Tag: general fiction

Book Brief: Return to Crutcher Mountain

Return to Crutcher Mountain- Melinda ClaytonReturn to Crutcher Mountain
by Melinda Clayton
Genre of this Book: Southern fiction, general fiction Word count: 71,000

As recounted in Appalachian Justice, Jessie is an adult survivor of horrendous childhood abuse. At the age of thirteen, she was rescued by reclusive mountain woman Billy May Platte.

Now forty-seven, Jessie is outwardly successful but inwardly struggles to reconcile the broken pieces of her past. In honor of Billy May, Jessie has offered Crutcher Mountain as a location to build the Platte Lodge for Children, a wilderness retreat and respite program designed for children with disabilities. Everything comes together beautifully until a series of strange events threatens to shut down the retreat.

To save the lodge, Jessie must open her heart to the truths she discovers and place her trust in a lonely little boy.

This book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Continue reading “Book Brief: Return to Crutcher Mountain”

Book Brief: Appalachian Justice

Appalachian Justice - Melinda ClaytonAppalachian Justice
by Melinda Clayton
Genre: Historical fiction, general fiction
Word count: 73,600

Billy May Platte is a half Irish, half Cherokee Appalachian woman who learned the hard way that 1940s West Virginia was no place to be different.

As Billy May explains, “We was sheltered in them hills. We didn’t know much of nothin’ about life outside of them mountains. I did not know the word lesbian; to us, gay meant havin’ fun and queer meant somethin’ strange.”

In 1945, when Billy May was fourteen years old and orphaned, three local boys witnessed an incident in which Billy May’s sexuality was called into question. Determined to teach her a lesson she would never forget, they orchestrated a brutal attack that changed the dynamics of the tiny coal mining village of Cedar Hollow, West Virginia forever.

Global Ebook Gold Winner in 2013, a finalist for the University of North Carolina-Wilmington’s Synergy Program in 2013, and voted Sapphic Readers Book Club Book of the Year in 2011 (under a different imprint), Appalachian Justice is a work of southern fiction that delves into social issues such as poverty, domestic violence, misogyny, and sexual orientation. Ultimately, however, Appalachian Justice delivers a message of hope.

This book is available from Amazon, Smashwords, and Barnes & Noble. Continue reading “Book Brief: Appalachian Justice”

Mark W. Sasse Announces New Release

Author Mark W. Sasse is pleased to announce the release of his new novel,  Beauty Rising.

“My heart sank. I dumped my father’s ashes in the heart of communist Vietnam – over a thousand miles from the death of his comrades – over a thousand miles from the smile of that girl. How could I have been so stupid?”

Only the bumbling, overweight, thirtyish, stay-at-home Martin Kinney could have mistakenly flubbed his dying father’s request with such gusto. This thousand mile mistake awakens the ghosts of long-held family secrets and puts Martin on a fateful course with an unlikely romantic interest – a young, beautiful, yet troubled Vietnamese woman named My Phuong.

Literary R&R says: “5 Stars . . . This story just resonates with redemptive beauty.”

Beauty Rising was released in December 2012 is available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Sneak Peek: Beauty Rising

Today we have a sneak peek from author Mark W. Sasse’s new novel,  Beauty Rising.

“My heart sank. I dumped my father’s ashes in the heart of communist Vietnam – over a thousand miles from the death of his comrades – over a thousand miles from the smile of that girl. How could I have been so stupid?”

Only the bumbling, overweight, thirtyish, stay-at-home Martin Kinney could have mistakenly flubbed his dying father’s request with such gusto. This thousand mile mistake awakens the ghosts of long-held family secrets and puts Martin on a fateful course with an unlikely romantic interest – a young, beautiful, yet troubled Vietnamese woman named My Phuong.

Beauty Rising  is available from Amazon.com and Amazon UK.

Here is an excerpt from Beauty Rising… Continue reading “Sneak Peek: Beauty Rising”