Janis Ian, an American songwriter, singer, musician, columnist, and science fiction author, has chosen to publish STARS, Original Stories Based on the Songs of Janis Ian, with Lucky Bat Books! STARS was first published in 2003 and is edited by Janis Ian and Mike Resnick —two stars themselves in music and science fiction.

Featuring original short stories by 30 of Science Fiction’s top writers, STARS is a huge anthology in both volume and talent. Each story is based on a Janis Ian song and written expressly for STARS, creating a meld of jazz, prose and science fiction found nowhere else — a treasure trove for fans of both SF and Janis Ian!

STARS was compiled and edited by Mike Resnick and Janis Ian and includes stories by Nebula winners and science fiction greats such as Joe Haldeman, Jane Yolen, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, and more. Included, too, a story by Janis Ian.

The stories “have heart. They have life. They have truth. They move me,” says Janis Ian. “As an artist I can ask for nothing more.”

About Janis Ian

Janis Ian began her career singing in the 1960s and 1970s. In 1975, she won a Grammy Award for her song, “At Seventeen” and has continued to wow the world with her music ever since. Her books include science fiction, poetry, magazine articles and opinion columns, and her top-selling autobiography, Society’s Child. Read more about Janis here.

Reviews

“The undercurrent here is mutual admiration. Stars are supposed to entertain; here they live up to expectations.” —Booklist

“This dazzling, highly original anthology, ignited by the meeting of songwriter Ian and a host of SF writers affected by her music at the 2001 Worldcon, showcases 30 mostly superior stories, each based on one of her songs. Some contributors take Ian at her word that science fiction is “the jazz of prose,” responding to many of society’s sharpest wounds with bittersweet improvisatory descants, like Terry Bisson in “‘Come Dance with Me,” David Gerrold in “Riding Janis” and Orson Scott Card in “Inventing Lovers on the Phone,” tales that probe the angst of adolescence… The entire anthology seems to vibrate with the death throes of one world passing away, while far stranger ones struggle to be born. Their commonality, Ian tells us in her introduction, is that “‘They have heart. They have life. They have truth.” No artist – nor any reader – could ask for more.” — Publisher’s Weekly

STARS Includes Original Stories By

Terry Bisson

Tad Williams

Joe Haldeman

Jane Yolen

John Varley

Kage Baker

Gregory Benford

Tanith Lee

Robert J. Sawyer

Robert Sheckley

Susan R. Matthews

Barry N. Malzberg

Mike Resnick

Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Stephen Baxter

Alexis Gilliland

Susan Casper

Nancy kress

Spider Robinson

David Gerrold

Judith Tarr

Diane Duane

Kay Kenyon

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller

Howard Waldrop

Dean Wesley Smith

Joe Haldeman

Orson Scott Card

Janis Ian

New Suspense Novel by the author of The Piper’s Sons

Just published by Lucky Bat Books is Morgan’s Mill by Bruce Fergusson — whose  psychological suspense novel, The Piper’s Sons, made the USA Today and Barnes & Noble bestseller lists, and was nominated for best novel by the Pacific Northwest Booksellers’ Association.

In this new suspense book, Fergusson tells a contemporary story of corrosive control, psychotic possessiveness, retribution and redemption, seamlessly weaving in Civil War and Underground Railroad history.

The story: In pursuing the mystery of his grandfather’s disappearance, Thomas Morgan discovers shocking secrets beneath the family’s soon-to-be-razed gristmill that have linked two families in a deadly symbiosis going back to the Civil War, secrets that will thrust Morgan—and the woman he loves—squarely in the sights of a psychopath.

Paralyzed in 2010 and told the independence he cherished would be a thing of the past, Grant Korgan, in his new book, Two Feet Back, shares his remarkable journey of spinal cord injury recovery, fueled by love and an unbreakable spirit.

On March 5, 2010, Grant Korgan, a nanomechanical engineer, professional athlete and husband, was snowmobiling for a film shoot in the Sierra Nevada backcountry. During a fairly routine jump, Korgan, eager for adventure after spending long months in the Stanford Nanofabrication lab, overshot his landing by just two feet, fracturing his first lumbar vertebra.

Instantly paralyzed from the waist down, Korgan endured a harrowing rescue effort, excruciating pain, a nine-hour spinal surgery and an immobilizing understanding of what this injury would do to him, his new wife of only five months, his family and friends, his career and his perfectly premeditated plans for the future.

Decide What You Want. Choose Positivity.

In his new book, Two Feet Back, published by the team at Lucky Bat Books, Grant Korgan shares the story of his incredible fight to get his own two feet back, through unwavering love, determination and positivity. With his wife, Shawna, a former fitness trainer and wellness facility owner, playing a vital role, the Korgans designed and undertook a rigorous, activity-based therapy program built on a goal of 120 percent recovery, believing that the word “no” was unacceptable. Along the way, the two embarked on alternative therapies, met remarkable people who changed their lives and sparked the Korg 3.0 Movement that has inspired countless others around the world.

As he worked with Lucky Bat Books through his recovery and in the midst of it, Grant’s message spread exponentially, so that what began as a modest idea for a book became a movement, a philosophy and a new way of living —a life of  Possibilities— for uncounted people throughout the world.

Grant believes that when all people shed the weight of their own limitations, everything becomes possible. By simply standing in his truth, Grant aims to empower the world with the idea that everyone can remember to live the highest version of themselves, and that people can choose everyday to live their limitless potential. Grant and Shawna Korgan live in Sparks, Nevada. Two Feet Back, the story of Korgan’s injury and first year of recovery, published by Lucky Bat Books, is Grant Korgan’s first book.

Read more about the inspiring movement he has started: Korg 3.0 Movement, at korgmovement.com. You’ll find his book in both ereader and print versions.

The Branchpoint Chronicles, Short Story Prequel: The Spark of Magic

And so it begins:  In this exciting prequel to the sci fi/fantasy series, The Branchpoint Chronicles, an act of mercy plunges three friends into a world of magic, danger and life-changing discoveries. Not only their lives but the future of their world hangs in the balance.

The Branchpoint Chronicles, Book 1 Magic’s Fire

Book 1: Pel Ravenstock is a young hunter whose life revolves around his friends, family, and his uncanny skill with a bow – that is, until he is tracked down by the mysterious sorcerer, Obrezon, leader of the reptilian Sklath. Obrezon warns of a catastrophe that will devour the entire world. A disaster that cannot be averted without Pel’s help. But none guess that Pel himself might be the greatest threat of all…. Magic’s Fire, First of The Branchpoint Chronicles 

About the Author

Author J.M. Wolfe has published over two dozen works of fiction and nonfiction, including three Star Trek stories in the acclaimed series of anthologies, Strange New Worlds. A retired University of Oregon mathematics professor, he lives on the central Oregon coast with his lovely wife, Cheryl, their faithful dog, Granger, and Weasley the wonder cat. Follow the author and The Branchpoint Chronicles at JerryMWolfe.com.

Published in ebook and in paperback versions. Look for Book II coming soon.  

New Novella by award-winning SF and Lucky Bat Book Author

DOWN THE RIVER ROAD

We are extremely proud to announce the publication of Gregory Benford’s novella, a backwoods fantasy, with both a nostalgic nod to the river of his childhood and an extreme view of time and life in a future where science outstrips the imagination and becomes — magic.

In this never-before-published story, Benford takes readers along on one man’s search for his father through the chaos of shifting time. He explores an image of life that inspired him, very early on, and that takes us all on a wild river ride that is at times serene but at most times chaotic and unpredictable.

Check out this new book, published in ebook only, by Lucky Bat Books. Cover photo taken by James Benford (Gregory’s brother) and design by Theresa Rose.

Read about all of the books published by Lucky Bat Books on Gregory Benford’s author page, and see the full introduction to Down The River Road on Gregory Benford’s Website.

Control — 13 Shorts.

Control contains thirteen short, eerie tales of the darker side of humanity from an author Kristine Kathryn Rusch calls “an amazing writer.” Though her settings are often familiar, Geddes looks at the world through her own warped lens. Be it a fortune cookie or a staple remover, witches or wolves, everything becomes a little more sinister through her eyes.

About CC Geddes

CC Geddes likes to think about scary things. She likes to read scary things and write scary things. Yet she has a remarkably blissful life in all the best unscary ways. In that life, most people know her as Cindie Geddes, a happily married mother of an 11-year-old son. She is the dark alter ego of a Reno-based writer whose credits include more than a dozen short stories, two poems, a few essays, a bunch of ghostwritten nonfiction books, more than 300 nonfiction articles, and a big bunch of editing (magazines, short stories, and books).

She is a publisher at Lucky Bat Books and runs Flying Hand Writing Services, both designed to empower writers to tell their stories in their own ways.

Proudly published by Lucky Bat Books for foreign markets in Ebook and Print

[all markets outside North America]

You won’t find this book in North America, but tell your friends in the rest of the world about it.  Lucky Bat Books recently published it for Janis Ian and we think both ebook and print are absolutely tops.  Janis named it her “Author’s Preferred Edition” because she made minor corrections prior to publication outside North America.

Society’s Child Ebook

The foreign ebook version of Society’s Child takes advantage of Janis Ian’s generous collection of song samples on her website, linking from relevant chapters and info to the songs. You’ll find yourself listening to Janis singing in the background while you read about what she was thinking while writing that song. In fact, here ya go: click here to hear Janis while you read this page. And now, back to the ebook — you can pop around inside the ebook intuitively to see photos, and you can search to find the stars and celebrities she talks about in the book.

This is fun ebook reading at its best, allowing you a quiet read or a buzz around the book and onto Janis’s website and back.

Society’s Child Print Book

For her foreign fans, Janis is most interested in getting new copies of her book directly into their hands, avoiding cross-Atlantic shipping charges. Her fans love her and they pack her concert tours, eager to learn more, to read more and to be a part of the world Janis Ian creates in song and in the way she walks through the world.

We accomplished the goal of getting books into the hands of her fans by using the print resources currently available to authors, making sure her books are printed in Europe and shipped from there. Learn more about how we did that here in a recent blog. And learn more about what we still plan to do!

See all of Janis Ian’s books published by Lucky Bat Books.

About Society’s Child: my autobiography by Janis Ian

Grammy Award-winning songwriter, singer and author, Janis Ian took the stage at age fifteen with a revolutionary song about interracial relationships, “Society’s Child.” It was 1966 and the country responded with both hostility and accolades. The song went to #1, and Janis was caught in the maelstrom of a divided country. Terrified by the hatred directed at her, she left the music industry, only to return a few years later with the worldwide hit “At Seventeen.”

The story never ends—her songs are currently used by artists as diverse as Bette Midler, John Mellencamp, and Celine Dion; she tours the world regularly to sold-out crowds, and she is considered one of the pre-eminent acoustic guitarists of our era by such notables as Chet Atkins. In Society’s Child, you’ll journey with Janis as she spends time with luminaries of the century—Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Aretha Franklin—singers and songwriters who both influenced and befriended her.

Her book takes an unblinking look at the music business, her own remarkable path through it, and what was really happening backstage—with honesty and integrity. Meet Janis Ian on concert tours, connect with her on her website, janisian.com, and read this inspiring autobiography of one woman’s unbreakable spirit.

The first full collection of short fiction from award-winning writer, Douglas Smith

Chimerascope [ki-meer-uh-skohp] — a story of many parts…

A young artist hungers to draw you.
A dinner conversation takes three lifetimes to finish.
A geologist faces a planet-sized, eons-old puzzle to save her crew.
The hero of the Fall of Earth must choose between love and revenge.
A mysterious dancer leads a businessman to a most exclusive nightclub.
A man is born each day into a new life—only to die each night.
A sentient aurora threatens the last of humanity.
A Norse god’s bar in Toronto hosts an unplanned family reunion.
A woman descends into insanity—or is it the end of the world?
A house as big as the world.

Chimerascope is Doug’s first full collection of short fiction, containing sixteen of his best stories, including an award winner, a Best New Horror selection, and eight award finalists. Sixteen stories of fantasy and science fiction that take you from love in fourteenth-century Japan to humanity’s last stand, from virtual reality to the end of reality, from alien drug addictions to a dinner where a man loses everything.

Finalist for the Sunburst Award, the Aurora Award, and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation’s “Bookies Award

Douglas Smith

“Doug Smith is, quite simply, the finest short-story writer Canada has ever produced in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and he’s also the most prolific. His stories are a treasure trove of riches that will touch your heart while making you think.” –Robert J. Sawyer, Hugo Award-winning author

“One of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction.” –Library Journal

“A great storyteller with a gifted and individual voice.” –Charles de Lint, award winning author

Douglas Smith is an award-winning author of speculative fiction, with over a million words of fiction sold and a hundred and fifty stories in thirty countries and two dozen languages.

He has twice won Canada’s Aurora Award for speculative fiction, and has been a finalist for the international John W. Campbell Award, Canada’s juried Sunburst Award, the CBC Bookies award, and France’s juried Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane.

Doug has published three collections of short fiction:

CHIMERASCOPE (published in print by ChiZine, 2010) – Finalist for the Sunburst Award, Aurora Award, and CBC Bookies Award

IMPOSSIBILIA (published in print by PS Publishing, 2008 and in ebook by Lucky Bat Books just last month) – Finalist for the Aurora Award

LA DANSE DES ESPRITS (published in print by Dreampress, 2011) – Finalist for France’s Prix Masterton and Prix Bob Morane

An independent film producer recently released a multi-award winning short film based on Doug’s story “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down.” Films based on his stories “A State of Disorder” and “Memories of the Dead Man” are also in the works.

Learn more about Doug at: http://smithwriter.com or follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/smithwrtr

Reviews of Chimerascope

Chimerascope

“Smith’s writing, evocative yet understated, gracefully brings to life his imagined realms.” – Quill and Quire *Starred Review*

“Smith paints his worlds so well that you are transported within a paragraph or two and remain in transit until the story ends.” –Broken Pencil, The Magazine of Zine Culture and the Independent Arts

“Echoes of Stephen King, Richard Matheson, and Clive Barker haunt the halls of Smith’s work, but the end result is completely original, and always enthralling.” –Cory Redekop

“Douglas Smith is an extraordinary author whom every lover of quality speculative fiction should read.” –Fantasy Book Critic

“Smith is definitely an author who deserves to be more widely read.” –Strange Horizons

“I’ve yet to read a work of his that wasn’t beautifully written, but more than that, his stories resonate with a deep understanding of the human condition as well as a characteristic wry wonder… Stories you can’t forget, even years later.” –Julie Czerneda, award-winning author and editor

“An ambitious and adventurous new writer.” –Gardner Dozois, author and editor

“Smith is a master of beginnings … some of the most well-crafted hooks you’ll find anywhere: deft introductions to the characters and their not-quite-familiar worlds packed into just a sentence or two that draw the reader in. As for the endings … Smith’s tendency is to forego the shocking twist for endings that feel satisfying and right, a trade-off that I’ll take any day.” –Canadian Science Fiction Reviews

“…Chimerascope is a massively enjoyable trek through the far-fetched, the horrifying, and the flat-out weird, all filtered through Smith’s remarkable imagination and prodigious talent. … Although Smith’s tales may centre on the fantastic, what is immediately notable is his steady grasp of character, which lends humanity to even the most absurd situations. The stories in this collection traverse genres and styles — from outright horror to witty surrealism to martial-arts mythology — without missing a beat. … ‘The Dancer at the Red Door,’ with its mix of oblique horror, urban fantasy, and monsters equipped with pincers extending ‘from each side of a slit-like mouth,’ recalls Clive Barker at his most disturbingly fanciful. … The closing story, the post-apocalyptic narrative ‘Memories of the Dead Man,’ contains echoes of Stephen King. Chimerascope is a sterling set, with nary a weak or disposable entry. Smith’s writing, evocative yet understated, gracefully brings to life his imagined realms.” — Quill and Quire (Starred Review)

“From a bittersweet tale of love amid the savagery of human galactic conquest (“Scream Angel”) to a postapocalyptic story of a righteous gunman known only as the Dead Man (“Memories of the Dead Man”), the 16 stories in this collection showcase the inventive mind and immense storytelling talent of one of Canada’s most original writers of speculative fiction. Covering the spectrum from sf (“Enlightenment”) to horror (“By Her Hand, She Draws You Down”) to fantasy (“The Boys Are Back in Town”), Smith writes with a keen eye for detail and atmosphere, crafting each story with wit and perception. VERDICT: Twice winner of Canada’s Aurora Award, Smith writes stories that will appeal to fans of such literary sf writers such as Jack Vance and Gene Wolfe.” — Library Journal

“Smith is obviously a gifted writer in the genre of science-fiction. … Smith paints his worlds so well that you are transported within a paragraph or two and remain in transit until the short story ends — a challenging feat to be sure. Smith takes common science-fiction topics, such as love between alien races, and manages to find a new way to have his tales unfold. … Smith tells them with a flair that breathes life into his characters. … [The] familiar traits that drive human needs and wants — such as ambition, pride, love, hate and fear — are what piece these stories together and give them a life of their own.” —Broken Pencil, The Magazine of Zine Culture and the Independent Arts

“Smith’s second collection (after 2008’s Impossibilia) delivers an entertaining selection of stories that deftly span multiple genres, often milking surprisingly original tales out of tired tropes. The Zelazny-inspired “The Boys Are Back in Town” nicely toes the line between quirky humor and pathos. “State of Disorder,” featuring a classic mad scientist out for revenge, is a neat twist on time travel and quantum physics. “Jigsaw,” a young adult tale, is a fun romp involving aliens and continental drift. The best of the bunch, “By Her Hand, She Draws You Down,” is a haunting variant on the vampire legend with an understated and brutal ending.” — Publishers Weekly

“An engaging and entertaining volume, pieces of whose content resonate after the book is finished.” —Booklist

“Chimerascope confirms for me what Impossibilia affirmed, namely that Douglas Smith is an extraordinary author whom every lover of quality speculative fiction should read. Rating: A+” — Fantasy Book Critic

“Smith’s voice proves one of the more endearing features of this sampling of his work, which holds true even in his individual story prefaces—an authorial vice that can be distracting, but in Smith’s hands remains charming. … Throughout Smith shows a real gift for truly “cinematic” description…with arrestingly inventive premises in a field where really interesting new ideas are harder and harder to find. … [Chimerascope] speaks volumes of his range and future potential. … Smith is definitely an author who deserves to be more widely read.” —Strange Horizons

“A superb collection… Spanning a wide spectrum of classic sci-fi, stories inspired by mythology, and post-apocalyptic fiction, this is a collection you’ll want to own and re-read. … It’s a complex mix: one of the many reasons this collection succeeds so powerfully.” —Ideomancer Magazine

“An absolutely stunning short story collection of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror, one of the best I’ve ever read.” — Corey Redekop, award-winning author of Shelf Monkey

“This collection contains a beautifully diverse selection of short tales that runs the full spectrum of the speculative genres. The tales are well-crafted, easily digestible; several of the stories are incredibly moving and stick with the reader long after. The wide range of stylistic approaches works well together.” — 2011 Sunburst Award jury

“There is not only something here for everyone, but something good for everyone, as Smith consistently displays his comfort and competence, working within multiple genres. … Smith’s characters tend towards regular men and women caught in desperate situations, often fallible, sometimes likable, but always portrayed with, if not sympathy, then enough clarity that the reader may understand why the characters behave as they do. … Ultimately, genre fans eager to read work by a talented author, who consistently writes top-notch prose, will be well-pleased to see the strange beasts lurking within Douglas Smith’s Chimerascope.” — Innsmouth Free Press

“Impossible to put down. This contains one of the best collections of speculative fiction I have ever read. There is a reason that the majority of these stories have won awards and nominations. Smith is absolutely brilliant as he proves SF is every bit as intelligent and thought-provoking as any literary work out there.” — Sleepless eReader

“I found Smith to be an especially talented storyteller. His characters ring true, and he creatively crafts worlds and situations that I found haunted my thoughts long after I had finished reading.”  —Fluidity of Time

“I enjoyed Smith’s characterization the most. These personas fly off the page and into your head and force you to think their thoughts. And that’s just about the best that fiction can aspire to. … The evidence for Smith’s talent is in abundance through this entire book. There wasn’t one story I didn’t like. …They’re all so different, even the ones set in the same universe, that it’s hard to believe they came from the same person. Very highly recommended.” —Terry Grignon, Golbing book reviews

“I remain in awe of the range of writing he has produced, and how often his stories have merited award nominations or received awards.” —Bureau 42

Book Three in The Birthright Series.

In a world of high school friendship — with a bit of magic and mystery thrown in — The Birthright Series by Jacci Turner takes the YA reader on a compelling and contemporary journey. The Lamb is the third, and Turner says the last, book in this popular series. Lucky Bat books has been proud to publish the series in both ebook and print for this talented writer.

The Lamb

Tyrell and Tiffany are back in the last book of The Birthright Series. Ty and Tiff want to be together, but between her parents and his ex-girlfriend, Sheila, who still has her eye on Ty, their relationship seems doomed from the start. And now Ty is having disturbing dreams like the ones that led him and his Blue Group friends to the rescue of Dawna. Plus, Tiff’s new friend, Lorna, just might be crazy. Join Ty, Tiff, and their friends as they try to untangle this strange web of clues before it’s too late for … The Lamb.

Click here to read about the full series on our page all about Jacci Turner.

 By RJ Bucchianeri.

When time means nothing, and wishes rule, watch out!

The quest for a magical watch lures Nicholas and his father into the land of a cruel King and his brave, bumbling knights. Will naughty wood elves, wily wizards, and giant amphibians put an end to a young boy’s dreams? Father and son fight all, plus singing lightbulbs and fierce librarians; meanwhile, The Watch rules and every creature morphs at its touch.

In this latest book by R.J. Bucchianeri, author of the Django Jagger Young Reader series, the world is not as it seems, or as you thought it should be. In fact, the book comes with a warning from the author:

WARNING:

If your bones creak just a tiny bit when you rise from your easy chair I would suggest that you read the sample before spending your hard-earned peezles on this story, my friends. Some readers who have gained maturity have found delight in the tale, but by sampling the whimsical prose you can determine whether it is your particular cup of cranberry cider.

The Watch That Could Do Anything, as innocent as it seems on its lovely cover, is not for every reader.

First of all, you must be of a certain age to read this book.
No less than 9 years of age and no more than 94 years of age.

That is my rule.

And you know what they say about rules.

Read more about RJ Bucchianeri HERE and on his website: rjbucchianeri.com

COVER BY Lucky Bat Books cover artist Joe Calkins. 

Book One of the Six Kingdom series, The Shadow of His Wings launches the reader into Bruce Fergusson’s world of heroes, love, loathing, betrayal and victory. Orson Scott Card said of this book, “In each chapter, Fergusson gives us more life than most writers can put in a whole book. He is as profligate with character and detail as Dickens; he spends language the way a lottery winner spends money; yet every detail, every event, every paragraph is essential to his brilliant story.”

Brought out in ebook by Lucky Bat Books in 2013, The Shadow of His Wings is soon to be followed by The Mace of Souls and Pass on the Cup of Dreams.

Read more about Bruce Fergusson and his books!

One housewife’s plunge into the dangerous and crazy world of law enforcement.

When Beth Dolinsky’s military husband returns from deployment with post-traumatic stress and gambles all their money away, this mousy, church-going housewife and mother of twin boys has to take matters into her own hands. Against the advice of friends and family, 40-year-old Beth applies to become a deputy sheriff and embarks on the toughest journey of her life. Now, Recruit Dolinsky finds herself out of place in her new world, even though she no longer fits into her old one. As Beth fights for her family and her right to hold this position of strength, she must convince not only the inmates in the jail, but also the “squared-away” sergeants and deputies half her age (with double the attitude), that she really can fire a gun, perform strip searches that would make even the toughest inmate squirm, restrain men twice her size, and control up to 70 criminals at a time with the strategic use of the f-word. And in the process, Beth manages to convince herself that she can handle anything that comes her way. Dishrags to Dirtbags is a story of inner strength, motherhood, reinvention, and acceptance.

Read more about author Brooke Santina here, and look for this book from Lucky Bat Books, coming SOON!

THE WOLF AT THE END OF THE WORLD. The long-awaited debut novel of acclaimed writer, Douglas Smith is out! We are so proud to be able to introduce this novel to all the fans of Doug’s short stories who have been chomping to see his longer work, as well as introduce Doug’s work to a whole new audience! The Wolf at the End of the World includes an intro by Charles deLint, who says, in part, “I can’t remember the last time I read a book that spoke to me so eloquently, and so deeply, on so many levels.” Yeah, he gets it! Check it out on Douglas Smith’s Website.

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Historical Fiction and Mystery.

From History Professor and Author, Lauren Fogle Boyd, a harrowing and heartwarming story.

The Story: In the suffocating atmosphere of the Third Reich, art becomes a political issue. When the renowned modern artist Dietrich Junger is condemned by Hitler’s puritanical artistic purge, his daughter Anke finds herself abandoned by the two men she loved most. One is dead; one has fled. An expert on the object of Nazi obsession, the medieval Ghent Altarpiece, Anke is threatened by those desperate to loot Europe’s great treasures. She must walk a tightrope between her desire to rebel and her instinct to survive.

Erik Brossler, a young Jewish art historian, is the man who fled, emigrating to America with his parents just in time. Erik is haunted by the loss of Anke and the imminent danger for Europe’s priceless art. When America enters the war, Erik’s new journey takes him right into the heart of the inferno, brings him to the breaking point, and returns to him the great love of his life.

From historian and author Lauren Fogle Boyd comes a harrowing and heartwarming story about love, art, and humanity–in a Europe devastated by war and atrocity.

“With ‘The Altarpiece,’ Boyd has written a novel of impressive depth and human warmth. She has brought to life a fascinating and moving episode of history, taking the reader across continents, across time. Vivid, thought-provoking, and moving, this is an account of war, a story of love, and a tale of intrigue. …” —Heidi Gearhart, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Art History, Assumption College.

About the Author

Lauren Fogle Boyd is a history professor at UMass Lowell and an author of historical fiction and non-fiction. Her other publications include Colonial Marblehead: From Rogues to Revolutionaries (2008, The History Press).

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If the Stars Are Gods, a novelette from the Nebula award-winning short story, is now available in Ebook. A collaboration of two science fiction greats, Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund, the original If The Stars Are Gods was quite well received when it appeared in the spring of 1974 in the hardcover Random House anthology Universe Four. It went on to win a Nebula Award in 1975.

A few critics found the central protagonist, Bradley Reynolds, to be a bit over the top — but then, who among us would invite Captain Ahab over for dinner, drinks and a video afterward?

In this expanded novel length version of If The Stars Are Gods, which appeared in 1976, the rest of the life of Bradley Reynolds fell into place—meeting strange aliens, forging out into the realms of the solar system, always questing. This 2013 edition includes a new introduction by Gregory Benford and Gordon Eklund — the story of how their two science fiction writing careers grew out of this work, If The Stars Are Gods.

Includes a bonus preview of Heart of the Comet by David Brin and Gregory Benford.

Read more on Gregory Benford.

Cover design by Brandon Swann. Managing editor Judith Harlan.

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From the Amazon best-selling author Jacci Turner comes the second book in the Finding Home series. In Bending Willow we meet Riley and Mia who are orphaned and in search of a father who doesn’t know they exist. They cross two  states while avoiding the Amber Alert and find a family happy to receive them. But now…

Riley and Mia suffer crushing disappointment when they learn they won’t be able to go live with their father…yet. Staying at Nana’s farm seems like a wonderful solution until they learn they have to go to school and Riley receives another heart-rending shock. Join Riley and Mia in their continued adventure as they face new challenges, make new friends, and get downright stretched!

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From author J.S. Anderson comes a story of discovery and intrigue!

A severely damaged fifteenth century Book of Hours, a man starving to death in a sumptuous art deco flat, an architect searching for the unconventional, a demonic old man, the tragic death of an infant and her father, a stolen human heart—

When Brother Alphaios comes to a great American city to recreate the Book of Hours, he must discover both its origins and the heresies that kept it hidden away for six hundred years. Finding himself an unwelcome guest in a cold, dour monastery, he becomes beguiled both by the audacious fifteenth-century illuminator he calls Jeremiah and the characters he encounters in the vast, chaotic city. Reflective and experiential, Brother Alphaios is drawn to make his own bold statement—one final touch with his finest sable brush.

Follow Brother Alphaios on his journey in this enjoyable and beguiling new book!

About J.S. Anderson

J. S. Anderson lives and writes in Longview, Washington. He has a lifelong interest in western religions and cultures. An aficionado of art, good food, and music (vocal music and the blues draw him most), he enjoys remarkable architecture and learning about the creative, artistic and cultural forces that contributed to significant buildings and their surroundings. An amateur photographer, he is drawn to colors and enjoys finding the odd picture and the unusual point of view. Read more about the author here.

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From the author of Island Woman comes a thrilling story of possibilities –

Has a new branch been added to the Homo sapiens family tree?

Six-month old Gregory Shenko defies traditional scientific thinking when an electroencephalogram (EEG) reveals extremely high voltages coming from an oversized lesion in his brain. When the university doctors caring for Gregory experience violent episodic headaches and claim the episodes somehow stem from Gregory’s brain “anomaly,” the academic and public controversies explode and speculation runs rampant. Could another line of hominid have survived the evolutionary process or are the reports merely a hoax?

Public reaction drives Gregory, his mother, and his pediatrician into hiding. Years later, an adolescent misadventure brings the Neanderthal-appearing Gregory back into the public’s attention and the world must decide: What makes a human “human”?

Gregory’s Anomaly now available in print and ebook!

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J. E. Ellis, author of The Essence of Humanity

In 1994, J.E. Ellis began writing professionally, from magazine articles to technical brochures to TV pilots. In 2000, he co-wrote and co-produced the film, The Harvesters. In 2007 he wrote the award winning documentary, A Glimpse of Heaven and a Taste of Hell. He created and wrote the sitcom pilot, Two for Tee, in 2010. His first novel, the indie ebook, The Hordes of Rage, is available for Kindle and Kobo.

The Essence of Humanity, the story:

Spending forty years in a cryo-stasis pod is not Bobby Porter’s idea of a good time. Not his fault he got left behind on that blasted asteroid ship. And waking up in the arms of aliens, the only human on a ship once filled with humans (no one told him the blasted pods recycled everything), could’ve been a real nightmare. Especially for a second-rate systems tech with only one real gift: the gift of gab—complete with the ability to pick up new languages in a flash. But Bobby makes the best of a bad situation and ends up with a pretty good deal.

Until the aliens decide to give humanity a chance to join their alliance, and the universe as Bobby knows it disintegrates around him. Seems there’s a couple more players in this game of space chess: an arrogant CEO who knows he’s humanity’s savior and an alien empire (not Bobby’s aliens—real alien aliens) determined to dominate mankind—or exterminate the entire human species.

Surprising to Bobby and everyone who knows him, the systems tech finds himself holding the key to humanity’s survival. One question stands out above all others: Can he find the “door” the key unlocks before the bad guys, aka mean, nasty aliens, find him?

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Managing editor and author Louisa Swann brings two of her novels to the Lucky Bat corrals: The Trouble with Bulldogs, written under pen name Jonesey Carlson; and Bots to Bullets, written with husband Jim.

The Trouble with Bulldogs

Off-the-wall artist meets murdering psychopath, a deadly combination…

Briana Langstrom wants three things in life: success (being a starving artist sucks), a new brain for her mom (dementia sucks more), and to be the first person to own a condo on the moon (she’s got the wall paper all picked out). There’re only two things standing in her way—an unexpected inheritance and a psychotic killer bent on eliminating Bri’s family.

John Bri and her companions (a boa named Mrs. Beasley, Harry the tarantula, and a pint-size detective who sees criminals around every corner) on this wild gallop through the wilds of the Sierra Nevada mountains as she struggles to come to terms with a family history that just might kill her.

Bots to Bullets

Kate has lived through broken necks and breast cancer, but can she survive her husband’s dark past?

Life is good for extreme mountain biker Kate Ramsdell with her husband Dave, a successful computer programmer, and a stepson about to be married. As far as Kate is concerned, the worst of life’s challenges are behind her until she gets a phone call in the middle of planning her stepson’s wedding.

A phone call that shatters her life.

When she’s told her husband is dead and her stepson’s life is in jeopardy, Kate joins forces with a man she doesn’t know and leaves the world she loves behind. Bit by bit, secrets from her husband’s dark past come to light.

In a heart-stopping confrontation with a woman who’s the very essence of evil, Kate must draw upon her determination and strength before everything she lives for is destroyed.

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Born on an Indian reservation in northern California, Louisa spent the first six months of her life in a papoose carrier. Determined not to remain a basket case forever, she escaped the splintered confines, finally settling down on a ranch where she spins tales that range from light to dark and back again. Louisa’s writerly eccentricities have resulted in numerous short story publications in various anthologies along with two novels published under pen names. She is also one of Lucky Bat Books’ Managing Editors and works with fiction and nonfiction writers in both crafting their books and publishing them.

Find out more at www.louisaswann.com and on her managing editor page.

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