Ben Greenman is a writer of virtuosic range and uncanny emotional insight. As Darin Strauss has noted, "Like Bruno Schulz, George Saunders, Donald Barthelme, and no one else I can think of, Greenman has the power to be whimsical without resorting to whimsy." The stories in this new collection, What He's Poised to Do , showcase his wide range, yet are united by a shared sense of yearning, a concern with connections missed and lost, and a poignant attention to how we try to preserve and maintain those connections through the written word. From a portrait of an unfaithful man contemplating his own free will to the saga of a young Cuban man's quixotic devotion to a woman he may never have met; and from a nineteenth-century weapons inventor's letter to his young daughter to an aging man's wistful memory of a summer love affair in a law office—each of these stories demonstrates Greenman's maturity as a chronicler of romantic angst both contemporary and timeless, and as an explorer of the ways our yearning for connection informs our selves and our souls. Views: 37
Deep in the Vatican's inner sanctum lies a dark and terrifying secret . . . a secret that has been concealed for decades, and one that its keepers will stop at nothing to protect. In 1978 Pope John Paul I dies in mysterious circumstances. His successor, John Paul II, emerges from the conclave unaware that he is in mortal danger. It is only through the actions of a few loyal operatives that his assassination is prevented. Thirty years later journalist Sarah Monteiro begins to uncover the sinister machinations of a covert agency, whose web of lies and injustice hides the true power behind the throne. It would seem that the dark forces are still at large, and Sarah faces a life-or-death struggle in the name of truth and faith. Views: 37
The best way to heal a broken heart is to jump right back on the horse. So to speak… Red, Hot & Blue, Book 2 After watching the girl he’s crushed on for years fall for his best friend, the last thing special operative Jack Gordon wants is a vacation. If cooling his heels doesn’t drive him crazy, doing it under his family’s scrutiny will. But once he’s back home things get more than a little interesting. The new farm hand is cute, sexy—and his instincts tell him she’s got something to hide. Luckily, he’s got the skills and the backup to find out what. Gordon Equine is the perfect place for Niccolina Campolini. The Gordons pay in room, board and cash. And they don’t ask questions. Perfect for a girl on the run…until Jack shows up. Sexy as hell and far too inquisitive, Jack strikes sparks and suspicions that put both her body and her heart in danger. Jack knows better than to trust a woman with as many shadows as Nicki, but the heat waves of their attraction are messing with his focus. And when her secrets catch up with her, he’s not sure if he’s protecting her from something, or protecting his family from her… This book has been previously published and has been revised from its original release. Warning: This book contains extremely stupid gangsters bearing guns, a bored team of special operatives looking for some action, and one Southern gentleman guaranteed to charm your panties off. Views: 37
Review"A thoroughly modern perspective to the familiar archetypal trappings. What happens when gang meets gang...is more horrific than anything we might have imagined."--Booklist Bill Ott"A mature and thoughtful Western that can stand up alongside anything that Cormac McCarthy or Larry McMurtry have written. Its unrepentant violence, intensity, and dark worldview could appeal to fans of crime fiction." --somebodydies.blogspot.com"If you have a hankering for a gritty, realistic and downright thrilling Western, S. Craig Zahler is your man." --Jeremy Cesarec, Unbound Nook BlogNominated for The Peacemaker award by the Western FictioneersNominated for The Spur award by the Western Writers of America“Genre fare will always be a premium in Hollywood, but original, literate voices that embrace dark material are anything but common. Enter Craig Zahler...” — Variety"Quirky, colloquial, violent, original. A high-speed ride into the dark heart of the West." -- Walter Hill, Director of The Long Riders and Wild Bill"Craig has a completely original and unique voice as a writer. This kind of talent is very rare." -- Doug Davison, Vertigo EntertainmentAbout the AuthorS. Craig Zahler is a screenwriter, cinematographer and musician. Zahler studied film at New York University. Views: 37
Is this the end of childhood? When a serious illness strikes one of the Flakes, the others can't daydream their way out of the shocking news. Instead they rally 'round and find that friends---and faith---show the way to a new adventure called growing up. Views: 37
Izzy McNeil is hot on the trail of one of Chicago 's most notorious gangsters. Not that he realizes the crimson-tressed enchantress, a self-proclaimed "lapsed lawyer," is moonlighting as a private investigator. But when an unexpected run-in trashes Izzy's cover, she's swept into an evil underworld where she is definitely not safe. That is until Izzy receives help from an unlikely source: the ultimate guardian angel. And the last person she ever dreamed she'd see again. Now Izzy is racing from Chicago to Rome, all the while battling personal demons, Mafiosi killers and red hot emergency desires… Views: 37
David Arbus will be graduating from high school in the spring of 1975. His divorced parents offer two options: embrace his mother's Hasidic sect or go into his father's line of work, running a porn theater in the heart of New York's Times Square. He joins the family business. What else would a healthy seventeen-year-old with an interest in photography do? But he didn't think it would mean giving up his mother and sister altogether.Peep Show is the bittersweet story of a young man torn between a mother trying to erase her past and a father struggling to maintain his dignity in a less-than-savory business. As David peeps through the spaces in the screen that divides the men and the women in Hasidic homes, we can't help but think of his father's Imperial Theatre, where other men are looking at other women through the peepholes.As entertaining as it is moving, Peep Show looks at the elaborate ensembles, rituals, assumed names, and fierce loyalties of two secret worlds, stripping... Views: 37
Young Adult/Science Fiction. 46703 words long. Views: 37
AMAZON BREAKTHROUGH NOVEL AWARD QUARTER-FINALIST Have you ever wondered what it would be like to walk through life in someone else's shoes? Strong-willed tomboy Harley LeBeau puts you in the boots her mother gave her, as she takes you along her journey of escape from an abusive childhood and the desire to find herself as she comes of age. Made to feel a burden to her father simply by her gender, Harley is determined to prove her worth and independence, leaving the small town she grew up in and the one boy who gave her a soft place to fall, Jeremiah Johnson. Torn between saving herself and abandoning her mother and younger sister, Harley chooses her own life in hopes they will choose theirs, too. A mature, candid read for everyone. A must for women. The Boots My Mother Gave Me explores the dynamics of abuse and dysfunction, the courage to overcome, the strength in sisterhood, and the ongoing conflict and unconditional love between mothers and daughters. Climb into Charlene the Chevelle for a fast-paced story about a girl who is tough enough to survive and tender enough to learn to trust in love. Signed Paperback & Original Music Soundtrack to The Boots My Mother Gave Me can be found at www.brooklyn-james.comAmazon.com ReviewThe writing in this excerpt is strong and effective if wordy. Harley is an appealing character and the author has succeeded in making the reader want to know what happens to her. The device of the almond is an especially deft touch and the reader knows immediately what is meant whenever it occurs in the text. The chronology is a bit awkward. Harley says she got thrown out of the house and when. Once forewarned, the reader keeps waiting for it to happen. The backstory bogs down the action and it doesn't happen when the reader expects it, or judging from the last page, at all. The character of Harley's father as uber-abuser with absolutely no redeeming qualities gives this story a credibility issue. Actual abusers usually have some quality that binds their victims to them. Some ruthless editing to eliminate the more redundant details and clean up the sequence of events, along with giving Harley's father one or two lovable characteristics would make this story leap off the page. It deserves it. Amazon.com ReviewThis is a novel I would love to read! The excerpt is original and beautifully crafted. The writer deftly uses his/her own voice rather than relying on imitation in the narrative. When writing about the this type of disturbing subject matter, it is easy to overuse tired, meaningless and cliched expression. But the narrator's voice through the first person point-of-view is original, sensitive and genuine, bringing the reader closer to her and the situation we find her in. I definitely feel this novel can be successful. Views: 37
Fifteen years after losing most of his family to a devastating, pudding-related tragedy, Simon Debovar has settled into a life of self-imposed exile from the stinking, selfish morass of humanity. Content that his daily highlights will include hazelnut coffee, a long bath and the occasional jar of olives, his life is completely upturned by the discovery that his ornate living room carpet is the deciding factor in a bet between God and Satan.When mysteriously well-timed carpet thieves deprive him of the crucial heirloom, Simon is forced to leave his hermit's existence behind for a world of angels, demons, witches and immortals.And then it gets complicated. Views: 37
