Rave Review for Susan Wells Bennett’s “Wild Life”

Susan Wells Bennett’s latest book, Wild Life, which focuses on the intersecting lives of a bitter retiree, an aging actress, a recent widow, and a gay bartender, is the first in her Brass Monkey series. Together, they find acceptance, love, and danger. You can read Annarita Guarnieri’s review.

The second book, Charmed Life, focuses on Sondra Lane, an aging actress who has spent her life on the verge of success, but never quite achieved it. Charmed Life will be released in November 2011.

Congratulations, Susan!

Memoirs From the Asylum

This is the video trailer for Kenneth Weene’s novel, “Memoirs From the Asylum.”

When life terrifies, where do you flee? To the asylum. This tragi-comedic novel of life in a state hospital challenges us to understand the human need to find personal freedom and meaning. A native New Englander and now Arizonan, Weene spent his professional life as a psychologist and pastoral counselor, a career that helps him draw this compelling picture of a world of insanity.
 

Memoirs From the Asylum is available in print, Nook, and Kindle

Meet the Author: M. J. Neary

Author M. J. Neary

Meet award-winning historical essayist, multilingual arts & entertainment journalist, novelist, dramatist and poet, Marina Julia Neary.  She also serves as an editorial reviewer and steady contributor for Bewildering Stories magazine.

Marina has a passion for telling untold stories and for “illuminating the dark side of the moon.” She incorporates real historical figures into her narratives and works to give them psychological dimension.

“For instance, in one of my novels, Wynfield’s War (a sequel to Wynfield’s Kingdom, both published by Fireship Press), I show a dark, almost demonic side of Florence Nightingale, who is regarded as a saint by the medical community. Within each saint there is a demon – and vice-versa,” she says.

When writing her books, she envisions the storyline, but writes  various scenes and then assembles them into one big mosaic, rather than approaching them in a sequential order.

She finds her inspiration in the past, “. . . in the smell of obscure rare books that have been out of print for decades. That’s the ‘indie’ side of me, I suppose. I usually don’t read bestsellers and don’t watch blockbusters. I like to dig up lost treasures.” Continue reading “Meet the Author: M. J. Neary”

My Journey to Self-Publishing: Special Guest, Author Cindy Keen Reynders

Author Cindy Keen Reynders

After I sold my books, “The Saucy Lucy Murders” and “Paws-itively Guilty,” I wrote a third book in the lighthearted murder-mystery series titled, “A Killer Slice.” The publisher decided to pass on it, so I wound up with an unpublished manuscript and plenty of readers asking for more installments. For months I queried traditional publishers and agents to see if I could get anyone interested in working with me, but they all turned me down. Some politely; some not so politely, but that’s the way it goes. This is a time-worn scenario—there are lots of writers in the world who can tell the same story.

Sorry to say, I moped for a while. Friends and family put up with my awful moods. Shame on me for whining, but I couldn’t help myself. After much soul-searching, I decided to self-publish “A Killer Slice.” At some point in time, I think all writers consider self-publishing, and I’m no different. Since I already had an audience, I hoped that would increase my chances for success. I didn’t jump into it overnight, however. I took a couple of years to consider many different options including iUniverse and Lulu. I talked with people who’d done it already, read blogs about indie publishing and absorbed as much as I could. I wanted to make certain that before I plopped down hard-earned dollars, I’d found a legitimate publishing house. I wanted to feel confident they would produce the best book and provide the widest distribution. Continue reading “My Journey to Self-Publishing: Special Guest, Author Cindy Keen Reynders”