is a fictionalization of my great-grandmother, Mette Hansdatter set in Sogn, Norway, with some real and some imagined characters. The Norwegian landscape is strong and almost serves as a character: harsh and beautiful, exerting a life-long gravitational pull against the allure of immigration. When those who stay behind come to the shore to wave off those who will depart, the homesickness is palpable: "Another one gone." The heart of the book is about this unsol... more

A Mercy of Widows

by Marcy Lane

Her heartbreak is real but lack of a wedding ring has left her defenseless. Will grappling with MAID legislation destroy her or bring her peace? Heddie Wright worries she’s failing her beloved. Struggling to resurface from grief after caring for her boyfriend as cancer tore him apart, the forty-something almost-widow is discovering how hard it is to fulfill her promise to move on. And her tentative steps toward healing become entwined with a tense mercy-killing trial when she’s assigned to th... more

Her Own War

by Debra BORCHERT

As Napoleon rises from the ashes of the French Revolution, one woman dares to spy against him. Imprisoned for the crime of impersonating a man, Geneviève LaGarde fears giving birth in an asylum could be certain death for her and her unborn child. Desperate for her release, her husband, Louis, trades his freedom for hers and must join Bonaparte’s army in Egypt. As Geneviève wages her own war against the tyrannical general, she not only risks her own life but also those of her children and t... more

A Mirror for The Blind: Reflections of a Digital Seoul

by Mu Jeong

Kim Youngbaek, a fifth-year assistant manager at Company P, barely manages to stop the closing elevator and squeezes into the last available space. As he leaves the company building, he takes off the employee ID card hanging around his neck and joins his colleagues, who are all bowing their heads to their phones on their way home. He also barely finds a spot on the bus. Enjoying the view of the Han River from the bus, with just enough space to use his phone, Youngbaek logs onto 'SCR33N', an anon... more

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