Today's Featured Books
FREE - Our Journey Is Our Own by Heather Preis
FREE - I Am Evidence by Yolanda Stith
Memoir and Creative Nonfiction
Spotlight on Burned by Sue Dobson
Congratulations to Sue Dobson and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Burned: The Spy South Africa Never Caught, “An unflinching memoir of a spy during a tumultuous time and unsavory alliances."
Burned: The Spy South Africa Never Caught by Sue Dobson
NEW RELEASE: May 16, 2023Genre: Military Intelligence & Spies History, Intelligence & Espionage, Espionage True Accounts
From $6.49
The image of South Africa in the 1980s as the golden paradise on the tip of the African continent conceals a brutal, racist Apartheid regime. Those who oppose it risk their lives. Beauty and brutality go hand in hand.
Sue Dobson, a young white South African woman lives a 'legend'—a life where she pretends to conform, moving easily through the echelons of the racist government in her work as a journalist, whilst concealing her espionage and military training in the Soviet Union, and her intelligence work for the banned African National Congress.
Matters come to a head when sinister forces try to derail the Namibian independence process and Sue's cover is blown during a difficult honey trap operation, bringing the Cold War to Africa, and leading to her desperate flight across Southern Africa with the Apartheid security police snapping at her heels.
Praise for Burned
★★★★★ “An unflinching memoir of a spy during a tumultuous time and unsavory alliances. Dobson recounts her recruitment, training, and espionage with rare self-awareness.” ~Henry R. Schlesinger, author of Honey Trapped
About the Author
Sue Dobson was born in South Africa and witnessed Apartheid firsthand. Wanting to contribute to a democratic South Africa for all, she joined the African National Congress (ANC) and was trained as an intelligence officer/spy in the Soviet Union. She was deployed in South Africa and infiltrated the government propaganda department, interviewed Apartheid ministers, and had a honey trap affair with a police chief involved with the Namibian independence process. She was "burned" when she failed an enhanced security check for the State President's office, prompting her escape across southern Africa with the security police at her heels.
About the Publisher
Vine Leaves Press likes to blur the line between commercial and experimental works. They publish book-length vignette collections, writing reference books, short story collections, memoir/autobiography, and character-driven novels with a literary bent. Subscribe to the Vine Leaves Press newsletter to receive FREE advanced review copies of upcoming new releases, news about their authors and subscribers, and/or to read the monthly opinion column, SPILL IT! or a daily dose of 50-word stories. Learn more at vineleavespress.com.
Free online tonight: Rogue Reads
Free online tonight: Rogue Reads. Join authors Tosca Lee, Liv Constantine, Doug Lyle, and Ellen Crosby for an exciting hour during which they will reveal the latest about their brand-new suspense novels, read excerpts for you, and answer questions. Monday, May 15, 7 PM EST.
“Books help us understand who we are and how we are to behave. They show us what community and friendship mean; they show us how to live and die.” ~Anne Lamott
Moonlight Beach by Yurie Kiri
You WIll Know Vengeance by W.A. Pepper
Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror
Inception by K.J. Gillenwater
London Calling (Books 1-5) by Kat Faitour
Spotlight on Fat in Paris by Bull Garlington
Free Download!
Fat in Paris
Genre: Travel Memoir, Humor
FREE advance copy!
A complete idiot travels abroad in search of the perfect vacation. He fails to find one.
No camels were harmed in the making of this book. But the author was. He fell off a camel on the way to a Bedouin camp behind the pyramids; he was nearly burned alive in an Alabama boat fire; he was attacked by bats in a Mexican cenote; he was shark bait off the coast of Belize; nearly died from heat stroke on the Nile; and was savaged by a swarm of elderly Japanese women in a men’s room at a gas station somewhere in Spain.
Starting from Chicago, the author visits nine countries and various states in an attempt to have a perfect vacation. It never works. But that doesn’t stop him. The result is a hilarious f-bomb of a travelogue.
Garlington holds nothing back, showing the maddening side of international travel without an Instagram filter. Readers will learn nothing useful about the cities he visits, nor will they use his book as a guide. It is more of a roadmap for ruthless schadenfreude as we watch helplessly while Garlington runs into brick wall time after time. Written in a style reminiscent of Bill Bryson (if he were a rampaging drunk) or Anthony Bourdain (if he cussed less), Fat in Paris might be the funniest travel memoir in the last ten years.
Please note: This book contains scenes of inadvertent camel abuse, conspicuous tourism, sniveling, a luridly detailed account of testicular damage, a nearly unbelievable and very detailed story of losing control of one’s bodily functions, way too many footnotes, a plague of scorpions, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Free online: How to share your family history with the next generation
Ever wonder about how to pass on your family history to the next generation? If yes, then you might want to check out the free Honoring Ancestors: Family History Project Workshop to learn about creating family story books and family movies. Saturday, May 13, 11 AM CDT.
“Obviously, if I was serious about having a relationship with someone long-term, the last people I would introduce him to would be my family.” ~Chelsea Handler
Serendipity: The Series by Topher Kaler
FREE - Lady Mage by Toni Cabell
Division by Brad Norris
Seed of Fury: Zolia's Revenge by Joe Antony Sebastin
Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror
The Bad Parents by SL Harker
Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror
A gripping domestic thriller with a mind-blowing twist. Instead of hosting trivia nights, the parents on Madison Lane decide to play by a whole new set of rules. Anything goes. Petra, Dawn, and Amy are about to indulge in their darkest fantasies. Until someone pushes those fantasies too far. Petra soon realizes she’s caught in a dangerous game. One she may not win. 4.2 stars, 37 ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW /
Deadly Peril by Emily Jane Trent
Spotlight on You Will Know Vengeance by W.A. Pepper
You Will Know Vengeance
~Readers' Choice Book Awards
You Will Know Vengeance: A Tanto Thriller
Genre: Technothrillers, Conspiracy Thrillers, Suspense Action Fiction
Book 1 in the series
Ebook: $0.99 (Free via Kindle Unlimited)
Paperback: $14.99
Hardcover: $24.99
A government plot. A con who holds all the cards. Can a young man protecting his fellow inmates stop a killer without losing his soul?
Tanto is a skilled hacker who winds up on the wrong side of the law. His punishment: He is whisked away to a hidden compound where he is forced to entrap other hackers. Yet deep inside, an ember still burns...to save people, not entrap them.
Tanto spends the next eight years in prison, finding inner peace in the ways of Bushido. But when the peaceful warrior takes a terrified and badly beaten newcomer under his wing, he is shaken to learn the kid was brutalized by an old nemesis.
Later, the same monstrous enemy lands in his cellblock, causing Tanto to fear for the tribe he’s grown to love like family. When the guards turn a blind eye to his rival’s calculated atrocities, Tanto enacts desperate measures that could trigger deadly results. Can he maintain his sworn discipline and avoid leaving a bloody legacy?
"A new techno-charged version of The Shawshank Redemption for the 21st century...a fast-paced, high-energy novel, that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. ~Readers' Choice Book Awards (5-starred review)
"This book belongs on the shelves of any library devoted to building a solid, exceptional collection of thriller novels, and is highly recommended for readers who can absorb trigger subjects in the interest of a complex, thoroughly absorbing story packed with surprises." ~Midwest Book Review
"Pepper deftly amps up his engaging prison tale with perpetual threats. An absorbing, tech-smart tale that unfolds in a tense prison setting." ~Kirkus
"Readers will relish the ins and outs of Pepper's well-crafted dystopian prison society." ~BookLife
W.A. Pepper writes suspense thrillers. He is an awarding-winning USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon best-selling author for his contribution to the business anthology Habits of Success. Under different names (and his real one of Will Pepper), he has published in multiple academic journals, interactive e-books, anthologies, and online.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Will, his wife, Taddy, and their dog, Danger, started the publishing house Hustle Valley Press, LLC. Through it, they published four e-books that have amassed more than one hundred five-star reviews. Further, the husband-and-wife team donated the first six months of revenue from the sale of each of those books to charity, resulting in thousands of dollars raised for reader-selected charities that support racial equality, COVID-19 relief, veteran affairs, and St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Will has a PhD in Management Information Systems or, as he calls it, Business Computing, from The University of Mississippi. Will, Taddy, and Danger split their time between Mississippi and Colorado. Learn more (and order signed copies of books!) at wapepperwrites.com.
More from W.A. Pepper:
- $4.99: Running on Broken Bones, A Tanto Thriller, Book 2
- FREE: DoGoodR, a prequel to You Will Know Vengeance
Free online lit event: Reimagining Frankenstein
Free online: Reimagining Frankenstein - a discussion of creation, of fiction and poetry, and, most importantly, what it means to be a creature. Addie Tsai, author of Unwieldy Creatures, and Jessica Cuello, author of Yours, Creature, will discuss the inspirations, influences, traumas, and all things Shelley. Thursday, May 11, 6:30 PM CDT.
“It is true, we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another.” ~Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
Fallen Foe by L.J. Shen
A decadent, enemies-to-lovers romance and a complete standalone. A billionaire city boy meets the girl next door from the South. Tragedy and betrayal bring them together, but will their painful pasts hold them back—or fuel their desire? A #1 Best Seller in the Billionaire Romance category. Part of the Cruel Castaways series. 4.6 stars, 127 ratings. From $4.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW /
Memories and Remorse by Chad Spradley
Mystery Thriller Crime and Horror
A thrilling new murder suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Detective Roger Taylor has been through hell and back. After defeating his nemesis, Leonard Pierson, Taylor lost the love of his life, Shelia Lee. But when a local business owner is murdered in his own home, Taylor finds himself partnered with newbie detective Laura Barnes, embarking on a new investigation. From $2.99 SHOP NOW /
FREE - The Sand Between Us by Ronnie Williamson
The Tyr: Arrival by Richard Fox
Free online tonight: What's New in Historical Fiction
Free online tonight: What's New in Historical Fiction, sponsored by History Through Fiction. Join this panel series featuring historical novelists with new and upcoming titles. Tonight's guests include Amy Hill Hearth author of Silent Came the Monster, Alina Rubin author of No Job for a Woman, Lindsey S. Fera author of Muskets & Masquerades, and Aaron Hamburger author of Hotel Cuba. Monday, May 8, 7 PM Central Time.
"Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent." ~Henry David Thoreau
The Acorn Stories by Duane Simolke
The sky never stops falling in Acorn, Texas. In these stories, you'll experience the German festival, a high school football game, homemade apple pie from the Turner Street Café, and the cool shade of a hundred-year-old oak tree. Meet dedicated teachers, shrewd business owners, smitten lovers, and concerned neighbors. See how lives become intertwined in moments of humor or tragedy. From romantic comedy to razor-sharp satire to moments of quiet reflection, these tales explore the humor, drama, secrets, and scandals of small towns. 4.5 stars, 50 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW /
FREE - Jewelry Vendors' Guidebook by Brenda DeHaan
Selling handcrafted jewelry at craft fairs is a fun, fulfilling way to make money. Seeing various displays helps you to envision new ways to enhance your booth. Easy DIY tips are also included. Jewelry is small compared to other merchandise sold at craft shows. Each craft has its own features, highlights, and challenges. This book is devoted to the personal world of selling necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings. Using various props and layout ideas makes each display creative and appealing. Make your booth shine! FREE - SHOP NOW /