Keith Fentonmiller — the Cursed Hat

A work of magical realism, the Cursed Hat tells the story of Jewish hatmakers threatened by a veil-wearing Nazi known as the “stealer of faces” who must use the god Hermes’ fabled hat to teleport out of Germany during Kristallnacht. They won’t be safer in America, however, until they break the curse that has trapped them in the hat business for sixteen centuries. Set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age, Nazi Germany, and World War II Detroit, the novel is a fantastical family saga about the fluidity of tradition, faith, and identity.
Catherine Bell, author of Rush of Shadows (winner of the Washington Writers’ Publishing House 2014 Fiction Prize), called the story “[i]ncredible, overwhelming, compelling.” Terence Hawkins, author of American Neolithic (named one of the Best Indie Books of 2014 by Kirkus Reviews), says, “This is an amazing debut novel—wildly imaginative, powerfully written, funny, and deeply humane.”

When not wearing my fiction writer hat, I practice consumer protection law in Washington, D.C. Rest assured your tax dollars are hard at work as I battle marketers of “modern miracles” like weight-loss earrings and penile-enhancing herbs. (Please let me know if you spot an ad for penile enhancement earrings.)

I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in philosophy, which, surprisingly, did not qualify me for gainful employment. In short, it was on to graduate school. Well, almost. I spent a year touring with a professional comedy troupe, writing and performing sketch comedy at colleges in the Mid-Atlantic States. After that frolic and detour, it was a blur of law school, falling in love, cats, marriage, a dog, children, a fish, more dogs, another fish, a chinchilla, guinea pigs, and an assortment of uninvited rodents that have since burrowed through the foundation. Storybook.

I live in Kensington, Maryland with my wife, Laura, and two children, Stoney and Bay. Among my current menagerie of furry critters are a silver lab, Gracie, and a Boston Terrier, Beanie.

http://www.keithfentonmiller.com/

Robin Storey A Time for Penance

For 20 years, wealthy socialite Eva Dennehy has borne the guilt of murdering her first husband Charlie, who was planning to leave her for his mistress.

When Eva is offered the opportunity to travel back in time, and undo her crime as penance, she accepts – what does she have to lose? Back in her old life with Charlie, her passion for him surpassed only by her torment at his infidelity, she is more determined than ever to prevent him from leaving her.

But her plan plunges her into a world of crime and depravity, and she soon discovers she has even more to lose this time around.

Robin Storey is an indie author from the beautiful Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia. She is the author of 6 books so far, most in the crime/suspense genre, with many more to come. She is a certified book nerd and is useful to have on your team on trivia nights for literary questions, but not much else. When she is not writing or reading, she loves hiking (she did the Camino de Santiago in 2016) and chilling out at the beach.
Robin’s Website Robin on Facebook

 

Ron MacDonald: Arlington Anthology — Field of Honor

Across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. lies this nation’s sacred of grounds, Arlington National Cemetery, where some of our nation’s finest form as far back as the Revolutionary War are buried. Over 310,000 men and women call Arlington their final resting place – from Presidents, honored statesmen, explorers, and literary figures to the common soldier and sailor along with 3,800 former slaves. Their stories beg to be heard- stories of courage against insurmountable odds, of love of brother and country, and of sacrifice. Stories of hope, faith and dreams on choices made during adversity.

In this often heart-wrenching, often inspirational anthology, see how these noble souls , whether generals or slaves, influenced the world in which they lived. Their stories are still with us, bidding us to think of life, not death… a life to which , in their youth, they lent the passion and joy of spring.

A Native Californian , Ron MacDonald had been an accomplished and published photographer for over 20 years. While traveling and photographing in Europe and here he visited many historical cemeteries, including Omaha Beach Cemetery, where he found his uncle’s final resting place. His love of history drove him to tell the untold stories of those who reside at Arlington National Cemetery. This is Ron’s first book and tells the often heart-wrenching and inspirational stories of those noble souls, told as if they themselves are telling their own stories.