As the Kelly Can Saga continues, Charlie and his wife, Susan, must deal with
continued conflict as they attempt to grow their fledgling Kelly Oil Company.
Like many other oilmen, Charlie and his partner, Hank Thomas, want to acquire
oil and mineral rights to the Osage Nation’s land in northern Oklahoma.
This leads them to confrontations with an adversary from their recent past.
Susan’s life is imperiled by those evil characters. How will her cowboy
come to her rescue and deal with dangerous direct threats on their lives?
Charlie rapidly steps up to the challenge as any past Top Hand at the
world-famous Miller’s 101 Ranch would.
About the Author
E. Joe Brown is an award-winning author of
novels, short stories, and memoirs. His current projects include a series of
historical fiction novels set in his native Oklahoma. Publication of the first
book in the series is scheduled for August 2022. His memoir ‘Mickey and
Me’ about meeting his hero, Mickey Mantle, is now featured in the
National Baseball Hall of Fame. Joe currently serves as President of New
Mexico Westerners, an Advisor to the SWW Board of Directors, and is a member
of Western Writers of America and Military Writers Society of
America.
He supports his love of music and performance through
active membership in the International Western Music Association. He served on
the organization’s board of directors for three years. In 2013, Governor
Susanna Martinez appointed him a New Mexico Music Commissioner.
Veterans
Portrait Project, Military, USAF
Photo Courtesy of
Stacy
Pearsall's
Veterans Portrait Project
Joe concluded his lifetime
military and civil service careers upon retirement on June 30, 2010. An
exciting multi-faceted career of firsts included leading the USAF Range
Instrumentation Team to aid the original NASA Space Shuttle program. His team
helped create the Shuttle Worldwide Network and supported the first six
missions of Space Shuttle Columbia. As the Air Force Flight Test Center
Project Manager, he guided the design, construction, and implementation of the
Benefield Anechoic Facility on Edwards AFB. The facility tests
state-of-the-art electronic warfare systems in a secure environment. His final
assignment was in direct support of the two-star Major General at Edwards AFB
where he advised on strategic planning to assure future readiness to test USAF
and Department of Defense weapons systems.
An alumnus of the
Oklahoma State University College of Engineering, Joe continued his
engineering education during both his military and civil service careers. He
completed coursework at the University of Colorado, Georgia Institute of
Technology, George Washington University, University of Tennessee, Chapman
University, and the University of California at Los Angeles. He later
completed a BS in Business Management at Phoenix University and the Executive
MBA program with a Strategic Planning emphasis from Webster University.
Joe
has been married to his wife Linda for over fifty years, and their sons have
given them five beautiful grandchildren.
Children’s Fantasy Adventure, Educational Fiction / Learning Adventure,
Date Published: February 27, 2026
In this imaginative and heartwarming picture book, Tilly and the Wisdom
Trials introduces young readers to a world hidden beneath the prairie - a
place where learning is a magical adventure and knowledge is the key to
unlocking ancient secrets.
Tilly, a clever and kind-hearted young badger, discovers a mossy wooden gate
hidden among vines and roots, setting her on an unexpected path: the legendary
Wisdom Trials. With her loyal companions, the Brainy Bunch, she journeys
through a series of challenges that test more than just book smarts. From
riddle gates and logic tunnels to kindness puzzles and courage quests, each
trial demands wit, empathy, and commitment.
Written in lyrical rhyme and brimming with wonder, Tilly and the Wisdom Trials
is the first book in the Critter Quest Academy Collection - a series that
blends adventure, problem-solving, and joyful learning in an underground world
of whimsical crifters. Ideal for fans of The Questioneers and The Tale of
Despereaux, this story celebrates curiosity, resilience, and the magic of a
mind set on discovery.
About the Author
David Tra is a computer scientist, educational game developer, and
children’s author who creates story-driven learning experiences that
blend games, books, and curiosity. He is the creator of Critter Quest Academy,
an interactive educational platform and book series that turns problem-solving
into adventure.
David previously developed the educational math games El Mathador and Treasure
Math, helping students build confidence through play. He is also the author of
The Star of Shanraz, a novel for teen readers. His latest work focuses on the
Prairie City Adventures and Critter Quest Academy books, beginning with Tilly
and the Wisdom Trials, the featured launch title that introduces young readers
to a whimsical underground world where questions, puzzles, and curiosity guide
the journey.
When her world
loses its color, he’s the only one who can help her find the brush again.
Lance
Loving a Lancaster Book 4
by Stacy Eaton
Genre: Contemporary Small-Town Romance
As a Forensic Accountant, Lance Lancaster lives on facts and
the small details that get overlooked. When his firm takes on a new client, and
Aurora Moonshadow enters the room, the facts he lived by and relied on quickly
begin to vanish, leaving him in the unknown territory of protective gemstones
and Navajo folklore.
Aurora Moonshadow believes in signs and living every minute to the fullest.
After her father passes and she takes over the family business, she finds
herself unable to understand the dire situation her father left behind. That is
until Lance arrives to help her. The creativity that has been hidden by grief
quickly emerges after meeting him, and Aurora is on top of the world until her
protective bracelet breaks.
When Aurora goes missing, Lance returns to Sedona and will do just about
anything to help find her. Learning that she started painting again after their
one night together makes Lance even more determined to locate her and bring her
home safe.
Will they be able to find Aurora before everything she loves is destroyed,
including herself? Or will Lance be left with only her final painting?
Lance is the fourth book in the Loving a Lancaster Series.
This series spin-off of the Loving a Winston Series, which spins
off the Loving a Young Series.
Stacy Eaton is a USA Today Bestselling author and began her
writing career in October of 2010. Stacy took early retirement from law
enforcement after over fifteen years of service in 2016 due to a second serious
concussion. Her last three years on the job were in investigations and crime
scene investigation. She now writes full-time.
Stacy resides in southeastern Pennsylvania with her husband,
who works in law enforcement. She has a daughter in college and a son who is
currently serving in the United States Navy.
Stacy writes a variety of genres, but mostly romance. She
enjoys writing real-life stories that people can relate to with real-life
problems, emotions, and solutions.
Her favorites: Classic cars, photography, Disney, music,
coffee, and her favorite sweatshirt that says, You are dangerously close to
getting killed in my next novel.
Historical Fiction/Cold War Fiction w/romance subplots
Date Published: 03-01-2026
Publisher: Bim Bom Books
There are no accidents in life, only opportunities wearing different
clothes."
When the first privately owned Soviet circus arrived in 1990 America as the
Soviet Empire unraveled, its elite performers expected to build cultural
bridges through spectacular shows. Instead, this prestigious troupe faced a
perilous journey through Cold War America.
Circus director Yuri had to navigate treacherous waters where American
mobsters, Soviet agents, and political forces circled like predators. Young
aerialist Anton dreamed of becoming a clown against his family's wishes, while
forbidden romances and unexpected connections bloomed between Soviet
performers and Americans who saw past the ideological divide. As high-stakes
conspiracies threatened to tear the circus family apart, they had to choose
between the authoritarian chains of home and the uncertain promise of freedom.
As The Ringmaster reminds us, "The best Soviet stories are like
vodka—they burn with suffering, intoxicate with conflict, keep you
stewing in reflection, and yearning for your heart's desire." This
genre-bending tale explores whether human connection can transcend
ideology—and whether storytelling can bridge the divides that separate
us.
About the Author
Cliff Lovette is a father, storyteller, and dog lover living in Sandy Springs,
Georgia. For over 40 years, he practiced entertainment law, serving as Senior
Vice President at LaFace Records and representing artists including Usher and
Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. His passion for bridging historical divides led him to
co-produce a groundbreaking reconciliation event between descendants of
Buffalo Soldiers and Lakota Native Americans. In 1990, when Bobby
Liberman—road manager for the first privately owned Soviet circus
touring America—became his client, Cliff discovered the true story that
inspired this debut duology.
Strange visitors have appeared in Ethel, their clothes and mannerisms jarring
against the familiar rhythm of the coastal town. The woman in Orla and Dave's
spare room speaks in archaic phrases and marvels at electric lights, while the
silent man staying with Molly and Cormac carries a translucent device that
glows with symbols no one recognizes.
As fog rolls in from the sea, bringing with it the now-familiar whispers and
cold spots that signal another haunting, the four friends realize they must
unravel the temporal mystery before them. The clock tower strikes at midnight,
and both past and future hang in the balance.
*Contains mature themes, open door sex scenes, and mature language.
Three years ago, the small town of Ethel, VA, was rocked to
its core when the lighthouse became a beacon for something an-cient and hungry.
Every year since then, we’ve cast a protection spell, tying knots in rope while
visualizing a protective shield, at the weathered tower a week before Samhain,
our voices car-ried away by the salt-tinged wind. This year’s no different.
Cormac’s slender fingers intertwine with mine as we
ap-proach Orla and Dave across the grassy shoreline. We’ve man-aged to mostly
heal from the toxic tendencies of the past—the jealousy, the competition, the
midnight arguments that left scorch marks on the walls. Magical abilities
complementing each other have a tendency to do that, like puzzle pieces finally
finding their fit.
The mid-October sunlight glints off Cormac’s long, blonde
hair, turning each strand into spun gold against the blue sky. We don’t meet
here at night anymore, not since the shadows began to move independently of
their owners. She gently squeezes my hand in reassurance, slight crow’s feet
crinkling around her eyes with a smile that blooms one of my own in return. She
tries to continue her broody exterior by wearing a scuffed leather jacket with
silver buckles, but her face is too full of light these days to continue the
façade.
“It’s about time you two showed up,” Orla says as she wraps
me in a hug, her dark curls tickling my cheek. Her automatic soul-possessing
ability takes hold straight away, a warm honey-like sensation flooding through
my veins. I feel her anxiety—sharp and metallic—and she feels mine. While hers
is about the treacherous events three years ago, mine is about the small
vel-vet box burning a hole in my pocket, holding a moonstone ring for Cormac.
I know she’ll say yes; I hear Orla’s thoughts echo in my
mind like a whisper in an empty room. To assuage her anxiety, I push forward
images of Cormac and me from earlier in the morning. We’d stayed in bed, all
consumed with passionate kisses and bodies moving in rhythmic dance together;
sheets twisted around our ankles, the taste of her still on my lips.
Okay, okay, you’re excused for being late, Orla sends
through the connection, her mental voice tinged with amuse-ment. Then it’s gone
as Dave, tall and broad-shouldered in his flannel-lined jacket, gently pulls
her out of the hug. He com-plements her power as Cormac complements mine, his
deep voice carrying over the crash of waves against the shore.
“Did you actually expect them to be on time?” he asks her,
his breath visible in the chilly air.
Orla looks at me, her eyes sparkling, and we snicker like
schoolgirls sharing a secret.
“Some of us know how to keep a woman in bed,” I goad Dave,
watching his cheeks flush crimson.
Before he can respond, Cormac says, “Guys, I think you
should come over here,” her voice tight with tension.
She’s rounding the other side of the lighthouse, her boots
crunching on the path. I jog over to her, worried she might be in danger, the
wind whipping my hair across my face. Once I’m next to her, I’m struck with
frozen terror, my breath catching in my throat. As Orla and Dave’s footsteps
catch up, I try to count the sleeping bodies sprinkled around the remnants of a
bonfire.
Sprawled across the damp autumn ground lies a peculiar
as-sembly of slumbering figures—some adorned in woolen cloaks and flowing
medieval gowns; others draped in shimmering flapper dresses and tweed vests and
flat caps. The incongruous sight sends a chill down my spine, conjuring
memories of that haunted night years ago when phantoms in pheasant feathers and
tarnished armor materialized from the mist. Could history be repeating itself?
I draw Cormac closer, my fingers tightening protectively around her shoulder. A
bitter wind sweeps through the clearing, rustling crimson leaves and stirring
the strange visitors from their dreams.
“Oh, halloo,” calls a woman with cascading silver-streaked
hair that catches the morning light. Deep laugh lines frame her eyes as she
rises gracefully to her feet, brushing debris from her embroidered skirts. Her
button nose crinkles above heart-shaped lips as she smiles warmly. “I’m Marie.
We weren’t expecting anyone so early.”
“You’re days early for Samhain,” Orla informs her, her voice
carrying across the clearing.
“Samhain!” exclaims a younger woman with stylish curls and
bright eyes. She leaps up, clapping her hands together with enthusiasm, silver
bracelets jingling at her wrists. “I’m Florian. I absolutely adore a proper
shindig.”
Another woman glides forward, her tweed vest firmly hug-ging
her body. She loops her arm possessively around Florian’s slender waist and
extends her other hand, adorned with bangles that glint in the early light.
“Kiersten,” she offers, her voice me-lodic but guarded.
“Molly, and this is Cormac,” I reply, mirroring Kiersten’s
protective gesture by drawing Cormac against my side, feeling her warmth
through her leather jacket.
“Might there be lodgings available in your village?” Marie
inquires, her eyes scanning the distant rooftops visible through the thinning
trees.
“Not anywhere that could accommodate a gathering of this
size,” Dave responds, his weathered hands resting on his leather belt.
A tall woman with anxious eyes approaches Orla hesitantly. A
man with sandy blond hair clutches her trembling arm as she nervously smooths
out her skirt. Dave and I don’t miss her flinch with his touch, juxtaposing
their closeness. It resurfaces memories from when Dave and Orla couldn’t touch.
“Hello, I’m Claudia,” she murmurs, “and may I present Alex?” Her delicate
fingers twist together nervously while Alex soothingly rubs her
goosebump-covered arms.
“Orla and Dave,” Dave announces, nodding curtly. When Alex
extends his hand to Orla, Dave intercedes and shakes his hand, so Orla doesn’t
have to.
“Um, Orla,” Alex interjects, his deep voice surprisingly
gen-tle. “Pardon our intrusion, but might Claudia ask you something rather
personal?”
“Of course, what troubles you?” Orla asks, leaning forward
with interest.
“Do you perceive others’ thoughts when you make physical
contact?” Claudia whispers, her pale cheeks blooming with a rosy flush that
spreads to the tips of her ears.
“Perhaps we should escort this assemblage to our
home-stead,” Dave interrupts, clearing his throat. “We have several spare
rooms. Not sufficient for everyone, but certainly prefera-ble to camping
outside.”
“We’d be eternally grateful,” Marie responds, casting a
con-cerned sideways glance at Claudia’s distressed expression. “A proper rest
would benefit us tremendously after our... unusual journey.”
Ghostly Howls
Ghostly Howls Book 1
Irish folklore meets
small town USA
A heartbroken half banshee, a cockle selling soul possessor, and a town haunted
by mysteries…if they don't find the killer, Orla and Molly might die before
finding their soulmates.
Orla and Dave's love has been unrequited for as long as they can remember.
Cormac and Molly are used to drawing outside the lines. None of them are
prepared for the new ghostly neighbors.
In a town that's always ostracized them, can Molly and Orla finally use their
powers openly in order to save the citizens?
*Contains mature themes, open door sex scenes, and mature language.
*Don't miss the YA series also by Stephanie Hansen - Altered Helix &
Replaced Parts
Stephanie Hansen is a PenCraft and Global Book Award Winning
Author as well as an Imadjinn finalist. Her debut novella series, Altered
Helix, released in 2020. It hit the #1 New Release, #1 Best Seller, and other
top 100 lists on Amazon. It is now being adapted to an animated story for
Tales. Her debut novel, Replaced Parts, released in 2021 through Fire & Ice
YA and Tantor Audio. It has been in a Forbes article, hit Amazon bestseller
lists, and made the Apple young adult coming soon bestsellers list. The second
book in the Transformed Nexus series, Omitted Pieces, released in 2022. Her
debut spicy paranormal romance, Ghostly Howls, released 2023. Her debut
historical magical realism, Armored Hours, released 2024. The Armored Hours
sequel, Guarded Time, released 2025 and the Ghostly Howls sequel, Ghostly
Returns, released 2026. She is a member of the deaf and hard of hearing
community, so she tries to incorporate that into her fiction.
The Earth is compromised and forbidden. The human Imperium
stretches throughout the galaxy. It terraforms planets with indigenous life,
destroying it. An organization fights against these terraforming projects, and
it is pronounced a terrorist organization by the government and the Imperator.
JO WARWICK, the heiress of Warwick Galactic Enterprises, is
on an archeological mission on the forbidden Earth. She contracts an unknown
disease, and her expedition leaves Earth. While in space, the disease kills
everyone on board but her, as she seems protected by an invisible shield.
Captain TOSHI HUNTER and his crew are activists fighting
against the terraformation projects, and after a failed attack on one of these
projects, they are pursued by the imperial ships. The chase goes on, but they
manage to escape.
And by chance, they discover the unmoving, silent ship of Jo
Warwick. They board it and see the massacre inside, but manage to save Jo.
Jo and Toshi begin
their adventure in uncovering the truth and the origin of this mysterious
disease that now threatens the galaxy, while being hunted by the imperial
troops.
What readers are
saying:
“…Prose that is gritty, direct, and sometimes a touch
awkward powers a voyage of grand proportions as a diverse cast, ancient aliens,
sensory worldbuilding, and space battles entertain with thrilling action. In
this quick read, Gurgu reveals the foolishness of humanity, moral dilemmas, the
folly of war, and the hope of second chances in a hearty science fiction
adventure.” _BookLife Review
“…Ultimately, The Cursed delivers the pleasures
of expansive science fiction: big stakes, bigger ideas, and heroes whose
personal journeys matter as much as the fate of the galaxy. Gurgu offers an
energetic, imagination-rich ride that will appeal to readers eager for
adventurous sci-fi drama—and leaves the door open for further exploration among
the stars.” —CANREADS BOOK REVIEW
“Overall, the author has a keen knack for mixing and
melding SF and the supernatural in all kinds of intriguing ways. Clear
allusions to vampirism would be too obvious; Gurgu opts instead for more
obscure archetypes: When was the last time one read about a wendigo in outer
space? A fast-paced and fun adventure beyond the stars.” - _Kirk’s Reviews
The archeology team was busy and noisy inside the Bats Cave. The huge
boulders blocking the entrance of the dry, large, very deep cave had not been a
real deterrent for Jo Warwick. Young, strong, and
beautiful, she was not used to rejection or defeat.
The cave was a
hidden gem discovered recently in the Carpathian Mountains on Earth. The entire
place seemed to be a treasure trove. And “discovered recently” meant after
the interdiction against stepping on Earth had been put in place. After the
interdiction and especially the defense mechanism had been put into place. But
that was not something to keep Jo’s family, the powerful Warwicks, away. Not
even the imperator could stop a Warwick if they put their mind to doing
something.
The co-op students
were giggling as they worked, sometimes louder than they thought they were.
With the help of electrical lamps they were collecting and cataloging ceramic
pieces, stone tools, animal remains. Next to them, real archeologists were
slowly carving into the floor after more remains. The cave was full to the brim
with signs of a very old civilization. A civilization that Jo hoped to prove
was part of the Vinca culture. The project of her life.
Professor Hannigan, a corpulent man of about sixty, was studying some cave paintings. He
tried not to expose them to too much light, or heat, or sweat, or anything else
for that matter. He was mumbling while studying. His custom, as Jo knew, adding
to the general noise in the confined space of the cave. It was becoming quite
claustrophobic.
Jo was in her
mid-twenties, athletic, newly graduated from the university, and already in
charge of her first dig. She knew how students could get, but that didn’t mean
she agreed with the practice and the indulgences.
She approached the
walls with paintings, or more accurately, pictographs. One of them in
particular had drawn her attention. The drawn figures were vaguely human. Most
had huge round eyes and concentric circular shapes on their bodies. That was
specific to the Vinca culture, to the fashion or aesthetics of their times.
That was why she could barely contain her enthusiasm, her joy—she was
ninety-nine percent sure she’d just made the discovery of her life.
The pictograph that
had drawn her attention was part of a group, representing small humanlike
figures interacting with huge masked beings in weird, ritualistic suits. In the
first panel in the group, the humans bowed to the masked figures, obviously
their deities. There were no written sources for the Vinca culture, so nothing
was known of their religion or mythology.
Jo got closer to the
drawings.
“Silence!” she
barked over the background noise in the cave. Everyone looked at her and shut
up. She was known for a frightful temper and no one wanted to enter into a
conflict with her.
“They’re just
students on their first practicum,” said Hannigan in a low voice only the two
of them could hear. He was like a grandfather to everyone on the team, always
ready to indulge them and spoil them.
“Not on my money,
they’re not,” said Jo. “They’re students in their first practice and one day
they could brag about the experience they got here. They could brag and get the
best paid gigs because of this.”
“Yes, but young
people…” Hannigan hesitated, looking at Jo. Then, probably realizing he was
talking to a young person, he gave up.
The best practice
was to ignore the old man and leave it be. She had to put up with all his
eccentricities because he was the best in the field and expert on this period
of time in Earth’s history. And he was easy to satisfy in terms of credits and
accolades. He valued money above all else.
So Jo returned to
the pictographs. She got closer to the next one. In it, a man with a wolf head
shot stars through some sort of weapon toward one of the masked figures. The
masked figure’s body was covered in symbols and shone a bright red.
In the next panel,
the masked figure had collapsed, probably dead. His body was still covered in
unknown symbols.
Jo returned to the
previous panel. The weapon looked like a bone, a real bone encrusted in stone.
The stars shooting from it had started to sparkle and fluctuate. What the…
Jo got even closer and tried to discern what could make it sparkle like that.
There didn’t seem to be anything on the stone base but the painting. She
extended her hand and held it above the sparks. No heat. She then touched the
bone embedded in the stone. Dry, porous bone. She walked her fingers over the
sparks and the shooting stars and then, a red spark passed from the stone to Jo’s
skin.
Where it touched the
skin a red impression, like a tattoo, spread on Jo’s skin. It had happened so
fast that Jo couldn’t do anything else but watch the whole thing with
curiosity. She lifted her camera to take a picture, but froze. The tattoo had
spread up her arm and down her other arm and she realized it was all over her
body, flickering on her skin. It felt like an electric shock. Jo shuddered and
collapsed.
Costi’s fiction has appeared in Canada, the US,
and Europe. He has sold 8 books and over 50 stories for which he has won 32
awards. He was three times a finalist for the Canadian Aurora Awards.
His latest sales include the anthologies Tesseracts 17, The Mammoth Book of
Dieselpunk, Dark Horizons, Street Magick, Water, and Alice Unbound.
His bestselling novel RecipeArium has won three awards (Kult, Nemira, and Vladimir Colin) and was a 2018
finalist for the Aurora Awards.
His novels, “Servitude”, “Green Corrosion”, “Pink Corrosion”, and
“Black Corrosion” were published in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. And his latest
novel “The Cursed” was launched on April 1st, 2026.
“Green Corrosion” has won four awards (Book Excellence, The Typesmith
Writers, The International Impact Book, and the Maincrest Media Award).
“Black Corrosion” has been an Amazon Bestseller for three weeks and is
a finalist for Canreads Awards 2026.
