Maxy Awards "Book of the Year" 2019

Pencraft Awards "Best Fiction Book of 2019"

“Witty, occasionally crass, and an unqualified delight.” –KIRKUS REVIEWS

Is it too much to ask that a managed care facility refund a year’s advance payment when your grandfather dies before he can move in? Frank Johnson doesn’t think so, which is why the thirty-three-year-old now lives in a nursing home, locked in a chess match feud with management that doesn’t occupy nearly enough of his time.

When foster kid Elroy is thrust into his life, Frank decides to turn this forced relationship to his advantage – launching a string of absurd decisions, inappropriate behaviors and unexpected glimpses of tenderness that ultimately turn a New Jersey suburb upside down. A laugh-out-loud celebration of bad choices for good causes, Managed Care is an offbeat story about three misfits on the social fringes of suburbia and their ridiculous campaign to introduce an unfiltered version of intimacy to their stale, impersonal community. Because, according to Frank, it’s probably what Jesus would have wanted.

I'll get away from Hades–I have to. Even if it costs me everything. And it will cost me everything.

He takes me in the middle of the night, his eyes cruel in the moonlight. It's a deal, he says. My life for another.

I expect him to kill me. He doesn't.

I expect him to lock me away. He doesn't.

What happens is next is darker than midnight.

And worst of all?

I like it.

"Breathtaking, intense, and scorching hot, King of Shadows is the modern myth I've been waiting for." –Skye Warren, New York Times bestselling author

“Excuse me. Do you mind if I squeeze past?”

And so it begins.

Two strangers meet on a plane. 

One has a terrible confession to make. But is it safe to tell a stranger?

The other is haunted by past mistakes and looking for a fresh start.

Over the course of their ten-hour flight they come to know each other’s deepest, darkest secrets. 

Is confession good for the soul or is it better to keep your crimes bottled up inside?

Discover what becomes of Lee, Tamsin and Jake.

Rated FIVE STARS by real readers:

Praise for The Adulterer’s Handbook: A Novel

“Wow. This book is fantastic! I had absolutely no idea when I started reading that I'd be taken on this journey. The writing is great.”

“I really enjoyed this book. I'm not sure how to categorize it -- a thriller or just good fiction? Regardless, I highly recommend it! I didn't want to put it down!”

“The tale weaves its way down a winding path so beautifully that, before you know it, you're at this bizarre place in the story where every character is not who you thought they were!”

“I was drawn to this novel because I was interested to see how the author handled the subject of infidelity, purely from a male perspective. He’s done an excellent job.”

“The humour and author’s style are reminiscent of David Nicholls.”

“There is much to admire in this entertaining read. The dialogue is natural, the editing is well done and the narrative flows. All in all, a good debut novel and I feel sure we’ll see more from this promising new writer. I recommend you give it a try.”

“The book just becomes fun. It's like a puzzle that you're trying to figure out.”

“The internal dialogue is so hilarious that I literally LOL'd a few times.”

After a loved-up adventure in a wood in North London, sixty-odd-year-old Lily drives off in her Classic Mercedes and takes a wrong turn. The day is unbearably hot, and the snazzy car's air-con is broken, blowing out hot air instead of cold. Lily follows the meandering road in a state of dehydration, and experiences a series of encounters with angels and demons and ghosts from the past.

Putting the will in willpower.

Josh McCain has two years to reinvent himself. Stripped of everything that made life a swanky, booze and babe-filled breeze, Josh embarks on a grueling and often hilarious two-year regimen of self-discipline that targets his mind, body, and spirit.

Along the way, skeptics mock him; his own past taunts him; and saboteurs resolve to stop him. But Josh is determined to complete his "bucket list from hell," and prove that who he was is not as important as who he can become.

Operating in unfamiliar territory, Josh turns to a cast of quirky characters to aid him on his secret journey; persons he'd have previously shunned. Upbeat and inspiring, The Will is an enthralling story of goofs and grit, of the regenerative power of friendship--and if Josh doesn't blow it--real love.

A Boomer, an Xer, and a Millennial walk into a book...

Hammerhead Hirsch, a charismatic middle-aged boho known as The Pugilist Poet for his boxing medals and Beat poetry chops, is an ecstatic new dad—until the mom bolts. Can Head last fifteen rounds as a single dad with a paltry income, scanty prospects, biting demons, and a "ball-and-chain" kid? The tale is told by a worshipful youth who accompanies Head on a turbulent yet often hilarious ten-year journey of struggles, missteps, love, and growth.

What some fine authors say:  

"This is a rollicking, big-hearted tale, full of laughter, bravery and unflinching humanity. The touch is light, but the questions are big ... in this deeply funny and deeply felt novel." (Emily Kiernan, author of The Great Divide)   

"...Jon Sindell's big fat juicy love letter to literature, Los Angeles and, most of all, love. With prose that zings, swings and frequently sings, Sindell tells a tough yet tender tale of brazen heartbreak amid '90s bohemian hipsters." (Tracy DeBrincat, author of Hollywood Buckaroo)

"Funny, sad, relatable, and engrossing" (Stephen D. Gutierrez, American Book Award winner)  

"With unflinching honesty, humor and a keen eye for detail, Sindell brings unforgettable characters to life." (Martin McCaw, author of The Low Road)

"Dark twists and delightful turns follow this unique look at infidelity, cuckolding, jealousies, and a craving for redemption." –Authors Reading

Sylvia Sumner is meeting her lover, Jim Hart. From an alleyway, she dashes across the road and hurries down a pathway crossing a field. Tucker Stewart, who has loved Sylvia since one, brief encounter in the woods back in high school, sees her from his office window and follows her. He fails to acknowledge that her husband, the detective-obsessed Forty Sumner, is watching them from a distance. Forty takes his gun to go after Tucker. In the aftermath of that night, Sylvia revisits the past overshadowed by her father’s estrangement. Tucker faces his own father’s tragic legacy, inadvertently befriending Forty. When Jim Hart is found dead, the town is in a mad scramble to rectify the wrongs laid bare when Sylvia disappears to go in search of her father. The lesson they must learn is that the only way to their salvation is forgiveness.

"A superb, captivating work from a promising new literary voice." –Kirkus Reviews

“An excellent, must-read novel about a man who returns home to confront his past, filled with memorable characters and written in a style that will draw you in, entertain you, and leave you wanting more.” –Sublime Book Review

On a beautiful summer morning at the Jersey Shore, 4-year-old Sarah Carpenter wanders toward the ocean and never returns. The police think she drowned, but her babysitter Amy claims Sarah was abducted. The only other witness, 17-year-old Donnie Marcino, didn’t see a thing. A narcoleptic since birth, he was fast asleep.

Twenty years later Sarah’s disappearance still haunts Donnie, as does his lingering bond with Amy. When she calls from the hospital after a failed suicide attempt, Donnie returns to his hometown, but how can he help Amy, and help himself, without changing the past? In The Revolving Heart, love and redemption collide as the adult Donnie struggles to atone for his youthful mistakes.

Three unlikely allies unite on a lonely stretch of Galway Bay, Ireland.

Clint Westerly has it all; that is, until he makes a fateful decision that turns his life upside down. He no longer knows how to live with himself and with the awful knowledge of what he has done.

Tanya Wilshire has sheer determination to fulfill her mother's dying wish, although she seemingly has now lost the means to do so.

Seamus Harrington, eighty-four years of age, is determined to right an old wrong before it is too late, even though the odds are heavily stacked against him.

As the three unexpectedly find themselves bound together in an attempt to bring hope to the tiny village of Gailemore, Ireland, where none has existed for way too long, they might just find it themselves.
 

Joe Wallace returns to this remote Oregon valley from self-imposed exile to bury the father who abandoned him a decade ago. Sad, alone and drinking, Joe has nearly given up on life and love.

Things change when Joe meets Ana, whose Nez Perce ancestors once called this valley home. Joe joins Ana’s cause to restore a lost sockeye salmon run to the lake where he grew up. As their relationship deepens, their peril grows. Somebody wants them gone – or dead.

The escalating threats rekindle a fire Joe thought was dead or buried in him. When his jealous brother tries to develop the family’s land, Joe must make a stand.

In the end, Joe discovers a life worth living, with a woman he was meant to love, in the place he was meant to live. And he realizes the redemption possible in a deep connection to the land.

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2018

July 1969. While men are walking on the moon, life in London for sixteen-year-old Jane takes unexpected turns. On the point of falling in love with her best friend Karl, she discovers that there's more to her father's spectacular girlfriend than at first meets the eye. In the sweltering heat of a fast-moving evening, other revelations quickly follow, reconciling Jane with her father but also reopening wounds from the past, laying bare raw emotions kept suppressed for too long. And as the evening draws to a close, the night's drama has only just begun, unfolding in a sequence of violent events that threaten to have lasting repercussions for Jane and the people she loves...

Lightened by music and humor and darkened by Kafkaesque dreams, with magic tricks, sexuality, and family secrets all playing a prominent part, The Madness of Grief is a coming-of-age tale of friendship, betrayal and loss.

Contains Mature Themes

Love and Money are two important ingredients in a man’s recipe for happiness. Unfortunately, those same two ingredients under the wrong circumstances can be a man’s recipe for disaster.

Unlucky at love, unemployed and drowning in debt, Thomas Murphy is a man in need of salvation.

When an unexpected gift arrives from an unknown source, Tom is confused, yet elated about his new-found fortune. His luck continues when he runs into an old flame he hasn’t seen in years and sparks begin to fly. Strange how a man’s fate can change when he least expects it – one moment he’s miserable and struggling to make ends meet, and the next he’s back on his feet and looking forward to a bright future… or so Tom thinks.

Then Tom’s rediscovered love reveals the shocking skeletons in her closet and he must decide to forgive and forget or turn his back and walk away. An innocent search on the internet turns up a problem that could stand between Tom’s good fortune and ultimately, him and the love of his life. If he chooses to stay, he must find a way to live with what he has to do to keep her in his life.

They say that love is blind and money is the root of evil, but sometimes you don’t realize the truth of those adages until it’s too late.

A Fool for Love & Money is a novel about love, desire, greed, murder and forgiveness.

INCLUDES BONUS STORIES: Things You Can’t Control and No Return Address

NOTE TO THE READER: The original story of 'A Fool for Love & Money' was published as a novella in 2014 under the title 'A Fool and His Money'. Like many authors, every time I read the story over (and I read it many times), I recognized places where rewriting would make it better. After several years I decided to rewrite the story to its full potential. What you hold in your hand is the final result. I hope you enjoy the revised, expanded and enhanced storyline.

A secret lies buried at the heart of her family—but it can’t stay hidden forever.

When Cara stumbles across a stash of old postcards in the attic, their contents make her question everything she thought she knew.

The story she pieces together is confusing and unsettling, and appears to have been patched over with lies. But who can tell her the truth? With her father sinking into Alzheimer’s and her brother reluctant to help, it seems Cara will never find the answers to her questions. One thing is clear, though: someone knows more than they’re letting on.

Torn between loyalty to her family and dread of what she might find, Cara digs into the early years of her parents’ troubled marriage, hunting down long-lost relatives who might help unravel the mystery. But the picture that begins to emerge is not at all the one she’d expected—because as she soon discovers, lies have a habit of multiplying . . .

Revised edition: This edition of Postcards from a Stranger includes editorial revisions.

A place you will never forget

Rosamunde Pilcher's Scotland...where the fields flourish with greenery, the bills bloom with purple, and the lochs glitter with the bright blue of the sky.

A time you will never forget

September...when the heather is in full flower, the first chill of autumn cools the air, and the countryside stirs with the hunt, balls, dinner parties, and dance.

A novel you will never forget

Rosamunde Pilcher's September...a story of homecomings and heartbreaks, friendships, betrayals, forgiveness, and love. From the author of the classic multimillion-copy bestseller The Shell Seeker, it is a book you will fall in love with...

A main selection of the Literary Guild and the Doubleday Book Club

#1 New York Times Bestseller
OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK

“Extraordinary.”
—Stephen King

“This book is not simply the great American novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas. It’s the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful.”
—Sandra Cisneros

También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams.

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?

American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times.

Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.

A deeply moving story of carrying on even when it seems impossible.

Life is over in an instant for sixteen-year-old Finn Miller when a devastating car accident tumbles her and ten others over the side of a mountain. Suspended between worlds, she watches helplessly as those she loves struggle to survive.

Impossible choices are made, decisions that leave the survivors tormented with grief and regret. Unable to let go, Finn keeps vigil as they struggle to reclaim their shattered lives. Jack, her father, who seeks vengeance against the one person he can blame other than himself; her best friend, Mo, who bravely searches for the truth as the story of their survival is rewritten; her sister Chloe, who knows Finn lingers and yearns to join her; and her mother, Ann, who saved them all but is haunted by her decisions. Finn needs to move on, but how can she with her family still in pieces?

Heartrending yet ultimately redemptive, In an Instant is a story about the power of love, the meaning of family, and carrying on…even when it seems impossible.

Best Young Adult Book, Reader Views, 2016-2017
Best Young Adult Book, Florida Book Festival, 2016
Best Young Adult Book, Great Midwest Book Festival, 2016
Best Young Adult Book, Northern California Book Festival, 2016
Gold Medal, Juvenile / Young Adult Fiction eBook, Independent Publisher Awards, 2017
Gold Medal, Juvenile / Young Adult Fiction, eLit Awards, 2017

March 24. Billionaire Lyndon Surway takes off in his private plane and never returns.

His will leaves the entirety of his wealth—one of the largest fortunes in history—to his “dear friend Lucian Baker.” Only there is no trace of anyone by that name. And the fortune itself is nowhere to be found.

Andrew Day knows nothing of wealth and privilege, but he won a scholarship to study at the most exclusive school in the country, in the town where the mystery, decades later, remains unsolved. There he discovers friendship and danger with the aristocratic Cameron and the beautiful Olivia. But watchful eyes follow him everywhere... Until, one night, he comes across a secret that will change his life. As he begins to unravel what really happened to the Surway fortune, the question remains: who is Lucian Baker?

Reader reviews:

"When your heart is pounding and you can't turn the page fast enough you know you've discovered a book worth telling people about."

"To be classified as genuinely great fiction"

"Harry Potter-esque in how much of a page turner it was - I got my copy while traveling and I couldn't put it down (almost missed a flight!)... "

"The highest praise one can give a book is they could not put it down. Well, I went on a vacation with my girlfriend and was actively considering skipping most of our plans because I literally could not put this book down"

"Will appeal to mature readers who are hungry for well written fiction, and a younger audience that loved books such as the Harry Potters and is looking for an even more engaging plot line and cast of characters."

"The Secret Billionaire is an amazing read that is not only incredibly well written (cannot believe it's a debut novel) but also has you on the edge of your seat during the entire time."

GRAND PRIZE WINNER of the 2017 WRITER'S DIGEST BOOK AWARDS

September 11, 1973: Eleven-year-old Alejandro Penda watches from his apartment window as Santiago, Chile falls to a military coup, destroying his family and his childhood. Arriving alone in America, he's taken in by the Larks: a prominent family in the town of Guelisten. Though burdened by unresolved grief for his disappeared parents, he becomes fiercely loyal to the Larks, eventually marrying one of their daughters, Valerie.

September 11, 2001: Javier Landes watches from his apartment window as New York City falls to terrorism. As one of Manhattan's top-paid male escorts, this professional lover has never lacked for company and is loyal only to himself. But in the wake of 9/11, Jav is named guardian for an orphaned nephew in Guelisten and must open his carefully-guarded heart to pain he's long suppressed.

Alex, Valerie and Jav meet first in their twenties, with a sudden attraction each finds strange and compelling. When they meet again in their forties, they discover not only is their bond still strong, but their life experiences are strangely similar. Each was shaped by a 9/11, and their unfinished business from the past will change everything they know about love, loyalty and friendship.

"Life has rules. You cannot come in the middle of the night and take what we agreed isn't yours."

Across three decades and two continents, Suanne Laqueur's fifth novel explores the unpredictability of sexual attraction, how family ties are forged, torn and mended, and how love's downfall can turn to exaltation.

A strange encounter. An unlikely friendship. But will it survive when they both know the truth?

As single mother Leah struggles to get her children ready one morning, the doorbell rings. Standing on the doorstep of their terraced house in Whitley Bay is a well-dressed stranger, Clio, who feels an emotional tie to the house that she can’t explain. The story should end there, but a long-buried secret is already on its way to the surface…

In some ways the two women couldn’t be more different: Leah’s a mother of two and the daughter of a barmaid; Clio’s a perennially single heiress to her baroness mother’s estate. But where Leah lacks grown-up company, Clio lacks any experience of the real world, and the unlikely friendship sparked by their curious first meeting offers both of them a welcome respite from the routine of their lives.

It is a friendship that will answer questions neither of them knew to ask, uncovering secret stories from the past that have stayed hidden for decades. But will it also be the catalyst for them to finally feel that they belong?