Z.R. Southcombe

Hm, my name should be an easy question, but it’s actually not! My name is Zenobia, most people know me as ‘Zee’, and I write under my initials, Z.R. Southcombe

What is your latest release and what genre is it? The Caretaker of Imagination was released on the 21st of March 2015. It’s a children’s chapter book, but it’s for grown-up kids as well, and fits in the adventure / fantasy genre. The book features pirates, a dragon, and (of course) cupcakes.

Quick description: Bored with his normal life, John Carroll runs away with his faithful cat in search of adventure. When he meets a real-life pirate, John realizes there is much more to the world than he’d ever thought possible – that magic is real, and in desperate need of a hero.

John must convince the (once fearsome) Captain Simon Peabody to join him on a fantastic and perilous quest to find the only person who can save magic from being lost forever: the Caretaker of Imagination.

Brief biography:
Z.R. Southcombe is a children’s fantasy writer and surrealist painter. She is the author of recently released picture book What Stars Are Made Of and upcoming chapter book The Caretaker of Imagination.

She usually has a few creative projects on the go, including a personal blog, and is always inspired by the young people she meets in her teaching job. No matter what project she is currently working on, Z. R. is usually accompanied by a cup of tea.

Links to buy Z.R. Southcombe’s book:
Amazon
Kobo
Pt Chev Bookshop, New Zealand (print book)

Z.R. Southcombe’s promo links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Email: zeesouthcombe (at) gmail.com

What are you working on now?
In this series, I’ve got the second book with my illustrator and am working on the third book’s draft. I’m also working closely with author Anne Vrankovich to publish some of her children’s books, as well as doing some more personal paintings of my own.

Z.R. Southcombe’s reading recommendation:
One book I was introduced to this year and LOVED is an oldie: The Ship That Flew. It’s by Hilda Lewis, who was a novelist, and wrote this for her children so they wouldn’t get bored when they went on holiday and forgot to take books with them! It’s got a C.S. Lewis feel to the writing (though they’re not related as far as I know) and touches on Nordic mythology.

TyCobbsTeeth

Robert A. Smith writing as TyCobbsTeeth

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Society for Supper
(Fiction – Action/Adventure, Thriller)

Quick description: Wide spread drought has gripped the planet and devastated food supplies around the world. Riots have started breaking out as chaos is tearing away at the fabric of society. Ben Donnelly, a former special weapons and tactics officer with the Boston police force, is in the fight of his life, trying to protect his family from the storm of inhumanity.

Society for Supper follows the Donnellys in their struggle to survive in the aftermath of the global food shortage and ultimately the collapse of society. The life they know is ripped away. They learn all too quickly, how we are all part of a precariously balanced community and when the balance is lost – society is devoured by the chaos of desperation.

Brief biography:
I live in Eastern Canada with my wife, two daughters and 3 year old Tibetan-Terrier, Cheeky-Monkey. During the day I manage a small team of IT forensic investigators and at night I love a good book. Something that keeps me turning pages and staying up way too late.

Links to buy TyCobbsTeeth book:
Website

TyCobbsTeeth promo links:
Blog
Goodreads
Twitter
Amazon Author Page

What are you working on now?
I’ve just started working on a new project that I’m excited about. It follows a killer around in the first person. I don’t want to give too many details away – plus it’s still only a few storyboard cards.

TyCobbsTeeth reading recommendation:
Recently I’ve been devouring the Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz. I love his sense of humor and writing style.

P.S. Bartlett

P.S. Bartlett is my pen name but you may call me Peggy

What is your latest release and what genre is it? My most recent novel is The Blue Diamond – The Razor’s Edge. It is the first installment in the Ivory Razor Adventures Series.

Quick description: If you can imagine a cross between Charlie’s Angels on the wrong side of the law and Pirates of The Caribbean, you’d be pretty close. However, this book is the story of Ivory Shepard, an unlikely pirate Captain who is captured by a rival pirate in order to collect the bounty on her head. Unfortunately for him, he ends up falling in love with her.

Brief biography:
I was born on Valentine’s Day many moons ago in South Baltimore, Maryland, less than a mile from Fort McHenry and Federal Hill. I suppose growing up to write historical fiction was inevitable considering I grew up surrounded by history.

My first novel, Fireflies, was published with GMTA Publishing in 2013 and the prequel to Fireflies, entitled Hope From the Ocean, was published in March of 2014, followed by The Blue Diamond in October of 2014. I love history and historical fiction. I get my history fix via movies, television and of course books, although I enjoy reading almost every genre.

Links to buy Peggy’s book:
Amazon: Fireflies
Amazon: Hope From the Ocean
Amazon: The Blue Diamond – The Razor’s Edge

Peggy’s promo links:
Twitter
Facebook
Website
YouTube
Pinterest
Google+
Amazon Author Page
Goodreads

What are you working on now?
I am currently working on the second book in the Ivory Razor Adventure series. I’m so excited to be back in the early 1700’s with these wild and crazy ladies!

Peggy’s reading recommendation:
Since it’s obvious I love historical fiction and pirates, I’ve been reading the Endless Horizon Pirate Stories by Cristi Taijeron. I’ve finished books one and two in the Uncharted Secrets series and I’m hooked! I’ve downloaded book three and I started it last night.

Oliver Chase

Oliver Chase

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Blind Marsh (sequel and last book to Marsh Island of The Hirebomber Series) – thriller/suspense, crime, mystery

Quick description: Phillip Pfeiffer is sent home from the Gulf War with a broken back and a bad taste in his mouth. His country all but forgot its promise and left him to die on the battlefield. Only luck or providence, and an iron will let a wandering band of nomads save him. Out of uniform, Phil opens a modest private investigation agency in downtown Phoenix. When a widow convinces him to secure a death certificate for a husband killed while boating in Mexico, people start dying. After the photos of a look-a-like husband appear in a celebrity magazine, Phil goes to Oregon. When, the celebrity suddenly dies in an aircraft accident, Phil is left to swim for his life, survive on a coral atoll, and face a murder charge that ends him in a Bahamian prison.

Brief biography:
Oliver Chase grew up on military bases throughout the U.S. enjoying convertibles, beaches, and drive-ins. With Herb, his best friend, he joined a college program for the Marines. A few years later with a Smith Corona in hand, Oliver landed in the same war and not far from the spot where Herb died. With thirty other young men, he flew day and night with the intent to come home alive. Several did not. A thousand missions later, the typewriter and he moved to the Navajo Indian reservation in New Mexico where busy days and long nights healed the soul.

The years and venue changed, yet the writing never stopped. The Smith was traded for a Zenith, Mac, and a PC as The Hirebomber Crime Series – Marsh Island and Blind Marsh were born.

Today, Ollie lives along the Gulf of Mexico with free roaming farm animals and friendly dogs. He flies a Grumman Tiger and swims to regenerate a fertile mind. Soon, he will put the finishing touches on Levant Mirage, a story about the world’s survival in the face of extremism. The first draft of The Joshua Tree, will complete next spring. A rising political star faces the temptation of power and the corruption success engenders.

Links to buy Oliver’s books:
Smashwords – eBook
Amazon – eBook and paperback

Smashwords
Amazon – eBook and paperback

Oliver’s promo links:
GCWA Authors
Website
Blog

What are you working on now?
Levant Mirage – Spring 2015
The Joshua Tree – Winter 2016

Oliver’s reading recommendation:
The Keys by Frank Wilem
A Dangerous Element by Gregory Lamb

Mary Cunningham – update on a new book

Mary Cunningham was previously featured on Reading Recommendations in Feb. 2014. She’s back again now to tell us about her newest publication.

Saving Annabelle (The Adventures of Max & Maddie # 3)
by Mary Cunningham

“Nothing says Christmas like uncovering your tree and dragging it up the basement stairs.”

Thoughts like this leave Maddie shaking her head about her family’s pre-decorated, artificial monstrosity.

During Christmas break, a timely invitation from another friend leads Maddie and Max on a trip to an abandoned farm, to find a real tree. An untimely toss of a magic coin sends them back, smack-dab in the middle of the Civil War. When they discover a lost girl, Annabelle, Christmas takes on a whole new meaning.

The thirteen-year-old best friends have traveled back in time on other occasions, thanks to the antique gold coin given to them by an old miner at the Pine Mountain Gold Museum, in Georgia. Never before, however, have they been in the middle of a war! They’ve discovered on previous trips, that the only way to get back home is to accomplish a good deed, and since they’re pretty sure they aren’t nearly powerful enough to end the Civil War, they must find out what sent them to the 1860’s.

When Max and Maddie discover the young slave girl hiding in the woods, they’re pretty sure the task at hand will be reuniting her with her family.

Annabelle’s journey began two days earlier with her family’s attempted flight north before they get caught up in the impending war. In their quest to flee the only home Annabelle and her sister have ever known—a West Georgia plantation—and connect with the Underground Railroad, the young girl is separated from her family when men on horseback with hunting dogs catch their scent and give chase.

With the war gearing up, well-armed confederate soldiers occupying the main roads, and ever-present gangs scouring the woods for runaways, a brave pioneer, Jed Duffy hold the key to their way north, to safety.

Amazon Kindle
Mary Cunningham Author Page
Website
Cynthia’s Attic Blog

Other stories in The Adventures of Max and Maddie:
Ghost of Pine Mountain (# 1)
Buried Treasure (#2)
Coming soon: The Longest Cave (#4)

Andy Mulberry

Andy Mulberry

What is your latest release and what genre is it? My latest release is The Demonic Incident in Chinatown the second book in my Skycastle Series for middle grade-aged kids.

Quick description: Fast-paced, action-packed and funny, The Demonic Incident in Chinatown is the second in a series of middle grade books for fearless, adventure loving kids.

Brief biography:
Andy Mulberry loves to write books filled with strange adventures, odd characters and mysterious circumstances. She lives in Southern California with her scowling teenager, a chubby blue cat-beast, an imaginary dog and one leaky roof.

Links to buy Andy’s book:
Amazon – eBook, paperback, audio

Andy’s promo links:
My blog – Something smells fishy here…
Twitter

What are you working on now?
The third book in my Skycastle Series, titled The Demonic Kraken Debacle in Hollywood.

Andy’s reading recommendation:
I enjoyed reading The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare, it reads a bit like Harry Potter, which is totally fine by me.

Pete Buckley

Pete Buckley

What is your latest release and what genre is it? The Colonel of Krasnoyarsk (adventure thriller)

Quick description: When Russian Agent Yuri Medev is dispatched to New York City from his Siberian base to track down an evil crime boss known only as Nikovich, a chance meeting with beautiful young dance student Juli Regan and the discovery of murdered FBI Agent Martin Eisel, begin a manhunt across four states that leads only to a new mystery and an unexpected alliance with Eisels’s former partner.

Brief biography:
I’m Pete Buckley and I’m the UK based indie author of The Colonel of Krasnoyarsk which is my first novel. I am currently working on the next Yuri Medev adventure, provisionally titled The Kirov Conspiracy due for release early in 2015. Previously I wrote a couple of travel stories about various wonderful places such as New Zealand and the Swiss Alps. Aside from writing, travel has always been a big inspiration with hiking, biking and the outdoors taking up much of my time when I’m not looking after the kids.

Links to buy Pete’s book:
Amazon.com – eBook & paperback
Amazon UK – eBook & paperback
Smashwords – eBook
Barnes & Noble – Nook & paperback
Kobo – eBook

Pete’s promo links:
Website
Twitter
Amazon Author Central page

What are you working on now?
The Kirov Conspiracy which is Yuri’s next adventure

Pete’s reading recommendation:
The last book I read was The White Lioness by Henning Mankell – not current I know but I’ve always been a fan of Inspector Wallander.

Gary Phillips

Gary Phillips

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Astonishing Heroes: Shades of Justice. I’d say this collection of short stories is a mash-up of several genres – pulp, crime, adventure, sci-fi … even a bit of fantasy. In one compound word; super-heroes.

Quick description: Astonishing Heroes is a collection of 10 prose stories about meta humans, private eyes and vigilantes in the mold of ‘70s paperback series like the Baroness and the Destroyer. In its pages you’ll find the square-jawed and flawed heroes American Black, the Envoy, Ghost Wolf, Kidd Vee, Onyx Adams, the Reclaimer, the Silencer, Terror Flame and Victory Angel. They do battle against villains such as the Blonde Ghost, Stalin (yes, Stalin!), conniving one percenter gentrifiers and Dr. Knightgloss.

Bobby Nash, who has been featured on Reading Recommendations said of the collection, “Everything you’d expect from a Gary Phillips story collection — solid, kick-ass pulp.”

Brief biography:
Weaned on the images of Kirby and Steranko in comic books, and Hammett and Serling in prose, Gary Phillips draws on his experiences ranging from teaching incarcerated youth, director of a shadowy political action committee to delivering dog cages in writing his tales of chicanery and malfeasance. He is the past president of the Mystery Writers of America Southern California chapter, and has won the Himes and Brody Awards for his fiction.

Links to buy Gary’s book:
iPulpFiction.com – paperback and ebook
Amazon – eBook and paperback

Gary’s promo links:
Website
Blog
Amazon Author Page
I’m on Facebook and don’t really have a author’s page per se, but you can always reach me though my website.

What are you working on now?
Hoping to sell a second story to Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine; have a story in the upcoming Asian Pulp from Pro Se Productions; working on a revival in comics of a 1940s character, Lady Satan. She’ll be from indie outfit Emerald Star Comics, in the Velvet and Lazarus mold; working as well on my second Decimator Smith story, my 1930s era L.A. boxer turned public hero who first appeared in the Black Pulp Anthology I also co-edited. This will be for Black Pulp II, again from Pro Se.

Gary’s reading recommendation:
He hardly needs the publicity, what with winning the Pulitzer, but read Tom Reiss’ magnificent biography The Black Count. The book is about the real life adventures of Alexandre Dumas’ swashbuckling papa General Alex Dumas, the inspiration for his son’s characters. Slated to be a big budget movie but read the damn book, I tell ya.

Bobby Nash

Bobby Nash

What is your latest release and what genre is it? Box Thirteen – Adventure wanted! is my latest release. Box Thirteen is 6 new stories based on the Box Thirteen radio series that ran from 1948 – 1949 starring Alan Ladd. The genre is mystery, crime, thriller, and maybe just a sprinkling of horror and sci fi thrown in for good measure.

Quick description: Box Thirteen – Adventure Wanted!
Stories by Bobby Nash, Jim Beard, Barry Reese, and Andrew Salmon
Read by Nick Santa Maria. Liner Notes by Bobby Nash
Produced by Bobby Nash

“Adventure wanted — will go anywhere — do anything — Write Box Thirteen” c/o Star-Times.

When Dan Holiday opens Box Thirteen, he never knows what adventure awaits him. A former newspaperman turned novelist, Holiday crafts the plots for his books by living them. Spurred into action by letters from his readers, Dan Holiday’s adventures ranged from the outrageous to the dangerous. Whatever the case, Dan Holiday is sure to find adventure.

Based on the 1948-49 radio drama starring Alan Ladd, this collection includes 6 all-new Box Thirteen tales that carry on the action-packed tradition of the originals.

Dan Holiday’s new adventures spring to life as Nick Santa Maria opens up adventure’s favorite address, Box Thirteen. The beautiful cover painting is by Douglas Klauba. Available as an audio book and ebook.

Brief biography:
2013 Pulp Ark Award Winning Best Author, Bobby Nash writes novels, comic books, short prose, graphic novels, screenplays, media tie-ins, and more.

Between writing deadlines, Bobby is an actor and extra in movies and television, including appearances in Deviant Pictures’ Fat Chance, FOX’s The Following, and more. He is also the co-host of the Earth Station One podcast (www.esopodcast.com) and is a member of the International Association of Media Tie-in Writers and International Thriller Writers.

Bobby was named Best Author in the 2013 Pulp Ark Awards, his first professional writing award. Rick Ruby, a character co-created by Bobby and author Sean Taylor also snagged a Pulp Ark Award for Best New Pulp Character of 2013.

For more information on Bobby Nash please visit him at www.bobbynash.com.

Links to buy Bobby’s book:
The Box Thirteen – Adventure Wanted! Audiobook can be purchased at Radio Archives
Box Thirteen Audiobook – Adventure Wanted! – 6 hours [Audio CDs] #RA464
Box Thirteen Audiobook – Adventure Wanted! – 6 hours [Download] #RA964
The Box Thirteen – Adventure Wanted! ebook can be purchased at Radio Archives
Box Thirteen eBook Adventure Wanted! – [Download] #RE902

Amazon US (Kindle)
Amazon UK (Kindle)
Amazon CA (Kindle)

Barnes and Noble (Nook)
iTunes (ebook)

Bobby’s promo links:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Lance Star
Google+
Amazon Author Page
Ben Books
Instagram
Pinterest
Radio Archives

What are you working on now?
There are always new projects in process and on the horizon.
Upcoming releases include–
I wrote an episode of the webseries, Starship Farragut called “Conspiracy of Innocence” that will arrive in the next month or so. I’m very excited to see that.

Alexandra Holzer’s Ghost Gal is a novel I wrote that will arrive within a month or so from Raven’s Head Press.

The graphic novel adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs’ At The Earth’s Core will arrive later this year from Dark Horse Comics and Sequential Pulp Comics.

Snow Storm, the follow up to Snow Falls, is an ebook novel that will arrive this summer from Stark Raving Group.

Domino Lady “Money Shot” is a political thriller novel I wrote for Moonstone Books. It will be out in September.

There are a few more things coming, but I don’t have confirmed dates as yet. You can keep up with the latest news and releases at http://www.bobbynash.com or at my Amazon Author Page– http://amazon.com/author/bobbynash

Bobby’s reading recommendation:
Authors whose work I enjoy: Michael Connelly, Alex Kava, J.T. Ellison, Van Allen Plexico, Paul Bishop, Gary Philips, Jonathan Maberry, and more (it’s an ever-changing list). If you read something by one of these authors you won’t be disappointed.

Stephen Kozeniewski

Stephen Kozeniewski

What is your latest release and what genre is it? The Ghoul Archipelago is a hardcore horror sea adventure (with a soupçon of political satire.)

Quick description: The Ghoul Archipelago is partly my love letter to zombie fans (try to count all the Easter eggs) and partly my attempt to gain real street cred in the horror community. This is extreme horror at its goriest and I’m very proud of all the stomachs I’ve turned. This book’s got heart, though, in the form of a scrappy crew of smugglers who find themselves adrift in the South Pacific in the middle of the zombie apocalypse. When they receive a distress call from the American mainland they feel obliged to rescue the survivors, but first they must battle cannibals, pirates, and three of the nastiest villains who ever disgraced the globe.

Brief biography:
I’m an author, Germanist, and veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom. I live with my wife and two cats in Pennsylvania, the birthplace of modern zombie horror.

Links to buy Stephen’s book:
Amazon Worldwide – eBook and paperback

Stephen’s promo links:
Blog
Amazon Author Page
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads

What are you working on now?
I am working on a vampire novel for Permuted Press tentatively titled Hunter of the Dead.

Stephen’s reading recommendation:
I’m really enjoying reading Mary Fan’s Synthetic Illusions, which is Book II of the Jane Colt Series.
Mary Fan is featured on Reading Recommendations here!