Today's Featured Books

Filled with heart and drama, this Women's Humorous Fiction novel is perfect for fans of Little Fires Everywhere and The Joy Luck Club. When Allison Montgomery's son brings home an unexpected and questionable fiancée, Allison and her once-dreaded mother-in-law, Margaret, team up for an intervention. A perfect family "dramedy" as Allison learns to survive family angst by letting go. 4.1 stars, 69 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

A collection of gritty, rhythmic poetry that delivers a powerful punch, Laughing is Forever explores hard-knock life, domestic violence, and poverty. "A rugged, sinuous voice... These mercurial poems surprise, thrill, and move in equal measure." ~Independent Book Review. 5.0 stars, 10 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW / 

The year is 1887 and in a quaint Pennsylvania town, Isabella Strohmeyer stumbles upon a gruesome scene: her father and stepmother brutally hacked to death. As the police investigation unfolds, gossip and rumors swirl through the tight-knit community. This harrowing story, loosely inspired by the Lizzie Borden murders, will send chills up your spine. "Dark and intriguing." ~Amazon Review. 4.4 stars, 20 ratings. From $2.99 SHOP NOW /

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Jason Stocks, a poet whose work mirrors the hard-knock life he's accustomed to, broaching topics like domestic violence, poverty, demasculinization, and more. 

"Stocks's writing has a powerful immediacy, and his poems are packed with both profanity and pop-culture references." ~Kirkus Reviews

Laughing is Forever

"Jogging from detritus-ridden, Bukowski-inspired free verses to Lowell-style observations of the inner life, this hardtack collection of poetry runs the gamut. A rugged, sinuous voice drives the free verse narratives contained in Laughing is Forever. These mercurial poems surprise, thrill, and move in equal measure. They’re dying to be read." ~Independent Book Review

"This collection is brave, unflinching and hits you like a punch in the jaw. It is at times brutal and vicious but also tender and intelligent. I was reminded of early Eminem in the poignant anger of some of the poems." ~Sam Szanto, author of If No One Speaks

"These are the kind of tattered, beautiful poems I often search for and rarely find—the ones that explain, 'Just be happy with a beer after work. You know, quit all the complaining. It won't change a single thing. It just prolongs the suffering.'" ~Sean Thomas Dougherty, author of Death Prefers the Minor Keys

Blameforest

Finalist in the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards

"Provocative, explicit poetry written with muscular swagger." ~Kirkus Reviews

"Fierce, bold, and self aware, Stocks's debut poetry collection is steeped in the Gothic hauntings of Deep South life." ~Jenifer DeBellis, author of Blood Sisters and editor of Pink Panther Magazine

"In Blameforest, Jason Stocks captures the rhythms of a vibrant vernacular that is original and authentic. He builds a distinctive world that often turns violent and lovelorn, his rendering clear-eyed and voiced like a blade—and does so while displaying the expansive range of a skilled craftsman. Far more than a sequence of individual poems, Blameforest is a layered and nuanced work of innovative literature to be read in one sitting, and then over and over again." ~Jacob M. Appel, author of The Cynic in Extremis

About the Author

  

Free online: Intense Summer Reads at The Back Room. Join the authors of four new thrillers for readings, conversation, and cocktails. Featured authors include Kate White, author of The Last Time She Saw Him; Charlie Donlea, author of Long Time Gone; Meg Gardiner, author of Shadowheart; and Walter Mosley, author of Farewell, Amethystine. Sunday, June 16, 7 PM ET.

“Mysteries abound where most we seek for answers.” ~Ray Bradbury

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on the work of Chad Miller, author of dark/gothic historical mysteries. Imagine a cross between Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker. If that sounds intriguing, read on to learn more!

★★★★★ "Unique, imaginative, and shocking." ~WaywardReader.com on the writing of Chad Miller

Prisoner of Despair: A Dark Historical Mystery

The year is 1889 and a private investigator John Doyle spends his nights in terror. He is tormented by a desperate fear: his mortality. In the mysterious streets of Philadelphia, Doyle is on a quest not only for answers but for his very soul. Along with his partner, Thomas Braham, Doyle investigates unsolved cases, sightings, and obscurities that fall through the cracks from the local authorities.

When an esteemed colleague suddenly vanishes, Doyle and Braham embark on the case of their lifetime. With a shroud of horror looming over him, John is forced to confront his moral compass as he descends down dark pathways and opens ominous doors. Will he find refuge in his search for answers, or will he be a prisoner of his own despair? Find out in this thrilling supernatural adventure that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you enjoyed the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes or the stories of Edgar Allan Poe, you'll love this spine-tingling mystery.

★★★★★ "Brutal, well-written and twisty." ~Amazon Review

★★★★★ "An awesome page-turner." ~Amazon Australia Review

The Confession

The year is 1887 and in the quaint Pennsylvania town of Temple, Isabella Strohmeyer stumbles upon a gruesome scene: her father and stepmother brutally hacked to death. As the police investigation unfolds, gossip and rumors swirl through the tight-knit community. The Strohmeyer household, always steeped in simmering tension, harbors secrets that echo within its halls.

As an arrest is made, the town becomes embroiled in the trial of the century. Grisly truths emerge and no one is prepared for the shocking conclusion of this dark tale.

This harrowing story, loosely inspired by the Lizzie Borden murders, will send chills up your spine.

★★★★★ "A vivid reimagining of the Lizzie Borden murder trial." ~Amazon Review

★★★★★ "Dark and intriguing." ~Amazon Review

About the Author

    

Free online: Poetry Masters Party & Poetry Slam! Get ready for a virtual party filled with top-notch poetry performances and an epic poetry slam competition. Thursday, June 13, 6:30 - 8 PM CDT. 

"There’s no money in poetry, but then there’s no poetry in money either." ~Robert Graves

Congratulations to Liz Alterman and Vine Leaves Press on the release of Sad Sacked, a memoir that uses humor and heart to delve into the pressure on women to hide struggles. 

★★★★★ ““A funny memoir about things that are not super funny.” ~Zibby Owens, author of Bookends: A Memoir Of Love, Loss, And Literature

Sad Sacked: A Memoir

The last person Liz Alterman expects to hear from during her Thanksgiving prep is her husband, Rich. He never calls from his job at a busy Manhattan newsroom. And he will never call from the newsroom again because he's just been laid off. Two months later, Liz is downsized, too.

At first, Rich is enchanted with his new leisurely lifestyle. But when he's still unemployed six months later, his euphoric mood devolves into depression and despair. It falls to Liz to figure out how to support their family of five and keep up appearances in their well-to-do suburb, where even nannies drive the latest model Lexus.

Sad Sacked blends the wit of Nora Ephron’s Heartburn with the madcap hilarity of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette to expose the pressure on women to put on a happy face even as their world falls apart. In Liz Alterman’s gifted hands, we laugh until we cry about what happens when the bottom drops out.

Praise for Sad Sacked
★★★★★ “Liz has turned personal layoff lemons into a delicious lemon souffle!” ~Susan RoAne, author of the classic How To Work a Room and The Secrets of Savvy Networking

★★★★★ “Will have you laughing and crying... you need this book.” ~Annabelle Gurwitch, New York Times bestselling author of You're Leaving When?

★★★★★ “A sweaty, funny examination into suburban marriage, motherhood, social status and all the other reasons I left New Jersey.” ~Joel Stein, columnist for Entertainment Weekly and the Los Angeles Times

Free online: Poetry and the Art of Giving Attention. In this virtual class, participants will use creative writing to articulate our wonder, care, and astonishment at the world. All experience levels are welcome—for this class, a poet is defined simply be a person who pays attention. All you need is a pen and notebook or paper. Tuesday, June 11, 2 - 3 PM CDT. 

"Be brief, be buoyant, and be brilliant." ~Brander Matthews on poetry