"Funny and LGBTQ+ affirming, Darts and Flowers is a story about teenagers who are desperate to be loved, validated, and part of a community." —Foreword Reviews

When Josh Bradshaw returns to his childhood home and the house down the street from his childhood best friend, it seems like it could be a new beginning. After all, he's older now, and although his feelings haven't changed, he now has words to describe what he felt. He's gay, and he's had a crush on Brian Esau since they were eleven.

Zack Standish couldn't be happier that his best friend is back home, and although he's not sure how to respond to the fact that Josh is gay, there is one very clear silver lining: Missy, the girl of his dreams, is dating his best friend's crush.

"Funny and LGBTQ+ affirming, Darts and Flowers is a story about teenagers who are desperate to be loved, validated, and part of a community." —Foreword Reviews

When Josh Bradshaw returns to his childhood home and the house down the street from his childhood best friend, it seems like it could be a new beginning. After all, he's older now, and although his feelings haven't changed, he now has words to describe what he felt. He's gay, and he's had a crush on Brian Esau since they were eleven.

Zack Standish couldn't be happier that his best friend is back home, and although he's not sure how to respond to the fact that Josh is gay, there is one very clear silver lining: Missy, the girl of his dreams, is dating his best friend's crush.

The plan is simple:

1. Break up Brian and Missy.
2. Confess their love to their respective crushes.
3. Live happily ever after.

It's a win-win for everyone... or maybe not.

When the plan spirals out of control, Zack and Josh must choose what matters most—their childhood friendship or the romance just within reach.

Debut young adult author Dean Backus spins a fun and crafty tale of friendship, identity, secrets, and love in this LGBTQ romantic comedy set in the 1990s at a private Seattle high school. Darts and Flowers is inspired by Shakespeare’s comedies and iconic teen films of the 90s.

Kate Chambers knows that cold cases are almost always a lost cause.

So when two skeletons are discovered in Pittsburgh and Kate believes that she has insider information about the crime, she joins Chief Detective Stefan Jablonsky in his investigation. She's determined to find justice for the family.

It doesn't take long to identify the victims: two siblings who had gone missing twenty years ago. As Kate digs into the neighborhood and Jablonsky starts chasing down leads, the list of suspects grows.

With the cold case reopened and witnesses dying soon after coming forward, it's clear that someone has a lot to lose. Kate and Jablonsky must work together to unravel the mysteries and make sure that whoever killed the siblings doesn't get away with murder a second time.

Perfect for fans of Louise Penny, Ann Cleeves, and Kerry Greenwood, this mystery will keep you guessing all the way to the end.

A lifelong adventure starts with a young girl, her family, and three honest questions.

Life is full of questions. What should I do today? Where am I headed? How do I become who I'm meant to be? Follow one young girl's questions and discoveries as charming depictions of everyday life give way to magical worlds.

This debut picture book is a celebration of courageous curiosity and all those who help us discover who we really are.

In the wake of a hurricane, a young girl is found dead in a shipping container in St. Thomas. Short-handed with agents and residents picking up the pieces after the storm, the FBI calls in Paul Dodge, who was taking an all-too-rare vacation in the sun and sand.

The case quickly escalates and lands the agent in a world of gangs, drugs, and human trafficking. Dodge will need to rely on his years of training and military skills if he is to survive the coming showdown and find justice for the victim.

PRAISE FOR CHRISTOPHER FLORY AND THE PAUL DODGE NOVELS:

“Flory delivers a strong and complex crime thriller speckled with sharp action, salty dialog, and deep character development... Sure to engross fans of Connelly, Patterson, and Coben.” – Dave Edlund, USA Today best-selling author of the Peter Savage novels.

"Highly recommended, especially for lovers of police procedurals." –Nancy Boyarsky, Award-winning author of the Nicole Graves novels

"Kudos to Christopher Flory. The writing is crisp, no-nonsense, the reader is captive..." –Nancy Nau Sullivan, author of the Blanche Murninghan Mysteries

"An expertly told tale of loss, love, and second chances." —Kirkus Reviews

One man's journey toward a better life.

When the wife of a plantation owner dies on a fateful night in 1887, John Billingsly makes the gut-wrenching decision to leave his mother and everything he knows to flee their slave cabin in Richmond, Virginia. Instructed by his mother to find a cousin in Mt. Hope, Alabama, John wends his way south in hope of a better life.

With the plantation owner shadowing him every step of the way, his journey is perilous. One misstep could cost him his freedom—and his life.

Inspired by a true story, Lost Souls Recovered is a mesmerizing historical family saga of loss and gain, survival and self-reinvention, and one family's fight for freedom in the midst of the post-Civil War American South.

To see a change, you must be the change.

Mary Parker has just settled down for her usual morning breakfast when a scream of sirens blazes past her manor drawing her attention away from the flowers and birds of early Spring. Her old high school is on fire, and as she watches the students’ responses, she knows she needs to help. Her life, changed by Mildred’s impact, has set her up well to offer assistance to the community in need: she has a gymnasium the other school can use for their prom and graduation, and with a little coordination with the other school’s principal, she hopes to make a night the kids will never forget.

When her school, the School of Art, is vandalized, Mary knows her help must extend far beyond a single dance. But what will happen to her school and the museum if she takes in these at-risk kids? Will the new Second Chance Program truly be able to help these kids, or will the students’ presence have a negative impact on the school and museum she loves so much?

With Mildred’s nudging preventing her from backing down, Mary, Alfred, Antoinette, and Charlie venture into the unknown and the risks required to make a change in their community near Chicago. Nothing could prepare them for just how much their own lives would change by opening their doors—and their hearts.

Mildred’s Legacy: Second Chance Kids is the sequel to Mildred the Bird Lady, however each book can be read as a stand-alone or in order of publication.

Bang has a knack for adopting the most improbable causes...

Blanche “Bang” Murninghan was perfectly content sitting on the dock of the Peel ‘n Eat Pier on Santa Maria Island, sipping an excellent draft and wiggling her fishing pole after an elusive sheepshead. Perfectly content, that is until Jean McMahon appears at her side and forever disrupts Blanche’s peaceful idyll with ghosts of the past.

Blanche's amateur sleuthing skills have become local legend, and Jean needs her help. It’s not a simple favor Jean asks: Will Blanche go to Vietnam with her and look for Jean’s mother?

Blanche feels an old wound ripped open in her heart. Her father was killed in Vietnam, and she’s never gotten much history from her beloved grandmother and mother on the subject. She realizes she and Jean share a powerful bond: they both want the truth.

Blanche and Jean don’t stop once they land in Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. Ex-pat “Stick” Dahlkamp makes sure of that. They pick up the search together. The three cross the rice paddies on Stick’s Honda Dream to Ben Tre and My Tho, old stomping grounds for Stick, a former Ninth Infantry Division Riverine and now the owner of the popular bar The Follies. He’s got friends in jungle towns who might help, and indeed they do. And don’t. Blanche begins to wonder if he’s running them off the road.

As they trace Jean’s mother’s steps, they meet more than one shady character who thinks it better to let things lie. Against her better judgment, Blanche beats down the doors of the past. She is looking for Jean’s mother and following her father’s trail. He left without a trace. Or did he? Does anyone?

Mission Improbable: Vietnam is the third book in the Blanche Murninghan cozy mystery series. Each of the books can be read as a stand-alone. Foreword Reviews is in love with the "spunky heroine" and Kirkus Reviews says, "There’s a reason Blanche Murninghan’s cousin Jack calls her 'Bang.' When she gets mad, it’s an event to rival a Santa Maria Island sunset—and it happens about as often."

Fans of Jana Deleon's Miss Fortune Mystery series and Tonya Kappes A Camper and Criminals Cozy series will fall hard for the colorful characters and exciting misadventures in the Blanche Murningnan Mysteries.

"Carol Finizza provides a fast-paced plot, great sense of place, and wicked sense of humor in this amusing mystery." —Nancy Boyarsky, bestselling author of The Nicole Graves Mysteries

"Finizza takes you on a rollercoaster ride with a likable, fully developed heroine who we root for and will all want to spend more time with in the future. Great debut novel!” —Amanda Lamb, author of the Maddie Arnette Mysteries

"The heroine, Amanda Beckwith, is a brilliantly crafted character sprinkled with flaws that will instantly make her a favorite of mystery readers." —Christopher Flory, author of the Paul Dodge series

Amanda Beckwith is a classic underachiever who finally hits the jackpot when she marries Santa Barbara wellness guru Geoff Martin. She is fast becoming the envy of her hip, 30-something girlfriends when Geoff dumps her for Bree, his massage therapist. With nothing to show for her short marriage but a couple of minor brushes with the law and a tiny drinking problem, Amanda escapes to Hollywood Beach, 20 miles south of Santa Barbara, to focus on her career as professional organizer and “Messy Girl” blogger for a small local newspaper.

When Bree is found murdered on the beach behind Amanda’s house, her life spirals into chaos. Detectives single her out as a person of interest. With few people listening to her side of the story, Amanda resorts to her own devices to clear her name.

As Amanda edges closer to the truth, her status shifts from person of interest to next victim.

After a near brush with death, Maddie Arnette heads to the charming coastal town of Cape Mayson, North Carolina to heal. She temporarily trades in her microphone for a paddleboard. But when she finds a dead man floating in the water, her sabbatical turns into a quest for the truth.

When the police call the death an accidental drowning, Maddie is not convinced. Everyone in the small town seems to know something about what happened, and they all seem scared. Maddie is determined to unravel the complicated web of secrets.

There’s nothing better than a sweet, juicy peach cobbler at the end of a summer day.

Thoughts of her mother’s cobbler fill Olivia’s head as she strolls into the family orchard to fill her basket with perfect peaches. Instead of peaches on the trees, she finds a mess of half-eaten, bruised peaches scattered on the ground.

A rowdy group of possums are eating, playing soccer, and bowling with perfectly good fruit. Olivia knows that somehow she and the possums must reach a compromise to save the orchard and have enough peaches for everyone to enjoy.

"Finding sacredness in the other does not just create societal harmony, it may also be an essential milestone in the path to a more meaningful self-discovery…" —Radical Revolution of Values

In this thoroughly researched and hopeful examination inspired by Rev. Martin Luther King’s call for "a radical revolution of values," the author guides readers through a worldly and spiritual voyage, taking a deep dive into the holy scriptures of various religions and their guiding light to move toward justice, peace, and global harmony.

Grounded in the principle that our religions can be a source of solutions towards the world’s disputes, Azam delves into the emotionally charged and polarized identities that are too often used as tools of exploitation and control instead of empowerment and freedom.

This book inspires readers to ask intricate questions about the world around them by unraveling the complex web of geopolitics, politico-economic systems, and religion in international conflicts.

"A historical fiction piece that will keep you turning the page!" —Christopher Flory, author of the award-winning Paul Dodge series

There's always the one case that got away, the one with loose ends and a lack of closure that plagues those who investigate it.

For James Butler, a partner in a prestigious boutique law firm in Orange County, that case is the 1985 murder of DEA Special Agent Enrique Camarena in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Though the murder occurred more than 35 years ago, James can't shake the nagging feeling that maybe the investigators missed something. The more James digs into this cold case, the more unwanted attention he gathers from powerful forces on both sides of the border who would prefer to keep the case closed.

Someone Had to Die follows a fictional lawyer as he digs into the true story of Special Agent Enrique "Kiki" Camarena's abduction and murder in 1985, drawing from and exposing interviews and facts never before published.

Excerpt from Someone Had to Die:

“Have you thought that if the CIA was so intent on keeping its actions quiet that they had a fellow federal agent killed what would they do to someone who starts digging too deep or gets too close?”

James shakes his head no and starts down the stairs. No, he reflects, I really hadn’t thought about it. But I am now.

Missing women, a disbanded cult, and a dodgy inheritance put Beatrix Patterson to the test.

Beatrix Patterson wanted to spend a morning organizing her thoughts over a nice cup of coffee and the local newspaper. But her carefully curated day is quickly interrupted when a friend of a friend asks for her help. Their friend is dead, and he wants to make sure there's no foul play. Cases keep piling in, as another family friend seeks his wife. Then a body is found at the base of local cliffs with no one to claim her.

Beatrix is good at finding things—people, the truth, missing evidence. As more Jane Does appear at the base of the cliff, each with similar ceremonial markings, Beatrix grows more passionate.

The deeper she digs, the less the pieces fit together. From a strange, disbanded cult to the drag queen desperate to claim an inheritance, Beatrix is soon stretched thin.

Surrounded by new neighbors with shadowed pasts, she has to wonder: will anyone believe her?

This historical mystery novel is packed with intrigue and beauty, set four years after World War II ends. Follow familiar characters Beatrix Patterson and Thomas Ling as they settle into a new life in Santa Barbara, California. The Finder is the second book in the Beatrix Patterson novels, however, each book can be read as a stand-alone or in order of publication.

"In the city, sitting in a squad car made you an easy target, but in the country you were a shield." –The Kill Floor

Frank "Flash" Gordon knows it's a detective's duty to speak for the victim, even when the world would rather they turn their back.

When the brash CEO of a huge swine factory is found dead on the property, most of the rural town wants to say "good riddance" and let the world move on one billionaire fewer. Frank can't shake the feeling that something is off. How can he solve the murder when the whole town seemed to want the victim dead? To make matters more complex, most of the clues point to a dead man.

As the case twists and turns, Frank struggles to maintain his marriage to local environmental activist Stephanie. Frank's hunt for the truth puts him, his marriage, and his career on the kill floor.

Perfect for fans of police procedural novels, this small town murder mystery weaves drama and intrigue among the vibrant midwestern community members and the new industries throwing their way of life off balance. 

Kate Tyler isn't sure she's living the life she was meant to live. Eden Springs has been wonderful, but she can't deny the wanderlust tugging at her heart. Desperate for a change of pace, she packs her bags and heads to the ancient town of Rye, England where she hopes she'll find inspiration for her new travel blog.

But when she arrives, mysteries follow her everywhere she goes. Strangers seem to know her, a book of ancient legends contains her mirror image, and Virginia Calloway is insistent that Kate come over to discuss the Legend of Arabella Courbain. Hoping to solve one of the many mysteries of this spontaneous trip, Kate agrees.

But the deeper Kate digs into the truth of what happened to Arabella back in 1766, the more she learns that the present may not hold the answers she needs. When legends cross with reality, Kate must find the truth before history repeats itself.

"Prepare yourself to be taken on an emotional journey."

–Kellie Hodges, NC SBI, Special Agent In Charge of Human Trafficking and Crime Scene

Best friends Anna and Rosa are lured from the coffee fields of Nicaragua to a hotel in Costa Rica with the promise of steady employment as maids. They travel together with the excitement of a new life awaiting. What they find instead is a life of slavery and abuse.

Anna and Rosa are determined to rescue themselves and the others they befriend—but the journey will take them years and could cost them their lives.

Based on real-life stories, The Maid brings the problem of human trafficking to life and encourages readers to connect with the victims on a personal level.

For the first time, read the whole Montaland Adventures Trilogy in one eBook boxed set!

Captives of the Fern Queen is the first in a series of three stories that take place in Montaland, the mountain world. Montaland is a world of mountains: icy peaks, tree-covered ranges, rocky crags, and lowest of all—the grassy hills of the Kingdom of Mount Pasture. Hills shouldn’t be in a mountain world, especially not hills covered by smelly sheep. That’s what Mt. Pasture’s twelve-year-old Princess Janna thinks anyway, and when she tries to liven up her boring kingdom by telling the old stories to younger kids, everyone gets angry at her. Janna would give anything to get out of her kingdom and see something from the old stories, but when she does get out, it’s not exactly what she had in mind. Crawling through a dark tunnel isn’t fun and neither is starving as a prisoner of the Fern Queen.

Fernpeople. In the second book of the Montaland series the evil Fern Queen is dead but five green-veined fernpeople have survived. They will do anything to protect themselves. The Kingdom of Mount Pasture seems like a peaceful, safe place. The most exciting event in eleven-year-old Benk’s life is lambing time. His older brother Alland is traveling to another kingdom to woo a princess. This infuriates Benk who is left behind with pregnant sheep duty. Sixteen-year-old Janna is baking cookies in Mount Pasture’s castle kitchen when something hits her on the head, knocking her to the floor. As she loses consciousness, Janna has a dazed vision of a green-veined arm coming around her and roughly lifting her up. Fernpeople! Fernpeople have her! Benk “borrows” a horse and sets out from Mount Pasture. Wolves start howling near the fernpeople’s hidden cave—and Janna, held hostage, wonders how she can keep going.

Benk and the Ugly Princess. In Montaland, the mountain world, there are different kingdoms. Rose, a high-ranking princess in one of the kingdoms, has disguised herself to look ugly, but her coverup is exposed and she will soon be forced to marry the highest bidder. She must escape, but how far can she get on her own? Benk is a famous scout who finds Rose and wants to help her, but they are trapped in a cabin by evil wedewolves. Will even Benk be able to plan his way out of this one? Benk and the Ugly Princess is a fun fantasy with likeable characters who deal with one danger after another and find that the Maker of all worlds comes through for them—in unexpected ways.

The Ransom (Nicole Graves Mysteries, #4)

"Nicole Graves is the best fictional sleuth to come down the pike since Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone." –Laura Levine, bestselling author of the Jaine Austen Mysteries

As a newly minted private investigator, Nicole Graves expects to take on legal cases for corporate clients. But when her client’s son, Brad Rexton, is killed trying to protect his wife, Ashley, from a home invasion-turned-kidnapping, the firm is hired to investigate what will become Nicole's most dangerous case yet.

Within a few days, someone dear to Nicole is kidnapped in the same manner as Ashley. Nicole is willing to hand over the ransom at any cost but finds it’s not so easy. The kidnappers have an uncanny ability to track her every move, and they suspect a trap. When their most terrifying threat is delivered to her door, Nicole is faced with a dreadful choice: Can she count on the police or must she risk going it alone?

The Entitled (Nicole Graves Mysteries, #5)

"Vibrant street scenes, swift pacing, and Nicole’s steely nerve make The Entitled an entertaining adventure." – Foreword Reviews

Travel to London and retrieve Abigail Fletcher, a 17-year-old in a study abroad program at the prestigious King’s College in London. The assignment sounds simple enough.

But Abigail’s return is put on indefinite hold when she’s charged with the murder of her boyfriend, a former student at King’s. Nicole believes Abigail has been framed, but the victim’s tight-knit circle of friends and relatives are most unwilling to talk to an American detective. Further complicating the case, is Abigail’s defiant and uncooperative demeanor.

As evidence stacks up against Abigail, Nicole discovers that she herself has become the next target. Nicole’s first solo case abroad as a private detective has just turned a lot more deadly than she ever anticipated.

The Nicole Graves Mysteries have been compared to the mysteries of Mary Higgins Clark and praised for contributing to the "women-driven mystery field with panache" (Foreword Reviews) as well as for their "hold-onto-the-bar roller coaster" plots (RT Book Reviews).

Kirkus Reviews concluded, "Boyarsky's weightless complications expertly combine menace with bling, making the heroine's adventures both nightmarish and dreamy." And Foreword Reviews has fallen for the "tough and likable protagonist Nicole Graves" while Midwest Book Review praises the "exquisite tension" throughout the story.

The Moscow Affair (Nicole Graves Mysteries, #6)

"The Moscow Affair is a thoroughly entertaining and unforgettable thriller punctuated by smart dialog, richly crafted scenes, and a topical plot." –Dave Edlund, USA Today bestselling author of Valiant Savage

In this fast-paced mystery, P.I. Nicole Graves agrees to an unusual, short-term assignment working for MI6 in Russia. It sounds straightforward, even pleasant: a two-week luxury riverboat cruise on the Volga, observing a group of fellow passengers and filing a daily report on their activities. It's simple enough, except for one caveat: No matter what these people do, she’s to tell her handler at MI6—no one else, especially not the Russian police. When one of the riverboat passengers winds up dead, Nicole realizes this assignment was anything but straightforward.

Soon, Nicole is immersed in a high-stakes game of murder and espionage where trusting a stranger can be as deadly as a bullet.

"Edwards solidifies his place in the hallowed ground of Brad Meltzer, Steve Berry and James Rollins. Not to be missed." —Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author

“A well-crafted story of conspiracies and secrets that is as imaginative as it is compelling." —Steve Berry, New York Times and #1 international bestselling author

"To catch a phantom, you must open your mind to new realities and venture far into the unknown.” —The Omega Accord

After shocking murders ravage the Federal Reserve, FBI agents Mackenzie Fallon and Morgan Nash are assigned to investigate. As clues reveal connections to secret societies and ancient symbols, Mackenzie and Morgan traverse the globe in search of the truth.

The investigation twists and turns, revealing a secret brotherhood pulling the strings behind Presidential assassinations, Vatican successions, and government destabilization. The deeper Mackenzie and Morgan dig, the murkier the lines between friend and foe become.

With pandemics and global war threatening the world they love, Mackenzie and Morgan must race against a shadowy brotherhood to eliminate the mastermind before everything they love crumbles around them.

This high-octane thriller is full of conspiracy and espionage, painting a world where nothing is as it seems.

One child could change the future of humanity.

Eleven years after a virus swept through the world, small, spread-out gangs are all that's left of humanity. Veena Osborne and her mentor, Abraham Jones, lead the Tierrans through the daily trials of surviving in post-apocalyptic San Diego. Together, they cling to the daily disciplines of faith and life that keep them safe and alive.

When Nate Sinclair stumbles out of a NASA-sponsored suspended animation experiment and into a world changed by catastrophic fires and pandemics, he finds his way to the Tierrans, and to Veena. The miraculous preservation of Nate through all the trials of the world might be enough to keep a sterile humanity alive, but the spreading knowledge of his immunity threatens to push the surviving humans into all-out war.

This apocalyptic novel is sure to entice fans of P.D. James (The Children of Men), Lauren James (The Quiet at the End of the World), and Clare Morrall (When the Floods Came) with its vibrant characters and intense storylines.

Four kingdoms are locked in a horrible war—a war that, if lost, will surrender innocent lives to the power and control of King Kayne, the barbaric and bloodthirsty king of the South. The kings and queen of the North, East, and West have no choice but to join forces against the South if they’re going to hold onto everything they hold dear.

But the northern Queen’s brother has a different ambition in mind, and sees the South as a route to power. While Kayne spends his time traveling across the Great Sea, seeking out herbs and potions to enhance his abilities, Kristofer rises amongst the ranks to become his right hand and leads the people in the king’s absence.

Bewildered and devastated by Kristofer’s betrayal, Queen Elora of the North and lifelong ally King Rian of the West join their armies to fight against him. As they seek to save their kingdoms, Elora and Rian face an excruciating struggle between the love they once had for Kristofer and their duty to deal the fatal blow.

Fans of Christopher Paolini, Laura Sebastian, and Chloe Gong are sure to devour this action-packed debut from D.S. Churchill.

Inspired by his immigrant physician mother, who surmounted multiple obstacles in her forty-five year-career, Dr. Friedman worked through a twenty-year battle with depression to realize the life-saving power of committing himself to love, spirit, and service. This story of his personal journey toward wholeness offers thoughtful advice for those who suffer and encouragement for those aspiring to careers in the healing arts.

Where Spirit Touches Matter: A journey toward wholeness is a book about health, healing, and hope by a physician who has spent more than thirty-five years helping patients find relief from pain and suffering.

Dr. Friedman writes: "On a journey to Tibet, while circling what is widely considered the holiest mountain on Earth, Mount Kailash, which sources the five great rivers of Asia with its runoff, I heard the myth that one of the rivers, the Saraswati, existed only in nonmaterial form. In this form, it contributed a spiritual and vitalistic energy to the holy Ganges, which arises at the convergence of four rivers in the Himalayan region of India.

"Eight years later, on my last journey to India, I stood in front of the gorge where the Saraswati River originates, and I wept. I wept because I saw that the nonmaterial had become material, and that the chasm between the mythological and the physically real had been bridged. This is the meeting place of spirit and matter that I have pursued in endless forms throughout my life.

"This book chronicles a sampling of my experiences of that space between. It honors the continuously moving stream running through all of time and space, filled wholly with the presence of a loving consciousness. I am grateful to have been a participant in the flow of that stream and to have been given the opportunity to return whatever love I can into that current."

An elderly mother, an aging son, and life’s final journey
"Winter Stars is a gift — a modern classic of frontier literature documenting the uncertain journey into the country of caregiving." –Michael J. Fox.

Dave Iverson was a busy broadcast journalist recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when he decided to do something he’d never quite imagined: He moved in to take care of his 95-year-old mom. Winter Stars is the moving story of their ten-year caregiving journey.

"The resulting memoir is a love story you won't soon forget," writes Elizabeth Farnsworth, former chief correspondent for The PBS NewsHour and author of A Train Through Time.

By the end of this decade, 74 million Americans will be over the age of 65, including every member of the Baby Boom generation. The pandemic prompted more Americans to consider caring for their parents at home, but as Iverson learned, the gritty, life-changing reality caregiving delivers requires more than good intentions. He didn’t know that his mom’s dementia would pose more challenges than his Parkinson’s. He didn’t know he’d be capable of getting so angry. He didn’t know that becoming a caregiver means experiencing love and loss, anger and insight—usually when exhausted and often on the same day. And he didn’t know that moving in with his mom would challenge and change him more than any other life experience.

"A deeply moving memoir, Winter Stars is still more than that — it is a guide to finding the help we all need, in one way or another, as life poses new and different challenges," praises Ron Elving, Senior Editor and Correspondent, NPR

For the vast number of families who are confronting —or will soon confront—a caregiving journey, Winter Stars offers an intimate, unvarnished portrait of the challenges, choices, and life lessons that lie ahead.

"Honest, comforting, and true, Winter Stars is a testament to the power of family love," says Ann Packer, best-selling author of The Dive from Clausen’s Pier and Songs Without Words.

Four kingdoms are locked in a horrible war—a war that, if lost, will surrender innocent lives to the power and control of King Kayne, the barbaric and bloodthirsty king of the South. The kings and queen of the North, East, and West have no choice but to join forces against the South if they’re going to hold onto everything they hold dear.

But the northern Queen’s brother has a different ambition in mind, and sees the South as a route to power. While Kayne spends his time traveling across the Great Sea, seeking out herbs and potions to enhance his abilities, Kristofer rises amongst the ranks to become his right hand and leads the people in the king’s absence.

Bewildered and devastated by Kristofer’s betrayal, Queen Elora of the North and lifelong ally King Rian of the West join their armies to fight against him. As they seek to save their kingdoms, Elora and Rian face an excruciating struggle between the love they once had for Kristofer and their duty to deal the fatal blow.

Excerpt from When Kingdom Comes:

Elora stood frozen, staring at her brother. It was Rian’s voice beside her that brought her back. “Call off your men, Kristofer. This is a slaughter.” His voice was low, angry, and filled with hatred.

Kristofer’s deep laugh surrounded them. “This is war. Slaughter is inevitable.”

Fans of Christopher Paolini, Laura Sebastian, and Chloe Gong are sure to devour this action-packed debut from DS Churchill.