A Life Through Books

Suspense

Date Published: 06-01-2022

A blink of an eye. That’s all it took for her life to change forever. After two years, Marcie Faraday still doesn’t believe the crash that took her family was an accident. She is determined to find the answers, even if the truth puts her in danger.

Detectives Booker Dixson and Lashelle Valentine must deliver the news to Jonas Faraday’s widow which is the worst part of their job. Neither believes it should have been ruled an accident.

Booker and Lashelle uncover a connection between Marcie’s late husband and her father’s medical clinical trial. Coincidence or ploy? Booker Dixson does not believe in coincidence.

Deadly Deception is a thrilling journey to uncover the secrets that threaten to shatter the perfect picture of Marcie and her family.

About the Author

Mary lives in Magna, a little town west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Together with her husband, she has six grown children, six wonderful grandsons, and five beautiful granddaughters. She loves to spend time with family and friends--she includes good books as friends!

Mary and her husband love to travel, especially to the Caribbean for relaxing, and Italy for the wine. And most recently she discovered she was Irish and Scottish, of course, they had to visit Ireland and Scotland. Mary fell in love with both, but the green hills of Ireland felt like home.  With the experience from the exotic places she has visited, she is able to fill her books with colorful descriptions of cities, painting a colorful backdrop for her characters. One of her favorite US destinations is New York/Brooklyn, where her beloved Beckett's live. When she visits, she can wander their neighborhoods, favorite parks, and visit their favorite pub, Putnum's.

They are avid concert ‘Ho’s’! Yes, they pretty much want to do them all. They love outdoor amphitheaters the best and attend as many during the warmer months as possible.

Mary writes mostly romantic suspense, romance, women's fiction, and she has just begun to dabble in young adult mystery.  During her writing career she has been a conference coordinator, workshop presenter, and chapter president for the Utah Chapter of RWA. In 2007 she was presented with the Utah RWA service award in acknowledgment and appreciation for outstanding service. Mary has participated in numerous library panels on writing and co-presented a workshop on writing a series at the League of Utah Writers conference. She was awarded the 2021 N. N. Light Book Award winner for best book in two categories; Four Sisters for Women's fiction and Celtic Myst by M. L. Foxx for Fantasy.

Mary also writes as ML Foxx. This is her first jaunt into Fantasy and Sci-Fi, she loves it. It gives her freedom of choice.  In her ML persona she also loves to go to the movies and you got it… Watch the Avengers, Dead Pool, among others. Something her hubby doesn't really enjoy but humors her fantasy side. You’ll see more books soon…

Mary and her husband are also enthusiastic college football fans. They have season tickets to the UTES, University of Utah Football and they tailgate every game. They love tailgating so much, that they were married at a tailgating in 1999.

GO UTES!

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Reaching Out, Pulling Up, Holding On, to Stand Strong Together

Nonfiction / Leadership

Date Published: March 24, 2022

Publisher: ‎Mindstir Media

What is a 'Shipmate'?

FORCM (SW) Thomas J. Snee, USN, (Ret)

This question has often been expressed and shared with me. The 'white hat', as we were so often called, 'halfcocked' on the back of our heads, defined us as persons, who were alwayssearching and looking out to sea for a new life. The right foot on the lines, not to jump or surrender, but a 'leg up' on life's challenges in thought and ideas by persons we call, SHIPMATES

You see, most of us 'signed on as young men', for the seas and a new adventure. We left our hometowns to create, make, and hopefully aim our 'shot line', into new friendships and ports of call. No, we did not forget our hometown friends, but rather, rediscovered a whole new world. Some may think, that when our 'brows' were pulled up, we departed, but to move on, from those anchored pasts. These valued bonds were left for other gangplanks in another life. We moved on to make new and bigger bow waves for smoother wakes, in life's high seas. We did not sign on to organizations or associations to be forgotten, with titles or positions, but as persons of dignity, value, and self-worth, or simply, as SHIPMATES.

So, when you meet that casual friend, remember, they too are persons on a sea detail away from home. They were searching for a bonding as SHIPMATES for a new life. Sometimes lonely, but always, just a bonding in friendship, from the many sea tales of the past, as a SHIPMATE. We are not just another name on the rolls, but real persons, who have feelings, emotions, and needs to reconnect those shot line crossings to each other's bows. We are, after all, and always will be, SHIPMATES, in LEADERSHIP!

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Axel Blaze Thriller Book 2

Thriller, Crime Thriller

Date Published:  May 31, 2022

“The cartel sends hitmen to take out Blaze and everyone he cares about.”

What the cartel doesn’t realize is it has messed with a LETHAL FORCE.

YOU MESS WITH HIM; YOU END UP DEAD.

Following the successful debut of Blaze Returns, Bill Runner is back with the second novel in the Axel Blaze thriller series known for its fast-paced brutal action. After Blaze puts an end to the Mexican cartel’s meth operations in Nevada in Blaze Returns, the cartel sends hitmen to take out Blaze and everyone he cares about. What the cartel doesn’t realize is it has messed with a Lethal Force. He will strike back. Hard.

Other Books in the Axel Blaze Thriller Series

Blaze Returns

Axel Blaze Thriller Book 1

A page-turning debut thriller in the lone ranger tradition of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp and Mark Greaney’s The Gray Man novels. The fast-paced brutal action of Axel Blaze, the new tough guy in town, is catching the imagination of readers of thriller novels.

“I wasn’t expecting trouble when I pulled off the highway.” Ex-deputy US Marshal Axel Blaze is doing what he knows best – dealing with trouble. Ten years in the special forces and five years in the US Marshals have made Blaze a trained investigator and expert in combat. Blaze does not fight his opponents; he puts them down. He strikes first. And hard. Takes them out. Fast.

Deputy Marshal Carter has gone missing in Little Butte, Nevada. The Dawsons own the town. The Mexican cartel is moving in on their meth business. A gang war is coming to town. Director Flynn asks Blaze to return for one last assignment. It is up to Blaze to find Carter before all hell breaks loose.

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About the Author

Bill Runner worked as an investigative reporter before turning to writing. He has created the Axel Blaze series of books. The next books in the series will be released in 2022. Bill has been a lifelong student of martial arts and has trained in Karate and Krav Maga. Working the crime beat and studying the art of fighting helped make him the author of nail-biting thrillers. Bill’s writing won him an award for debut authors at the London Book Fair.

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A Bullying Story

Children's Picture Book/Story in Rhyme

Date Published: 04-25-2022

Publisher: 9 Grand Publications

Jack has always been a very happy little boy.

But when he starts kindergarten, he discovers he is different than the others. For the very first time, he is bullied—Happy Jack suddenly becomes Sad Jack.

What should Jack do? Should he tell an adult? His parents? Would his teacher or principal understand? What can they do to help?

As parents, we want certain things for our kids. Mainly, we want them to be happy. Can today’s kids celebrate their differences, or are they doomed to fight over them like generations before?

Jack’s school community learns an important lesson as attorney/author Mark M. Bello presents Jack’s compelling story in rhyme, beautifully and dramatically illustrated by Melinda Falgoust:

“People are different in color, shape, size.

Ears, noses, mouths, and different shaped eyes.

Different races, and genders—more, too.

Christian or Buddhist, or Muslim or Jew.

But there’s one thing in common we all have in this place.

We are all valued members of this human race.”

Happy Jack Sad Jack: A Bullying Story is a must read for all children and one your child will never forget.

About the Author

Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of realistic fiction and political-legal thrillers.

Retired from handling high profile legal cases, Mark now gives the public a front-row seat watching victims fight for justice in our civil and criminal justice systems. Mark's award-winning Zachary Blake Legal Thrillers mirror our times and the events that shape our country.

In addition to being an author and veteran attorney, Mark is a member of numerous trial lawyer associations and a feature writer for the Legal Examiner and other popular blog sites. He has written articles for numerous publications and made guest appearances on radio and talk shows and multiple podcasts.

In his spare time, Mark enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He and his wife Tobye, have four children and eight grandchildren. This is the first of a planned series of children's safety/social justice picture books.

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Adventures of Piddle Diddle, the Widdle Penguin

Children's Book

Date Published: April 6th 2022

Publisher: Jan-Carol Publishing, Inc.

What animal can hold a child's attention better than a mischievous, cunning penguin?! Piddle Diddle, the Widdle Penguin, is such a penguin. Despite her small size, she can be an example to children. Size is an obstacle only if you let it be. Penguins are some of the most entertaining animals on the planet! Come and join Piddle Diddle, the Widdle Penguin, and her family as they enjoy the amazing synchronous fireflies in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee!

About the Authors

Wayne A. Major and Ralphine Major both grew up in Corryton on their family’s dairy farm in rural East Tennessee. Always surrounded by lots of animals, they developed a love for them at an early age. Both went on to graduate from The University of Tennessee with degrees in Business Administration. Wayne majored in Marketing and is retired from the State of Tennessee. Ralphine majored in Office Administration with a teaching certification, and is retired from the Tennessee Valley Authority. Though she has never had a journalism class, she uses her God- given talent as a contributing writer of a weekly true human-interest column for The Knoxville Focus ( www.knoxfocus.com ).

Years later, one Sunday morning Wayne was sitting in the choir at Wallace Memorial Baptist Church in Knoxville, Tennessee, and something unexpected happened. He was listening to a sermon about David and Goliath that was directed toward the youth. Wayne heard a voice say, “You need to write children’s books.” He even turned to see where the voice came from. After hearing his story, Ralphine committed to the project as well. While the brother/sister duo had helped teach kindergarten classes at church and admired the children’s eagerness and willingness to learn, this was a new venture and a step of faith.

Getting published did not happen overnight, but it was worth the wait getting to work with Publisher Janie Jessee, Graphic Designer Tara Sizemore, and the staff of Jan-Carol Publishing, Inc. The authors believe the great chemistry they have with Illustrator Teresa Wilkerson is because she grew up on a dairy farm in East Tennessee also. Wayne created the character, Piddle Diddle, the Widdle Penguin, which is a registered trademark. Ralphine vividly remembers how excited Wayne was when he shared about hearing a voice that Sunday morning in the church choir. She is happy to be a part of this adventure with Wayne and remembers well that Sunday night when they first talked about this journey that started in the church choir! The authors are proud to partner with two generous donors who have helped to put hundreds of books in the hands of children. God does work in mysterious ways! Throughout this process, Wayne and Ralphine have felt God’s hand guiding them and realize how important it is to wait on God’s timing. They hold firm to Proverbs 3:6 (KJV): “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

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Medical Thriller

Date Published: January 10, 2022

Publisher: ‎ MindStir Media

"Every Third Night" is an eye-opening yet poignant story that is set in a busy, dehumanizing and unyielding New York City residency program in Obstetrics and Gynecology in 1984. It brings the reader into the real world of medicine at a time of limited supervision and brutal duty hours through the vantage points of young physicians enduring stressful conflicts and volatile relationships.

Protagonist and chief resident Jimmy Zito seemingly has it all- brilliant clinical skills, handsome, a talented teacher, and a gorgeous girlfriend to boot- but a troubled past and a rash of new conflicts leave him struggling to survive in this, his last month of training. He desperately tries to guide his fellow residents through their own personal traumas, but is not nearly as well equipped to handle the pressure as others might think, especially considering the toxic and exhaustive work schedule, unchecked aberrant behavior of attending physicians, and the highly competitive and emotional demands of Ob-Gyn.

Intern Henry Deluca grapples with the consequences of a horrific surgical complication that he feels responsible for. Co-chief resident Greta Greenberg struggles with her personal dilemma in a busy abortion clinic. Best friend Mike O'Rourke is driven to madness by an unreasonable superior's callousness concerning a dying patient with ovarian cancer. And Kim Clark, Jimmy's occult but obvious love interest, is at wits end after constantly being tortured by her sadistic Chairman. Jimmy's ultra-needy girlfriend and stubborn father do not make things any easier. The intertwined subplots all mesh together and come crashing down when an unexpected, dramatic and haunting mishap leaves the program reeling and Jimmy's life forever transformed.

About the Author

Dr. Mitchell Maiman became a physician at age twenty-four and is now retired. As a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology and sub-specialist in Gynecologic Oncology, he has had a distinguished academic, clinical and research career in medicine and served as both a Director of Gynecologic Oncology and Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at major New York City based university hospitals. He has been recognized for his numerous educational contributions in the field and his devotion and commitment to the teaching of residents and fellows.

Mitch lives with his wife, Dr. Judy Levy, in Long Island, New York and is an avid tennis player and practitioner of yoga. They first met during their residency training. This is his first novel.

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Asbury High Series, book 6

YA Cozy Mystery

Date Published: 05/29/2022

Publisher: Purple Milk Publishing

Carly, Maddie, Pilot and Cornelious have been waiting forever for their Seniors Only Cruise. After three years of solving crime in their small town, this trip is the relaxing break from Asbury they need. Dreaming of all the fun and drama-free adventures in store for them, the gang settles in for a calm summer cruise.

Soon after departing, things don’t go quite as planned. With strange, new additions to their itinerary, Asbury’s favorite sleuths detect something is amiss. When violence breaks out, Cornelious turns to the captain who quickly reassures everyone aboard. After all, what reason would the crew have to mess with a group of teenagers? Adding to their troubles is Cornelious’ cousin Dane, whose feelings for Maddie have only grown stronger.

Excited to be away from his father and finally dating Maddie, Cornelious tries to ignore his cousin as his insecurities fester. After a stirring revelation from Dane, Cornelious retreats from his friends and finds solace in the ship’s jolly Captain Dex. At the same time, Carly, Maddie and Pilot begin to suspect the crew, believing there’s more than meets the eye with this cruise. Frustrated by Cornelious’ withdrawal, the gang doubles down on their efforts to discover the crew’s motives. Pulled into a dangerous game of who to trust, the gang is determined to find the truth—and mend their friendship.

With relationships called into question and stunning secrets exposed, the gang faces their biggest obstacle yet—trust. Can Cornelious trust the captain more than his friends? With their peers placing blind trust in the crew, can the gang convince them otherwise, before it’s too late? Or are Pilot, Carly and Maddie just overreacting? With constantly changing itineraries, a scheming crew lurking behind every door, a happy-go-lucky captain refusing to dig deeper, and lifelong relationships put to the test, can the gang rekindle their relationship with each other and figure out what’s really going on?

About the Author

After graduating from Ocean City High School, Kelly accepted a basketball scholarship to Holy Family University, in Philadelphia. Upon graduating college, Kelly continued to live in Philly, teaching for four years, and meeting the love of her life during a snowstorm. In fact, it was her awesome husband who encouraged her to pursue her writing--Yay, Ryan!

Before writing page-turners however, she taught first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grade — like a dessert menu, she simply had to test them all out. But her favorite job is the one she’s now doing full time: writing.

As her first published work, the Asbury High series has been brewing since she was 18, and has something for every type of reader--go ahead take look for yourself! If you love mysteries, you've found your new favorite author. Kelly loves to craft whodunit mysteries, leading readers through various twists and turns filled with red-herrings, hidden clues, and more peculiar characters than a reality show. As an athlete, she hopes that the importance of teamwork and overcoming adversity, is also quite clear in her writing

Kelly lives in South Jersey with her handsome husband, energetic baby boys, two cookie-stealing dogs, and an awfully smart cat. If you want to know when Kelly’s next book will come out, please visit her website at http://www.kbchannick.com, where you can sign up to receive emails providing updates for new releases, or contact her directly, as well as win fun giveaways, and receive up to date news.

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Law, Sex Work, and Desire in Johannesburg

Nonfiction / Law

Date Published: December 21, 2021

Publisher: ‎Stanford University Press

Sex work occupies a legally gray space in Johannesburg, South Africa, and police attitudes towards it are inconsistent and largely unregulated. As I. India Thusi argues in Policing Bodies, this results in both room for negotiation that can benefit sex workers and also extreme precarity in which the security police officers provide can be offered and taken away at a moment's notice. Sex work straddles the line between formal and informal. Attitudes about beauty and subjective value are manifest in formal tasks, including police activities, which are often conducted in a seemingly ad hoc manner. However, high-level organizational directives intended to regulate police obligations and duties toward sex workers also influence police action and tilt the exercise of discretion to the formal. In this liminal space, this book considers how sex work is policed and how it should be policed. Challenging discourses about sexuality and gender that inform its regulation, Thusi exposes the limitations of dominant feminist arguments regarding the legal treatment of sex work. This in-depth, historically informed ethnography illustrates the tension between enforcing a country's laws and protecting citizens' human rights.

About the Author

I. India Thusi is Professor of Law at Indiana University Bloomington Maurer School of Law, with a joint appointment at the Kinsey Institute. She has worked with the ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and The Opportunity Agenda.

Start reading Policing Bodies: Law, Sex Work, and Desire in Johannesburg on your Kindle in under a minute.

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Urban Fantasy

Date Published: 08-31-2020

Inara Caan is an embittered vestal to The Order of the Avenging Hand. Her job, traveling worldwide with her demon partner, using magic to destroy monsters and mythological creatures wherever the Order finds them. Her next hunt takes her to Boston. She expects to find villainy beyond compare. Instead, she has been tasked with killing a happy family with a young daughter.

For reasons she doesn't understand, the Order betrays Inara and sends a winged assassin to kill her. She goes on the run, taking the family with her. She battles her way through the streets of Boston, finding help in the unlikeliest of places. As enemies close in from all sides, she stretches the limits of her power trying to save everyone. She may escape the Order but not the demon bound to her soul.

About the Author

Martin Cullen has been a musician, bouncer, infantryman, and worked in museums. He immigrated from Ireland at a young age (sorry no accent). Martin walked the storage rooms of the American History Museum, worked backstage for a magician, drank more than he should, and sang more than most folks would have liked. Now he brings some stories into the world for your enjoyment.

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Zachary Blake Legal Thriller, #8

Legal Thriller

Date Published 04-25-2022

Conservative talk-show host Mia Folger is in therapy with Dr. Harold Rothenberg. Mia and her husband, progressive Congressman Bradley Crawford, are not getting along these days, personally or politically.

When Crawford is found brutally dismembered and murdered, the evidence points to Mia as his killer. While the prosecutor pushes for a murder indictment, Dr. Rothenberg, convinced of his patient’s innocence, turns to an old friend—high profile attorney Zachary Blake, Detroit’s self-proclaimed ‘King of Justice.’

Blake will do anything for Rothenberg, the man who successfully treated his kids in their battle with a predator priest. Zack takes Mia’s case, but has his work cut out for him because Mia has been hospitalized, shocked into a catatonic state at the discovery of her husband’s mutilated body, unable to assist in her own defense.

Sensing he must prove Mia’s innocence to avoid an eventual life sentence, Zack enlists the aid of his crack investigator, Micah Love, and Micah’s cyber-specialist, Reed Spencer to dissect and poke holes in the case. But, for this case, Micah in convinced that Zack needs more—he recommends beautiful, sharp, brash, foul-mouthed, cocky-confident New York based jury consultant extraordinaire Shari Belitz and her team of mock trial/focus group gurus.

Shari is the best of the best. Her assignment in the Folger case? Flyspeck the evidence and unleash her arsenal of psychological techniques and predictive skills—use focus groups or mock juries to determine what evidence or circumstances would cause the real jury to declare Mia Folger innocent of all charges. Zack wants no part of Shari; one cocky lawyer-Zachary Blake-should be sufficient to prove Mia’s case. Blake knows what he needs for an acquittal; a brash jury consultant from NYC will only get in his way. But Micah persists and persuades Zack him to give Shari and her team a try.

Zack, Micah, Reed, and the irrepressible Ms. Belitz join forces in an all-out attack on the evidence, while evil characters lurk in the background, engaged in a sinister plot to assure Mia’s demise.

Expect the unexpected in this whodunit legal crime thriller, the 8th installment of the Zachary Blake Legal Thriller Series, featuring all your favorite series characters and one brash, exciting newcomer who gives Blake all he can handle.

About the Author

Mark M. Bello is an attorney and award-winning author of realistic fiction and political-legal thrillers.

Retired from handling high profile legal cases, Mark now gives the public a front-row seat watching victims fight for justice in our civil and criminal justice systems. Mark's award-winning Zachary Blake Legal Thrillers mirror our times and the events that shape our country.

In addition to being an author and veteran attorney, Mark is a member of numerous trial lawyer associations and a feature writer for the Legal Examiner and other popular blog sites. He has written articles for numerous publications and made guest appearances on radio and talk shows and multiple podcasts.

In his spare time, Mark enjoys traveling and spending time with his family. He and his wife Tobye, have four children and eight grandchildren.

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Nonfiction / Nursing Homes

Date Published: January 3, 2022

Publisher: MindStir Media

At some point in our lives, we are all likely to serve as bedside advocate for a hospitalized loved one. And, just as likely to be woefully unprepared when that happens.

The ordinary person has no idea how to navigate hospital chaos and engage with medical professionals on behalf of their family member or friend.

There is very often no support system, guidebook or coaching available to us. Yet the better prepared we are to work harmoniously with medical care teams, the more everyone involved will benefit.

This book aims to humanize the role of bedside advocate by sharing the author's lessons learned along with valuable information and insight provided by medical care professionals.

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