Seeing Soriah, by Ivan Jenson

Synopsis: Ivan Jenson's psychological thriller "Seeing Soriah" is the story of Jordan, an art dealer, who represents his eighty year old father, a distinguished abstract painter with a violent past. The book begins when Jordan's father, on the cusp of his career spanning retrospective begins to see a beautiful young woman about town who has an uncanny resemblance to his late wife, a woman murdered over 50 years ago. The mystery unfolds as this stranger insinuates herself into Jordan's life, and slowly turns it upside down.

Both a thriller and a story of individual redemptions, Seeing Soriah is sure to chill as well as fascinate those looking to get lost in a labyrinth of terror and intrigue.

Twitter Hashtag: #SeeingSoriah

Kindle ISBN: 978-1-937890-06-3
EPUB ISBN: 978-1-937890-05-6
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-937890-07-0
 

Killing Time: An Eliza Gordon Mystery, by Amy Beth Arkawy

Synopsis: "Who is doing more in Goodship than just Killing Time?" Welcome to Goodship, New York. The sleepy, suburban hamlet harbors a terrible secret. A secret that may be at the heart of two mysterious murders. Twenty-five years after the "big game" and the requisite homecoming party, Goodship's secret begins to haunt its otherwise comfortable and carefree residents. When the first murder is reported, the residents are warned, but take no action. When town landmarks are vandalized, residents are shocked.

And, when an attempt is made on a local hero's life, the town mobilizes, especially the young, vivacious former soap star (now proprietor of Soup Opera, the favorite local lunch spot) Eliza Gordon and her pal and local radio personality Midge Sumner. When the prime suspect turns up dead, Eliza and Midge dedicate themselves to solving the murders and catching the real perpetrator.

Fans of Murder She Wrote, Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone mysteries and Laura Lippman's Tess Monaghan series will enjoy following the clues and taking their best shot at helping Eliza Gordon figure out: “Who is doing more in Goodship than just Killing Time?”

Twitter Hashtag: #KillingTime

eBook ISBN: 978-1-937890-00-1
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-937890-02-5

Fiction Noir: Thirteen Stories, an anthology

Synopsis: Somewhere between pulp fiction and film noir is Fiction Noir. The anthology, featuring thirteen stories, has strong narrative, evocative scenes, compelling dialogue and more than a hint of the dark side.

Characters find themselves on the edge, contemplating life and death. Visiting the dark past of Nazi atrocities through the eyes of a ten year old child. Hiring killers to secure their futures. Cooking up schemes to fulfill their needs. Using their wiles to face down gangsters. Exploring the consequences of bad decisions. Avoiding the murderous ways of spies. Planning spousal murder. Solving crimes through careful inquisition. Exploiting the weaknesses of village losers. Protecting the innocent. And fighting organized crime in Sin City.

Twitter Hashtag: #FictionNoir

eISBN: 97809834604-6-6
Paperback ISBN: 97819378900-1-8

Dead Artist, by Ivan Jenson

Synopsis: Pop artist Milo Sonas was a New York City art world star in the 80s and 90s. After 9/11, a nervous breakdown and years of obscurity, Milo finds himself sheltered in a government subsidized motel room in the Midwest. In the afternoons, he wanders the streets, haunts coffee shops and frequents shopping malls. He also experiences frequent supernatural visits from famous dead artists.

When Milo is suddenly rediscovered by a former collector, his fortunes shift and his reemergence from obscurity is underway. However, first he must deal with his highly eccentric family members, and plan his dying mother’s funeral (that she intends to attend) and his own wedding to a University coed, all in the same afternoon. Will Milo escape the drone of suburbia, and stop fearing that art history would rather see him dead, before he is allowed to feel, touch and taste success?

Ivan Jenson’s tour de force, written with a unique new voice, will also please those familiar with Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Philip José Farmer. Readers will be taken on a hilarious, sensual, heartfelt ride. Dead Artist features riotous stream-of-consciousness and time shifting literary riffs. In this high energy novel Pop art icon, poet and author Ivan Jenson creates a vivid portrait of an artist as a post-modern man.

Twitter Hashtag: #DeadArtist

Kindle ISBN: 978-0-9834604-2-8
EPUB ISBN: 978-0-9834604-3-5
Paperback ISBN: 978-0-9834604-8-0

The View From Outside: Stories, by Susan Barnett

Synopsis: The characters in this collection of stories are all keenly aware of being apart, being something other, being outside. Some of them make extraordinary efforts to find how and where they fit. Others revel in that sense of standing alone. Some struggle with love, family relationships, loneliness and status. All of them share The View From Outside. These stories cover the range of human experience, from a young girl discovering her first love in Lab Experiments to an old man making peace with the fact that he has nothing left To Do. You will meet The Fabulous Mrs. Trotter, whose daughter-in-law is jealous of her amazing life. You’ll learn why Murray’s Mustache threatened his marriage and what happens when a shy young husband discovers he shares no Common Ground with his vivacious wife. Get a glimpse into the devastating secrets hidden behind the ivy walls at a posh private school in Some Things Are Too Private and ride The Susan Float with the rebellious housewives of an affluent New England town. Barnett pulls back the emotional curtain around her characters, showing the remarkable strength, deep flaws, and universal isolation they share.

Twitter Hashtag: #ViewOutside

eISBN: 978-0-9834604-4-2
ISBN (paperback) 978-0-9834604-9-7

One Way Out: Tommy Pulls the Trigger, by Semyon White

Synopsis: Tommy Dushane is an everyman, that is, if you are nobody, living in a small town that is no more than a highway stop, have no education and no real prospects. His girlfriend works in a truckstop and he works seasonally on a Christmas tree farm. But Tommy wants more. He wants to get out of town and move to a big city, where he can be somebody, anybody but Tommy. Needing a nest egg of a couple of thousand dollars, he finds himself on a job interview with an out-of-town hood. Tommy gets sucked in slowly, enjoying the extra cash and the prestige his life of crime buys.

But Tommy is in over his head. He knows it. His girlfriend knows it. And, his girlfriend's roommate, a local stripper, knows it too. He needs to find a way out. But unfortunately for Tommy, there is only one way out.

Twitter Hashtag: #OneWayOut

eISBN: 978-0-9834604-5-9

Dial L for Latch-Key, a One-Act Play, by Scott Fivelson

She tried to Dial M for Murder, but instead she accidentally Dialed L for Latch-Key

A plotting husband who strongly resembles Ray Milland...

A framed wife as eleganced-out as Grace Kelly...

An Inspector straight out of Monty Python...

Hitchcock would be spinning in his grave if he weren't suiting up for his cameo.

An intelligent, satirical good-natured spoof of Hitchcock films.

Twitter Hashtags: #Hitchcock, #DialL

ISBN: 978-0-9834604-0-4

Johnny Passe, by Scott Fivelson & Tim Cleavenger

Synopsis: "I walk the line between the high life and the low life, the high-brows and the low-brows."

He's Passe. Johnny Passe.

He's a small-time detective in a big-time town. This is his city, and this is his story.

The story of how he blew his big opportunity.

When Frank Sinatra records go missing all over the city of Chicago, private detective Johnny Passe is on the case.

From Hammett to Chandler, from Sam Spade to Jake Gittes... you'll never meet a stand-up guy quite like Johnny Passe.

Twitter Hashtag: #JohnnyPasse
ISBN: 9781937890049

Two Week Under, by Rivka Tadjer

Synopsis: How Far Would You Go For The Perfect Body?
Elana Diamond's 35th birthday isn't much to celebrate. She's still alone and depressed, so this year's make-a-wish candles feel a little too desperate. And her arch rival at work, who also happens to be her ex-fiance, is being groomed to fire her. Fighting to keep her job, she can't pay attention to her nonexistent personal life, much less the rash of suicides going on in New York--all professional women, all just like her.

Then someone closely connected to Elana becomes the next suicide victim. An intense, secretive reporter surfaces, claims to be a friend, but he's a little too knowledgeable, a little too curious. Reluctantly, Elana tries to find out why the suicide happened, and if this reporter is involved somehow. She finds herself lured into a consuming world of shame and dieting, in a high end spa and private gym club called Monarch, where clients can go under a two-week vanity coma to lose weight.

Twitter Hashtag: #TwoWeeksUnder

eISBN: 978-0-9834604-7-3

Second Time Around, a novel by Peter Andrew Sacco & Jill McKellan

Synopsis: The novel, set in contemporary and affluent America, explores traditional and non-traditional gender roles and examines the psychological development of two persons as they prepare for and complete gender transformation. In addition to the exploration of gender identities, the novel also introduces an awakening that each protagonist has for the experiences common to the other gender, from sexual harassment in the work place, attempts at date rape, bar trawling and sexual dysfunction. And, it tackles these issues with both empathy and humor.

eISBN: 978-0-9834604-1-1

Mauraine: The Darker Side of Paradise, a novella by Richard Luster

Synopsis: Mauraine is a cautionary tale of inter-generational meddling and the unintended consequences of over-reaching into one's children's lives, particularly when those children are adults with children of their own.

Part character study, part tragedy, Mauraine is a literary treasure certain to provoke strong feelings from readers struggling with their own family issues. Characters are sometimes sympathetic and sometimes reprehensible, but always familiar.

Twitter Hashtag: #Mauraine

The Contest, by Michael Castelli

Synopsis: Gina Reeves toiled away at the deli counter of her local supermarket, hoping to do more with her life. When a radio contest offered a $10,000 prize, Gina began to dream. First though, she had to outlast a group her of neighbors and win the contest. Gina learns about herself, her humility, and who she really is by participating in "The Contest."

Twitter Hashtag: #TheContest

Non-Fiction

Will the Real You Please Stand Up? by Salvatore V. Didato, Ph.D.

This is a sequel to The Big Book of Personality Tests, which has sold over 140,000 copies and is printed in 10 foreign editions. All of the tests and self-evaluations are new and contain research references.

With more than 3,000 personality tests in use today, can anyone doubt that we are certainly the most analyzed creatures on earth? As I explained in my first book, The Big Book Of Personality Tests, we are also among the most self-conscious. We never tire of putting our abilities to the test—whether it be at a simple game of Monopoly, a crossword puzzle, a poker session, or an “itch your brain” trivia trip on every conceivable subject from A to Z.

Our craze with hand-held video games that test our speed and savvy on most any topic and now, the iPhone which, among other features, challenges us to physical contests with wily opponents, certainly show that we have not reached the saturation point as far as tests of our abilities.

The one topic that commands our unremitting attention is our self. Anything that sheds light on the fascinating mystery of our personality—why we feel and behave as we do, why we do what we shouldn’t do and don’t do what we should—compels our interest. We want to know what makes us tick.

Hits & Misses: What Works and What Doesn't, by Tina Traster

Decision-making is at the heart of running a company. As humans, we use our best judgment when we have an interest in making something work. Entrepreneurs – who tend to be especially motivated souls who view their companies as their babies – try to exact strategies that will grow and benefit their enterprises. Some entrepreneurs work single-handedly; others surround themselves with advisers. Either way, day-to-day business is like a chess match. Even inertia – doing nothing but the status quo – is a decision.

No matter how different one business is from another there are common threads when it comes to decision-making. An Internet start-up easily faces the same gauntlets as a healthy snack manufacturer. What goes on behind the execution of choices – both good and bad – supplies relevant and universal information to anyone who is running a company. For this reason the Hits & Misses column, which I’ve been writing for Crains New York Business for the past three years, has been a success. These poignant columns have been pulled together in this collection as a teaching tool for entrepreneurs.

Hits & Misses columns are short but incisive. In few words, readers connect with particular challenges businesses have faced. In the Hits section, business owners share prosperous strategies. In the Misses section they relate something even more important: their stumbles. In nearly every case, it is the stumble that has aided the company in pulling up its bootstraps and operating smarter and more efficiently. Lesson learning is part of being human. Humans run companies, after all.

Twitter Hashtag: #HitsMisses

Burb Appeal, by Tina Traster

Burb Appeal is a humorous collection of essays based on Tina Traster's newspaper columns about moving from the city to the suburbs. In these brief stories, Traster uses keen detail, humor and pathos to tell how she has embraced and navigated life in a rural suburb north of Manhattan. In these stories we meet nutty neighbors, bumbling town officials, new friends, a plethora of domestic and wild animals, and of course, her family.

Twitter Hashtag: #BurbAppeal