BULFINCH by Hannah Sternberg

ELEVATOR PITCH:: A time-traveling knight solves the mystery of one girl’s parents’ disappearance.

GENRE: Time-travel fantasy

SUMMARY:

When a knight and a monk spring from the pages of Rosie’s book, the only people more astonished than the reclusive PhD student are her time-traveling visitors. Cooped up in a house-turned-museum since the long-ago disappearance of her parents, Rosie is now forced out into the world as her guests wreak havoc on her Baltimore neighborhood. As Rosie tries to figure out how to return the errant duo to their home in history, she begins to uncover why her parents vanished without a trace seven years earlier. But her eccentric Uncle Alvin threatens to stand in her way, before she can discover the truth about Bulfinch and her own childhood.

LOCATIONS AND TIME PERIOD:

 Present-day Baltimore

• Scenic Johns Hopkins University campus
• Quirky Hampden neighborhood, made famous by John Waters
• Historic Mount Vernon arts district

Medieval Europe (in flashback)

MAIN CHARACTERS:

• Rosie, 19, reclusive history student; Type: Abigail Breslin
• Bulfinch, 19, nerdy medieval monk; Type: Nicholas Hoult
• Joachim, 19, hunky medieval knight:; Type: Liam Hemsworth
• Uncle Alvin, 60s, cranky eccentric hermit: Type: Owen Teale

ADDITIONAL INFO:  Named Notable Teen Book for 2014 by Shelf Unbound; glowing reviews in VOYA and The Hill Rag

CONTACT:: hesternberg@gmail.com ; www.hannahsternberg.com

JUST ONE LOOK by Joan Reeves

ELEVATOR PITCH: A Comedy of Errors courtship–with a side order of smoking hot payback.

GENRE: Contemporary Romance (Romantic Comedy)

STORY SUMMARY: What would you do if the gynecologist subbing for your regular doctor turned out to be your old high school crush? Successful psychologist Dr. Jennifer Monroe does what any normal, well-adjusted woman would do. She makes an excuse to send the doctor and nurse from the room, dives into her clothes, and flees! Unfortunately, her running away makes conscientious Dr. Matt Penrose conclude she has some kind of sexual hang-up. He plans to suggest counseling for what he thinks are emotional problems, but Jennifer plans to never see him again so she won’t take his calls. Dallas is a big city. What are the odds she’ll ever run into him? Even money when Fate lends a hand. When they meet again at a charity gala, what transpires makes Jennifer vow to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget. Seduction and sex is hilarious when both sides play dirty!

TIME PERIOD: Current day

LOCATIONS: Dallas and a weekend cabin on a fishing lake near Dallas

CHARACTERS

• JENNIFER MONROE: Late 20s, attractive girl-next-door type, large breasts she tries to camouflage; psychologist specializing in adolescent psychology, married to her work. story told from her point of view. Types: Kaley Cuoco, Kristen Bell, Rachael Taylor, Emily VanCamp.
• MATT PENROSE: Late 20s, early 30s, was Jennifer’s first love, tall, athletic, attractive. Wears eyeglasses to look “older” and avuncular to his patients, gynecologist. Some scenes told from his viewpoint Types: Chris Pine, Paul Wesley, Stephen Amell, Ian Somerhalder.
• ALVA HERNANDEZ: Late 20s, beautiful, Jennifer’s best friend, computer coder. Types: Jaime Alexander, Krysten Ritter, Majandra Delfino.
• BILL DIXON: Late 20s, early 30s, Alva’s boyfriend, successful businessman. Types: Diego Klattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, John Francis Daley.
• ED MONROE: Jennifer’s stepfather, retired, loves football, fishing, and his family. Types: Treat Williams, Tom Berenger, Bill Pullman.
• VERONICA MONROE: Jennifer’s mother, homemaker, devoted to her family. Types: Patricia Clarkson, Mary McDonnell.
• OTHER ROLES: Whitney Anders aka Nurse “Giggles;” Cathy Zelig, Jennifer’s middle-aged receptionist; Deirdre, a guest at the gala; Lucas Wyman, an over-the-hill lech; Dr. Noreen Eder, feminist studies.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

• JUST ONE LOOK originally published in mass market paperback by Kensington, hardcover by Five Star.
• As part of the author’s backlist, the book was self-published in ebook in 2011.
• In the first 6 months, the book was continuously on the Top 100 Amazon Bestsellers with more than 100K+ sold.
• French World Rights for print and ebook licensed by Bragelonne in December 2011.
• Audiobook edition published July 2012.
• Video book trailer: http://youtu.be/S-swT1A9rBw
• Amazon Kindle Link: http://amzn.com/B004TSCOK8/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joan Reeves, bestselling ebook author of contemporary romance, began her career with New York traditional publishers. Her print novels have been published in half a dozen languages and in various print formats. When ebook reading devices made ebook reading and digital publishing easy, she embraced a new career path as an independent author/publisher. Most of her popular romantic comedies have appeared on various genre bestseller lists. Several of her books are available in French editions through Bragelonne.

CONTACT: Joan Reeves, author. JoanReeves at outlook dot com. (Author uses a NY-based literary agent for sub-rights deals.)

Website: http://www.JoanReeves.com * Blog: http://SlingWords.blogspot.com

DECEMBER ROUND-UP: Historical drama to romantic comedy

Click on links below for more detailed description and contact info.

• DRAGON LADY (by Gary Alexander, represented by the Lynn Pleshette Agency) – tragi-comedy — Vietnam War’s CATCH-22, mixing humor and sorrow
• ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN (by Lois Winston, USA TODAY bestselling author): cozy mystery – Magazine crafts editor deals with Mafia, murder, and the Communist mother-in-law from Hell.
• THE BRO-MAGNET (by Lauren Baratz-Logsted): romantic comedy – Always the groomsman, never the groom — macho sports fan transforms himself to Sensitive Guy to win the heart of his beloved.
• THE SPEED OF DARK (by Barbara Quinn): paranormal – in the 1960s, a teenage boy falls for a girl with special powers
• HARD HEAD (by Barbara Quinn) paranormal suspense -Woman defies her father’s warning and travels to Italy with her daughter where they end up unleashing dangerous ancient forces
• GOD WHISPERER (by Kimberly Troutte, NYT, USA TODAY bestselling author): suspense/inspirational – a hearing impaired child hears the voice of God after ear surgery
• RACE TO TIBET (by Sophie Schiller): Historical adventure/thriller – a diverse group of European adventurers try to be the first Westerners in Tibet in 1889.
• SLOANE HALL (by Libby Sternberg, Edgar nominated author): Historical drama set in 1920s Hollywood –  Jane Eyre meets Sunset Boulevard
• WINNING THE BEAUTY’S HEART (by Libby Malin): light humorous romance – Snow White, updated, in the Texas hill country
• WOMAN WITH A PARASOL (by Libby Malin) – family secrets story – Mother and grown daughter bond during trip to France as long-buried family secret is revealed.

DRAGON LADY by Gary Alexander

ELEVATOR PITCH: Right before the Vietnam War explodes into a nightmare, a young, vulnerable GI falls for an Asian beauty in a world where NOTHING is as it seems.

GENRE: Literary.

STORY SUMMARY:
Protagonist Joseph Josiah Joe IV tells his tale in the present tense following his 2010 death and in the past tense in 1965 Saigon, where he’s hopelessly in love with a living counterpart of the exotic and cunning Dragon Lady in the Terry and the Pirates cartoon. Joe and Edward (Ziggy) Zbitgysz are assigned to the 803rd Liaison Detachment in downtown Saigon, an outfit with no apparent function except for what goes on inside its mysterious Annex across the street.

The story opens with Joe and Ziggy stealing an air conditioner and installing it for Captain Dean Papersmith, whose Polaroid of Joe’s Dragon Lady is tucked into the frame of the wife-and-kiddies portrait on his desk. The grateful Papersmith gives them greater responsibilities, meaning black marketeering for the benefit of their superiors.

By and by, a rumor spreads in Saigon that South Vietnam will become the 51st state. The assumption is that statehood will end communist aggression.

Joe contrives to meet his Dragon Lady and a relationship develops.
Joe and Ziggy gain access to the Annex, which houses the world’s most advanced computer, a vacuum-tube monstrosity. Few know its intended function, but it’ll soon be revealed that it’s to predict the U.S. troop level assuring victory: 136,812.

Captain Papersmith is drinking more. Joe and Ziggy go to his favorite downtown bar to retrieve him. Joe sits with Papersmith as Ziggy goes to a newsstand and brings back the 8/6/65 issue of Time. It has a Mariner-4 pic showing Mars to be a moonscape.

Ziggy’s disconsolate, but his day gets far worse. A Vietcong tosses a satchel charge into the bar. Ziggy slings it back out just before it explodes. He’s killed. Joe and Papersmith are wounded.

They’re sent to Clark AFB Hospital in the Philippines. Based on Papersmith’s version of the event, he’s promoted to major and given the Silver Star. Joe has a chat with him one night and “persuades” him to do the right thing by Ziggy and revise his story. Papersmith does and Ziggy’s mom receives in his behalf the DSC, the nation’s second highest award for valor.

Joe returns to Saigon. Every trace of the 803rd is gone, swept under the rug with the 51st state rumor. Joe locates the Dragon Lady. They spend a last passionate night together. In the morning she’s gone, never to be seen again in his lifetime.

In the final chapter, the masters of Joe’s netherworld arrange a surprise party for him. Ziggy will be there. The Dragon Lady too.

TIME PERIOD: Dragon Lady alternates between 1965 and the near future after the protagonist’s death.

LOCATION: Saigon.

CHARACTERS:

• Joseph Josiah Joe IV: Joe and his only friend, Ziggy , are Army privates, alienated goldbricks unwanted by any unit.
• Edward (Ziggy) Zbitgysz: Ziggy is a pear-shaped giant, a polymath obsessed with science fiction and the Mariner-4 satellite’s impending arrival above Mars, which will verify that there is life on the Red Planet and that Martians walk among us.
• Captain Dean Papersmith: Their alcoholic-sissy-coward boss in the 803rd menagerie.
• The Dragon Lady:. A beautiful and mysterious Vietnamese woman. She’s likely a North Vietnamese agent, but this bothers the smitten Joe little.
• PFC A. Bierce: The 803rd company clerk who takes note of everything.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Gary Alexander has written a number of novels and short stories. See the sordid details on http://www.garyralexander.com. Dragon Lady has often been mentioned as Vietnam’s Catch-22.

CONTACT: Michael Cendejas of The Lynn Pleshette Agency represents the author’s film rights: macendejas@lynnpleschetteagency.com.

ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN by Lois Winston

Book 1 of THE ANASTASIA POLLACK CRAFTING MYSTERY SERIES

ELEVATOR PITCH: Magazine crafts editor deals with Mafia, murder, and the Communist mother-in-law from Hell.

GENRE: humorous amateur sleuth mystery

STORY SUMMARY:

When Anastasia Pollack’s husband permanently cashes in his chips at a roulette table in Las Vegas, her comfortable middle-class life craps out. She’s left with two teenage sons, staggering debt, and the Communist mother-in-law from Hell—not to mention a Mafia loan shark demanding fifty thousand dollars.

Anastasia’s job as crafts editor for a magazine proves no respite when she discovers a dead body glued to her office chair. The victim, fashion editor Marlys Vandenburg, collected enemies and ex-lovers like Jimmy Choos on her ruthless climb to editor-in-chief. But when evidence surfaces of an illicit affair between Marlys and Anastasia’s husband, Anastasia becomes the prime suspect and must use both her wits and her craft skills to find the killer before he finds her.

TIME PERIOD: contemporary

LOCATIONS: suburban New Jersey and New York City

CHARACTERS

• Anastasia Pollack: forty-two-year-old pear-shaped, cellulite-riddled, slightly overweight, more than slightly in debt, widow and mother to two teenage boys; works as the crafts editor at a second-rate women’s magazine; lives with an odd assortment of relatives and animals.
• Lucille Pollack: Anastasia’s curmudgeonly Communist mother-in-law; she and her bulldog Manifesto move in with Anastasia to recuperate from a hit-and-run accident but become permanent, unwelcome houseguests after the death of her son, Karl Marx Pollack; leader of the Daughters of the October Revolution, a group of thirteen octogenarian Communists.
• Flora Sudberry Periwinkle Ramirez Scoffield Goldberg O’Keefe: Anastasia’s multi-married mother whose husbands keep meeting untimely deaths; former social secretary of the Daughters of the American Revolution; claims to descend from Russian nobility; between husbands she and her corpulent kitty, Catherine the Great, move in with Anastasia and are forced to share a bedroom with Lucille and Manifesto.
• Zachary Barnes: mid-forties photojournalist and possible spy who rents the apartment over Anastasia’s garage; looks like Pierce Brosnan, George Clooney, Patrick Dempsey, and Antonio Bandares all contributed to his gene pool; future Anastasia love interest.
• Ricardo: Anastasia’s husband’s Mafia loan shark who demands Anastasia pay off Karl’s debts—or else.
• Detectives Batswin and Robbins: investigating Marlys Vandenburg murder and eyeing Anastasia as the prime suspect
• OTHER ROLES: Alexander and Nicholas Pollack, Anastasia’s teenage sons; Ralph, Anastasia’s Shakespeare-quoting parrot; Officers Harley and Fogarty, local cops; Cloris McWerther, food editor and Anastasia’s closest friend who plays Watson to her Sherlock; Marlys Vandenburg, fashion editor and murder victim; Erica Milano, Marlys’ assistant; Naomi Dreyfus, editorial director of magazine; Hugo Alsop-Reynolds, magazine publisher; Anastasia’s other coworkers: Jeanie Sims, Kim O’Hara, Serena Brower, Sheila Conway, Janice Kerr, Nicole Emmerling, and Daphne Jarvis; Vittorio Versailles and Emile Pachette, fashion designers; Gina Milano, Erica’s cousin and Emile’s assistant.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

USA TODAY bestselling author and award-winner Lois Winston writes mystery, romance, romantic suspense, chick lit, women’s fiction, children’s chapter books, and non-fiction under her own name and her Emma Carlyle pen name. In addition, Lois is an award-winning craft and needlework designer who often draws much of her source material for both her characters and plots from her experiences in the crafts industry.

SERIES OVERVIEW: Anastasia Pollack’s comfortable middle-class life comes crashing down around her when her husband, Karl Marx Pollack, dies suddenly, and she discovers his well-hidden gambling addiction. Karl leaves her with two teenage sons, no savings, enormous debt, and Lucille, the communist mother-in-law from Hell. In each book, as Anastasia moonlights in an attempt to dig herself out of debt, she encounters dead bodies, forcing her to become a reluctant amateur sleuth.

Each book also features craft projects that relate in some way to the plot.

ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN received starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Kirkus Reviews called it, “North Jersey’s more mature answer to Stephanie Plum.” It was a Book of the Year nominee from ForeWord Reviews, a Readers Choice Award nominee from the Salt Lake City Library System, and a finalist for a Daphne du Maurier Award. DEATH BY KILLER MOP DOLL, the second book in the series, was a Mystery Guild selection. Sub-rights to the first three books were sold to Thorndike for large print editions.

There are now four full-length books in the series (ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY GLUE GUN, DEATH BY KILLER MOP DOLL, REVENGE OF THE CRAFTY CORPSE, and DECOUPAGE CAN BE DEADLY, as well as three mini-mysteries: CREWEL INTENTIONS, MOSAIC MAYHEM, and PATCHWORK PERIL.

CONTACT:

lois@loiswinston.com
http://www.loiswinston.com
http://www.anastasiapollack.blogspot.com

represented by Ashley Grayson Literary Agency: ashley@graysonagency.com, carolyn@graysonagency.com

THE BRO-MAGNET by Lauren Baratz-Logsted

ELEVATOR PITCH: Always a groomsman, never a groom.

GENRE: Romantic Comedy.

STORY SUMMARY: Poor Johnny Smith. At age 33, the house painter has been Best Man a whopping eight times when all he’s ever really wanted is to be a groom. But despite the fact that men are drawn to him like fans to the Super Bowl, Johnny has yet to find The One. Or even anyone. So when he meets high-powered District Attorney Helen Troy, and falls for her hard, he follows the advice of family and friends. Since Helen seems to hate sports, Johnny pretends he does too. No more Jets. No more Mets. At least not in public. He redecorates his condo. He gets a cat. He takes up watching soap operas. Anything he thinks will earn him Helen, Johnny is willing to do. There’s just one hitch: If he does finally win her heart, who will he be?

LOCATION/TIME PERIOD:  Connecticut, contemporary.

CHARACTERS

• JOHNNY SMITH: Early 30s, good looking but doesn’t have confidence in that fact. Sports-loving house painter, looks like he was born wearing a baseball cap backwards. Ryan Reynolds, Jason Segel, Bradley Cooper.
• HELEN TROY: Early 30s, buttoned-up yet sexy and with a strong sense of humor. Emily Blunt, Kelly Thiebaud.
• SAM: Mid to late 20s, Johnny’s lesbian best friend, also his next-door neighbor and employee. She loves all the things Johnny does, brings the sexy to horn-rimmed glasses, and is sharper than a tack. Blake Lively.
• BIG JOHN: Johnny’s widower father, has MS, the kind of big-hearted guy everyone loves. Lenny Clarke.
• OTHER ROLES: Alice, Johnny’s childhood crush; Billy, Alice’s husband and Johnny’s male best friend; Leo, sweet old guy who runs the local coffee shop; Aunt Alfresca, the incredibly acerbic woman who helped raise Johnny after his mother died in childbirth; Johnny’s other male friends; Helen’s family, which includes five brothers.

ADDITIONAL INFO:  THE BRO-MAGNET will be re-released by Diversion Books in February 2015. USA TODAY’s HEA said, “There are so many memorable moments in this book that I could spend page after page quoting them”; with Romantic Times adding: “…an absolutely charming, feel-good read. Lauren Baratz-Logsted writes genuine characters, killer comedic timing and romantic blunders that are truly something special.”

Lauren Baratz-Logsted is the author of over 20 books for adults (The Thin Pink Line), teens (The Twin’s Daughter) and children (The Sisters 8 series, which has sold a quarter of a million copies). She has been published by Bloomsbury, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Random House, Red Dress Ink, and Simon & Schuster. Her books have been published in 14 countries.

CONTACT: Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author – glogsted (at) aol (dot) com.

http://laurenbaratzlogsted.com

HARD HEAD by Barbara Quinn

GENRE: Suspense with romantic and paranormal elements

ELEVATOR PITCH: A mother and her teenage daughter travel to Italy and unleash dangerous ancient forces.

STORY SUMMARY: Rosanna Sweeney defies her father’s deathbed order that she never go to Italy. She and her teenage daughter journey across Italy to the Calabrian town of her father’s birth. In their quest, they find romance, learn about one another, and uncover a past that links them to secret societies far worse than the Mafia. Can they survive their dark legacy?

TIME PERIOD: Present

LOCATION: Westchester and Long Island, New York, Calabria, Siena, Rome, Italy

CHARACTERS:

• Rosanna Sweeney: Forty-four year old feisty, petite, widow of Italian descent with a failing business but a will to succeed. Auburn tinged honey-brown hair, hazel/green eyes, strong jaw, 5’4”, fair-skinned Caucasian, trim, 44, suburban Mom. Unknown to her, she is a descendant of Lucrezia Borgia and a part of a cult of seers. By traveling to the land of her ancestors she resurrects a vendetta against her family. Type: Marisa Tomei, Juliette Lewis, Reese Witherspoon
• Becky Sweeney: Seventeen year old pretty green-eyed daughter of Rosanna. Irish/Italian heritage, auburn hair with a dyed green streak, has a gold stud in her ear, wears black, likes to spit, throws tomahawks as a hobby, taller than her mom. She is a descendant of the Saggesse, a cult of women with special powers, who are descended from Lucrezia Borgia, and along with her mother is the subject of an ancient vendetta. Type: Abigail Breslin, Bailee Madison
• Tino Domenico: Rosanna’s father who is in a nursing home. Late seventies. As a young man he was forced to leave Calabria and his one true love. If he or his descendants ever return to Italy they will be killed. On his deathbed he warns his daughter not to travel to Italy but does not tell her why. Type: Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood.
• Eric McKenna: Forty-four year old former high school sweetheart of Rosanna who has made it big in Silicon Valley. Trim, tall, blonde, blue eyes flecked with silver. He returns to his childhood home at the same time that Rosanna goes back to her childhood home after the death of her father. Type: Matthew McConaughey, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt.

ADDITIONAL INFO: Published by Eternal Press 2012
CONTACT: The author at BAQuinn7(at) gmail (dot) com

Barbara Quinn is an award-winning short story writer and author of a variety of novels. Her works have appeared in print, online, and in audio form. She is a Founder and former Publisher of the Rose & Thorn Journal, an online literary zine. She splits her time between Montebello, NY, Anna Maria Island, Florida, and Bradley Beach, NJ.

Barbara Quinn’s Hardhead is eye-popping, filled with memorable characters who take you on a fascinating journey. Think Get Shorty, Pulp Fiction and Fargo, with a zany female slant and much, much more. … A remarkable book!”
–Noel Hynd

Barbara Quinn has done an excellent job of weaving her characters through a suspenseful plot and into a believable ending. Beyond the suspense, this novel of self-discovery is bound to resonate with anyone who has ever felt out of place.”
–The Daily Republic

A great read. Ms. Quinn catapults you from one horrifying moment to the next, keeping you wondering how they will survive these secret, and powerful societies.”
–Shawn Phillips

THE SPEED OF DARK by Barbara Quinn

GENRE: Paranormal romance, coming-of-age

ELEVATOR PITCH: In the summer of 1964, a teenage boy falls for a mysterious girl who possesses special powers.

STORY SUMMARY: There are some people you never forget. In the summer of 1964, fourteen year old Luke D’Angelo falls for one of them – a mysterious girl named Celeste. Like Luke, Celeste is an outsider struggling to find her identity, but unlike Luke, Celeste has special powers that have the potential to destroy everything Luke and his friends believe in.

Luke and his mentally challenged sister become fast friends with this curious girl. Set in upstate New York, in a town that is home to a shrimp cocktail plant that belches a foul-smelling tomato and fish fog, this coming-of-age tale about a girl with a dream and the teens who want to help her fulfill it, is a balance between the comic and the profound. The story resonates with the message that inside each of us is a light that burns so bright no dark can extinguish it. But at what cost?

TIME PERIOD: 1964

LOCATION: Small town in upstate New York

• CHARACTERS:
  Luke D’Angelo: Fourteen, wiry brown hair, blue eyes, Caucasian, 5’4”, scrawny. Has a crush on Celeste Carey but she cares for Alec. Type: Preston Bailey, Owen Best
• Celeste Carey: Blonde, golden eyed, Caucasian, 5’2’, 14, wants to hold back the dark and has the power to alter the weather. Type: Mackenzie Foy
• Alec: Blonde, athletic, tall, Caucasian, 14. Best friend of Luke who has a crush on Celeste. Type: Dylan Minnette, Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak
• Joanie D’Angelo: Sister of Luke. Brown hair, brown eyes, pudgy, Caucasian, 5’1’, suffering from Fragile X syndrome, 12. Type: Ramona Marquez
• Josh Weingard: 5’ 5’’, brown hair, wrestler’s build, 14, staccato way of speaking. Friends with Luke and Alec. Type: Skyler James Sandak, Zach Mills

ADDITIONAL INFO: Published by Eternal Press 2011

CONTACT: The author at BAQuinn7(at) gmail (dot) com

Barbara Quinn is an award-winning short story writer and author of a variety of novels. Her works have appeared in print, online, and in audio form. She is a Founder and former Publisher of the Rose & Thorn Journal, an online literary zine. She splits her time between Montebello, NY, Anna Maria Island, Florida, and Bradley Beach, NJ.

Barbara Quinn’s novel The Speed of Dark is a fascinating and imaginative story, blending the real with the fantastic, giving us characters we can know and root for. Her writing is wise and magical, filled with wit, passion and honesty.” -Noel Hynd, author of Ghosts and Cemetery of Angels

I’m always on the lookout for a good new author and Barbara Quinn fits that description to a “T.” I loved The Speed of Dark, from the wonderfully realized setting to the characters and their complicated, but timeless, relationships with each other. Quinn has also done a terrific job in bringing to life what it was like growing up in the early part of the sixties. I was a teenager at that time and a lot of what she writes about is eerily familiar-either from my own life, or the people I knew at the time.” -Charles de Lint, author of Someplace to be Flying, Forests of the Heart, Seven Wild Sisters, The Onion Girl

By turns lyrical and grittily realistic, The Speed of Dark brings its own vision to the Stephen King territory of small town life in the sixties. In a novel rich with period detail, Barbara Quinn effectively captures the sense of the numinous that pervades everyday life.-Eileen Kernaghan, author of The Snow Queen, Songs from the Drowned Lands, and The Sarsen Witch.”

GOD WHISPERER by Kimberley Troutte

ELEVATOR PITCH: A frightened mother and her eight-year-old son hide for their lives in an offbeat town when an ear surgery allows the boy to hear God.

GENRE: Faith-based suspense, romance

STORY SUMMARY: A frightened mother on the run…
LONNIE HOGAN has lived and breathed fear for the eight years that she and her son have been on the run. She cut ties with the past and is hiding out in a small offbeat Danish community in California. Will the killers find them? She’s ready to run again, or fight for her son’s precious life, but she won’t let anyone take David.

A desperate man searching for his family…

Few people on St. John, Virgin Islands, know that their favorite doctor, MARK NORTON, is a desperate man searching for the life that was stolen from him. After hours, he surfs the internet for leads and retraces paths gone stone-cold to find his missing family. He’ll do anything to find them and get his son back.

Will sacrifice everything to protect the boy who hears God… 

DAVID HOGAN is a regular kid, if you don’t count the one-ear thing. He didn’t mind being deaf in one ear, but it hurts his mom, way down deep, as if she caused it. Why won’t she see that bad things can happen for good reasons? Like the surgery that allows him to hear God. Talking to God is one of the greatest things that’s ever happened to him, even if Mom doesn’t believe it. But the killers could find them now. Can one little kid save them all?

TIME PERIOD: Present

LOCATIONS: Solberg, a quirky Danish town in the hills of Southern California, (fictionalized version of Solvang, Ca an eclectic place known for such things as Danes, Daniel Boone, good wine, cowboys, cycling, and the film Sideways.), St John, Virgin Islands, present. Colorado, 10- 15 years earlier.

CHARACTERS

• LONNIE HOGAN: frightened, overprotective, loving, mother, running for her life from her dangerous past, hiding the secret that a killer is after her, wants a normal, safe life for her son. She’d still in love with the husband she had to leave behind in order to protect him and her child. Wants desperately to plant roots and live quietly, but is always ready to run again should the killer find her. 30’s or older. Types: Reese Whitherspoon, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts
• DAVID HOGAN: All boy. Born missing an ear, was teased, but is used to his “little nub.” Worries about his mom and is the man of the house. Has a surgery and can hear God but is upset that his mom doesn’t believe him.
• MARK NORTON: Beloved doctor in St. John, old patients want to set him up with their daughters, hides a secret—he is married and has a son, spends every night searching for them and following old leads that have gone cold.  30’s or older. Types: Ryan Gosling, Matthew McConaughhey, Daniel Craig
• CARRIE BETH WALKER: Funny, southern, quirky, Lonnie’s best and only friend.
• BOBBY McCALISTER: David’s best friend and side-kick.
• SIMEON ROGNOLON: handsome, dangerous, crazy, vengeful, drug addict.

ADDITIONAL INFO:

Kimberley Troutte is a NY Times, USA Today and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author as well as being in the Top 10 on Amazon for Romantic Suspense.

God Whisperer is a RWA Hot Prospects award-winner. The story was inspired by the author’s experiences with her son who was born with an incomplete, deaf ear. God Whisperer comes from being in a place when a parent realizes she is not good enough, strong enough, or smart enough to face the challenges ahead for her child. The emotions in the book—fear of losing a child, worry for his future, and gratitude when a surgery changes everything—are the author’s. What happens next is a universal love story about second chances, sacrifices, and family.

“…crafted a remarkable story, which has twists, turns, surprises and outstanding depth. Characters are written with love and humanity, making this a truly exceptional reading experience…” London Cat Reviews and Design

“A truly inspiring book – 5 stars. Kimberley Troutte is an amazing writer…” Amazon reviewer

“…thrilling, so funny and just something that could make you see your life differently after reading it…” Amazon reviewer

CONTACT: The author at kimberleytroutte (at) verizon (dot) net.

 http://kimberleytroutte.com/

RACE TO TIBET by Sophie Schiller

ELEVATOR PITCH: An intrepid band of explorers race against the odds to be the first Europeans to reach Lhasa. 

GENRE:  Historical thriller

STORY SUMMARY:  In 1889, Tibet is the last great unexplored country in the world. Gabriel Bonvalot, France’s most famous explorer, is determined to reach Lhasa but lacks a sponsor. When the Duke of Chartres promises to finance the entire expedition, he gives Bonvalot one simple caveat: take along his wayward son, Prince Henri d’Orléans, whose reckless behavior threatens to derail the entire expedition. Bonvalot meets up with Camille Dancourt, the beautiful, strong-willed wife of a missing explorer who disappeared inside Tibet, who desperately wants to join the expedition. Along the way the explorers are besieged by freezing temperatures, violent winds, altitude sickness, hostile Tibetans, duplicitous Chinese Mandarins, and a beguiling Tibetan Buddhist princess with a deadly secret. When they reach Tibet they discover a land of mystery and intrigue, a land of danger that promises them only one thing: death. On the verge of collapse, Bonvalot realizes they must resort to force if they ever wish to escape Tibet alive.

TIME PERIOD: 1889-1890

LOCATION: Paris, Sinkiang Province, Tibet

CHARACTERS:

• Gabriel Bonvalot: 35 year old handsome, rugged Frenchman. One of the most celebrated and talked about explorers in Europe. Willing to take big risks and shoot his way to Lhasa if necessary.  Benedict Cumberbatch or Jamie Dornan type.
• Prince Henri d’Orléans: 22 year old blond, jaded, French aristocrat who loves big game hunting and the glory of exploring without the loss of luxury. Chord Overstreet type.
• Father Constant Dedeken: 37 year old Chinese-speaking Belgian Missionary who rides and shoots like an expert. Not afraid to take risks. Matt Bomer, James Franco type.
• Camille Dancourt: 24 year old Frenchwoman who goes to Tibet in search of her missing husband. Falls in love with Bonvalot. AnnaSophie Robb type.
• Princess Pema: 18 year old Tibetan princess, daughter of the Panchen Lama. She is being persecuted by the Mandarins and is being spirited to Lhasa by Bonvalot and Prince Henri, with whom she has fallen in love. Gorgeous young Chinese actress like Liu Yi Fei would be suitable. Not much knowledge of English required.

ADDITIONAL INFO: To be published December 2014. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22728999-race-to-tibet

CONTACT: The author at bodner dot rachel at gmail dot com