Today's Featured Books

Tales of the Tinkertoy is a novel with three stories in one: a coming-of-age story, a mystery, and a consummate tale of redemption. Follow Gus Mazur on his life journey from Oklahoma to New York City and from childhood to adulthood as he encounters trials and misfortunes in his career and in his relationships. "A unique, highly readable writer's voice." ~Claire Strombeck, Reedsy. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

Two Kings. Two Warriors. A single crown. An oath obligates Ulf Bodvarsson to join King Harald Hardrada’s army in pursuit of the English crown. Yet near Stamford Bridge, enemies await, seeking to fulfill their own oaths of blood. The struggle that awaits them all will decide who rules the isles and who dies. Perfect for fans of George R.R. Martin, Bernard Cornwell, Joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne, and Mark Lawrence. "Thoroughly imaginative and visceral. Five stars." ~Eric Schumacher, author of God’s Hammer. From $7.99. Free via BookFunnel. SHOP NOW / 

Jane and Madeleine are roommates, first in an East Village tenement and later in the luxurious uptown apartment of a mysteriously absent woman. Madeleine and Jane encounter the terrors and excitements that burgeoned in the New York of that era. As the two develop a wary friendship, a self-appointed therapist becomes entangled in their lives. "A sprawling but intimate novel." ~Kirkus Reviews. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

How To Win Life’s Ultimate Payoffs Through The Craft Of Prediction, Influence, And Empathetic Strategy. If Life is a game, what are the rules? And more importantly…where are they written? Whether you’re bargaining your way to a higher pay grade or less housework, this book distills game theory’s basic principles into easy-to-understand, actionable advice and gives you the power to optimize your daily decision-making. 4.3 stars, 74 ratings. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

When catastrophe causes water services to fail, most households are distressingly unprepared. Store-bought filters are not robust enough for floodwaters or extreme contaminations. Even burst pipes or plant shutdowns can affect water purity. Protecting your family requires being equipped to filter water from any source. In this book, you will learn about daily household water requirements, natural water sources, safe collection guidelines, water purification techniques, and more. Equip yourself to get clean water no matter what happens. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

In the domed heart of MetiCity-6, a young mechanic named Ren rises from the depths of anonymity. Ren possesses the rare gift of transforming mundane machines and droids into marvels of technology. His skills draw the attention of a group of rebels, unveiling to him the authoritarian power presiding over the city. Will Ren's talents light the fire of revolution, or will the encroaching darkness of MetiCorp's reach extinguish their hopes for a new dawn? An eBookFairs "Best in Show" selection. 4.6 stars, 28 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Best-selling author Jonathan Sendel has been murdered.
Now, his clone must solve the mystery.

Today, LitNuts is happy to be participating in the "cover reveal" of The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel, a new release coming soon from author Jeffrey Ashkin and Ink Smith Publishing. Read on to learn more!

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The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel

Coming soon!

In the near future when someone is murdered, a clone of the victim can be commissioned to help police solve the crime. This process is costly, tedious, and not always successful. Memory lapses, mental implosions, and rouge clones are not uncommon. It's risky, but Jonathan has the money, the fans, and the means, and so his clone must navigate a treacherous labyrinth of secrets to reclaim the life stolen from him and put his murderer behind bars.

Before his untimely death, Jonathan was stuck in a rut. His marriage was failing, writer's block had his Jim Starlight series at a deadend, and his affair with a college student was about to go public. When his charred remains are found inside his remote cabin, it's clear that the murderer is someone in his inner circle.

His clone only has a few days to unravel the mystery before he loses the vast fortune he spent his entire life, the first one, building. As he uncovers his previous life's transgressions, the people he trusted most may have some unsavory opinions about clones. Jonathan must take his investigation into his own hands to have a chance at life.

The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel is a twist-filled murder mystery that examines the life of a beloved celebrity tarnished by scandal and the painful process of coming to terms with one’s own demons.

Follow author Jeffrey Ashkin and Ink Smith Publishing via the links below to be the first to hear when this new novel is released! 

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About the Author

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About the Publisher  

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Building a Team: A Baseball Buddies Story, an award-winning new release for young readers from author Aaron Derr, illustrator Gary LaCoste, and Red Chair Press.

"Readers follow Luis as he learns leadership skills in a smooth, well-paced narrative that models good communication and perseverance. A wonderful narrative for readers who love baseball that also offers valuable lessons to those who don’t." ~Kirkus Reviews

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Bonus
Get the free discussion guide on topics like moving to a new town, being the new kid at school or on a team, leadership, teamwork, peer pressure, self-esteem, and more! 

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Building a Team: A Baseball Buddies Story

NEW RELEASE: April 2, 2024
Genre: Juvenile Fiction, Children's Books on Peer Pressure, Children's Baseball Books
Reading age: 8 - 12
Hardcover: From $15.80
Audiobook: From $4.77
Ebook: From $9.99

When Luis joins his new baseball team, the Manatees, things seem hopeless at first. Some of his new teammates—including "loud and obnoxious" home-run slugger Jimmie—are mean to him or to each other.

The new coach doesn’t tell the players everything to do like the old coach did. And some of the Manatees seem more interested in goofing off than in sportsmanship or working hard.

Then Coach Joe makes Luis team captain. Will Luis rise to the challenge? Can he get the Manatees to balance working hard and having fun? Will he help his teammates learn to be friends rather than compete with each other?

Baseball Buddies explores the power of working together, what it takes to build a team, and the lasting friendships that form on the baseball field.

Praise for Baseball Buddies

• 2024 Mom's Choice Gold Award
• Readers' Choice Silver Award & 5-Star Rating
• Parent and Teacher Choice Award Winner 2024
• "An uplifting story of accepting differences, coming together, and learning the value of cooperation and competition." ~Midwest Book Review
• "A heartwarming story that will make even older readers long to take their glove out and find the nearest baseball diamond." ~Independent Book Review
• "If your child loves baseball, they will want to read this book. It shows perfectly how a team grows, how friendships are formed, and the proper way to behave in the sport—or any sport for that matter! Great images, too!" ~Kameron Brook, Reedsy Discovery

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About the Author & Illustrator
Author Aaron Derr is a writer based just outside of Dallas, Texas. He has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing magazines and books for kids of all ages for Red Chair Press, Time For Kids, Sports Illustrated for Kids, and the Boy Scouts of America. When he’s not reading or writing, Aaron enjoys watching and playing sports with his wife and two kids. He’s learned a lot from his home team about being a good sport and building teams.

Illustrator Gary LaCoste started his career 20+ years ago working on game board and toy designs for clients including Hasbro, Nickelodeon, and LEGO. About 10 years ago his focus shifted to include children's publishing. Gary has since illustrated more than 25 books and is a regular contributor to many kids' magazines, including Highlights, Time for Kids, Jack and Jill, and Clubhouse Jr. He lives in Western Massachusetts with his wife and daughter. 
 

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About the Publisher
Red Chair Press is committed to learning and literacy (and laughter!). Founded in 2009, Red Chair Press has been dedicated to publishing series to engage children in stories that provide models for strong character and good behavior. By working with only the highest-quality artists from around the world, Red Chair Press ensures that their books will appeal to a wide range of readers. Learn more at RedChairPress.com, and be sure to follow them online:
 

Free online: A Sweeping History of Food and Culture. Virtually step into the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History with Curator Paula Johnson as she discusses the book Smithsonian American Table: The Foods, People, and Innovations That Feed Us, a sweeping history of food and culture that summons everyone to the table for a fresh look at some of the people, ingredients, events, and movements that have shaped how and what we eat. Tuesday, April 2, 2:00 PM EDT.

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ~Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

Twenty-Five Tales of German Horror and Weird Fiction. Robert Grains is an independent author, occultist, and elite aesthete. For the first time ever, a selection of his writings, inspired by nameless powers, is available in English. In addition to classic hair-raisers, a rich cauldron of sophisticated weird fiction stories steeped in metaphysical and arcane allusions is presented to the gentle readers, a collection that will certainly enrich your personal eldritch studies and expedite your descent into madness. $16.50 - SHOP NOW / 

A Teen Frankenstein Meets Her Match in this YA novel. Caged by the scientist who made her from the torn limbs of accident victims, all Eden knows is the flickering world of Nickelodeon TV. Until she escapes to the mall, meets a fifteen-year-old fashionista, and begins to awake to the true potential of her superpowers. The story of a frankengirl coming of age, a friendship forged in blood, and awkward adolescents growing into fierce social justice avengers. "A dramatic and engrossing look at the everyday horrors adolescents face." ~Kirkus Reviews. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

This witty, influential work by Desiderius Erasmus, one of the greatest scholars of the Renaissance, satirizes the shortcomings of the upper classes and religious institutions of the time. This revised and corrected edition is based on the Pascal Covici edition of 1925. It includes Horace J. Bridges’s Introduction, “In Praise of Erasmus,” and illustrations by Anthony Angarola, Hans Holbein, Gene Markey, and Paul L. McPharlin. "A masterpiece of humour and wise irony." ~Dutch historian John Huizinga. Available from the publisher at 25% off [$14.95] via Ingram Spark. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

Kathy and her sister, Samantha, have always been a team. Throughout their time as witches, they've taken out more than their share of bad guys. But after Kathy meets Will, who she learns is a demonic Dark Knight, her loyalties begin to change. When Will proposes they take over the underworld, Kathy loves the idea of having power. But it also leaves her with a choice that will change her life: abandon her family and the life she has always known, or give up the love of her life forever. Book 1 of the Under the Moon series. 4.1 stars, 52 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

USA TODAY bestselling author Claudia Burgoa pens an emotional, heartbreaking romance duet where soulmates can’t be together and everything around them tears them apart. Almost Strangers is the first novel in the Somehow Everlasting duet, a Decker Family Novel. This book ends on a cliffhanger that'll change everything. "A wonderful and emotional story." ~Goodreads Review. 4.5 stars, 160+ ratings. From $0.99 - SHOP NOW / 

A Box Set or the first 3 volumes of this beloved mini mystery series. After losing his leg in the Army, Finn is starting a new career as an insurance investigator. He is joined by Annie, a videographer who lost her hearing but is trying to make it as a single mom. The world might see them as broken and battered souls, but they make a great team as they investigate their way through murder, arson, theft, embezzlement, and maybe even love! FREE - SHOP NOW / 

While fighting predators that attack every three years, the royal family of a tiny, primitive world is accidentally transported to a pomegranate farm in California. Desperate for help, the farm family hires the green-skinned strangers. Deep friendships form, but the predators have followed their prey. They’re hibernating on the farm, waiting to attack an unsuspecting Earth. It will take the diverse skills of both families to defeat them. Finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards. “Entertaining and enlightening.” ~Book Trib. From $0.99 SHOP NOW / 

The day democracy was threatened... Protesters morph into a mob and storm the Capitol. Right-wing militias take hostages. In a standoff, militias unleash terrorist attacks. Civil war threatens as the president fights to stay in office. Can democracy survive? "Unreservedly" recommended by the prestigious Midwest Book Review. "The national nightmare you thought ended," declares another reviewer. From $3.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Where “truth” clashes with “legal truth.” A behind-the-scenes look into a “killer” trial lawyer's chaotic journey into the heart of legal battlefields where decisions are 5-dimensional chess moves and every move is a life-altering choice. An exhilarating memoir of a world where truth and deception understand each other. "I didn’t care if I prosecuted or defended as my oath was to serve Justicia and not a particular client." An Amazon #1 Best Seller in multiple categories. From $1.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Today, LitNuts is shining a spotlight on Ten Easy Steps to Becoming a Writer by Randall Silvis, a book for writers everywhere and at every point in their careers.

If you are a writer, this book belongs on your desktop alongside On Writing by Stephen King, The Art of Fiction by John Gardner, and Becoming a Writer by Dorothea Brande. If there is an aspiring writer in your life, this book would be a much-appreciated (and quite possibly, a much-needed) gift. 

"Randall Silvis is an author's author. Those who write for a living (or aspire to do so) could hardly do better than to study his significant body of work, which has been critically acclaimed and recognized throughout the world." ~BookReporter

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Ten Easy Steps to Becoming a Writer

New release: February 2024
Paperback: $16.39
 

• Why Write
• Ten Easy Steps to Becoming a Writer
• Ten Writer's Rules Begging to be Broken
• A Writer's Life
• Profit and Loss
• When Less is More
• The Writer's Obligation
• Act Like a Professional Writer Now
• Financial Planning for Adjuncts
• A Writer's Education
• Reading, Writing, & Teaching Fiction
• And much more.

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Additional works by Randall Silvis:

The Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series

The literary and emotionally propulsive Ryan DeMarco Mystery novels, including Hammett Prize Nominee Two Days Gone, plus Walking the Bones, A Long Way Down, No Woods so Dark as These, and When All Light Fails. 

"Hard-edged and smartly plotted...DeMarco is an interesting character: not just your typical ex-cop-with-a-past, but rather a vividly realized, robust, and abundantly human character." ~Booklist

The Deepest Black

A crime novel unlike any you've ever read―based on true events. Where does the line blur between fact and fiction? Author Randall Silvis is looking for a story―any story to follow up the books of The Ryan DeMarco Mystery Series that catapulted him to success. But when a stranger tips him off about a series of murders in a small Pennsylvania town, Silvis finds himself embroiled in a world of corruption that shatters his sense of reality. A profoundly thoughtful, unsettling read.

From the Mirror

The first installment of what is to be a four-part autobiography, this book contains more than three hundred brief reflections and observations, none longer than a single typed page, on creative writing, fatherhood, academia, politicians, introversion, the afterlife, solitude, romantic love, and more. A must-read for lovers of life, literature, and the pursuit of happiness.

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About the Author
Randall Silvis is the multi-genre author of two dozen books, including critically acclaimed novels, short story collections, and works of creative nonfiction. He is a past winner of the prestigious Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and his work has been published in more than a hundred editions in several languages. Learn more at RandallSilvis.com, and be sure to follow Randall online:
 

Free online: The Art Institute of Chicago "Essentials" Tour. Spend some time with AIC's most iconic works of art and get insights from the experts with this special video series, including close looks at Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks, Georges Seurat’s A Sunday on La Grande Jatte—1884, Vincent van Gogh’s The Bedroom, Marc Chagall’s America Windows, Archibald John Motley Jr.’s Nightlife, and more. Watch the videos anytime, on demand. You can also keep an eye on the calendar of AIC free online events. 

"In art, as in life, everything is possible as long as it is based on love." ~Marc Chagall

In a post-disaster America where a nefarious pharmaceutical company controls all aspects of life, a scientist on the run is ripped from her safe haven and has no choice but to trust a man who might as well wear a "danger" sign. But when she discovers she holds the key to the country’s salvation, she must decide how far she's willing to go to destroy the company before it unleashes a nightmare army—even if it means teaming up with her worst enemies and dragging her darkest demons into the light. And time is running out... From $1.99 SHOP NOW / 

Hey you! Want the secret to becoming extraordinary? We’ve got just the information you need! Everyone has the potential to do GREAT things. The problem is not everyone has the confidence to try. And ONLY a rare few have the Mental Toughness to go after and live their dreams. Forge Your Mental Toughness: Your Foolproof Blueprint On How To Strengthen Your Will, Silence Your Doubts, And Level Up In The Game Of Life is your invitation to join that exclusive group of people. 4.7 stars, 18 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

"Am I good enough?" ask the 3 leaf clovers of themselves. Go on this journey and find the answer to this question. A thoughtful book presented in a fun way. "A great book for teaching young children about self esteem." ~Amazon Review. 4.2 stars, 72 ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW / 

After barely escaping from Tehran two years ago, CIA operative Titus Ray agrees to return to meet with an Iranian nuclear scientist willing to provide intel about his country’s uranium enrichment. But once Titus arrives in country, he quickly learns the tentacles from his past have reached into his present and now threaten to destroy his future. With his life on the line once again, he fears his time may have come to an end. 4.7 stars, 394 ratings. From $0.99. Free via KU. SHOP NOW / 

Can a man without emotions find his mate? There's nothing left in Raze. No love, no hate, nothing but the duty that he owes his people. But when he meets a fascinating and tough human woman on a barren planet, something deep inside comes back to life. And for the first time in years, he yearns for more. Book 1 of the Detyen Warriors series. 4.2 stars, 1000+ ratings. FREE - SHOP NOW