Category Archives: Contemporary

Girl Unreserved

by Tashia Hart

GirlGirl Unreserved is a very intimate coming-of-age narrative told from the perspective of a "mixed-blood" girl from a Chippewa Indian reservation in Northern Minnesota.

The story addresses how the concepts of identity, gender, and sexuality are shaped by both our cultural environments as well as the intrinsic, spiritual landscape we grow and carry inside of ourselves throughout our lives.

Other themes this book addresses are: the prevalence of sexual assault in Indian Country; poverty and malnutrition and their effects on the mental states of children; alcoholism; and one of the worst coping mechanisms for suffering, the "I Don't Care" mentality that allows subscribers the belief that they are in control of their own suffering--leading to cycles that recreate the suffering over and over again.

This mentality is currently devastating Native communities, with particularly harmful repercussions for the youth of these communities.

Girl Unreserved is based on the author's own coming-of-age story and has woven into it elements of fiction and a touch of magical realism.

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About the Author

Tashia Hart is from the Red Lake Reservation of Chippewa Indians in Northern Minnesota, where her father and other enrolled family members reside.

Like many women, her recovery from traumas like the ones portrayed in Girl Unreserved is a life-long, on-going process.

She is currently finding ways to bring healthy feminine and masculine energy into her life.

Emily Swift 2: Homicide in Hawaii

Emily Swift Travel Mystery #2

by Lorrie Holmgren

HomicideTravel writer Emily Swift looks forward to a romantic trip to Hawaii with her boyfriend Jack. It’ll be a snap to write about the breathtakingly beautiful Hawaiian Islands – especially with a friend, who lives in Waikiki, as her guide. But Emily’s hopes are dashed when Amanda’s dead body is found in an ancient Hawaiian ritual site. Who would kill a woman whose friends describe her as “saint like”? Emily uses her reporter’s skills to find out. Did Amanda discover her husband’s philandering? Who is the father of Amanda’s Native Hawaiian goddaughter Kari? Why was Amanda obsessed by her family’s role in the history of Hawaii? What secrets lurk in old letters and photos? As Emily delves into the past to find the killer, she finds herself in danger. Finally, she realizes that the murderer is closer than she thinks––and a Hawaiian tourist spot may prove to be her grave as well as Amanda’s.

Publisher

Published by: Cozy Cat Press

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About the Author

Lorrie Holmgren is the author of two Emily Swift travel mysteries -- Murder on Madeline Island, and Homicide in Hawaii. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, busily penning mysteries when she isn't traveling the world. Lorrie has a special affection for Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, which she often visits with her writing group, friends and husband. She is currently writing her third travel mystery novel about Emily Swift.

Lost Children #0: Awakened

The Lost Children

by Krista Street

AwakenedAfter waking in an alleyway with no memories, a strange tattoo and a supernatural ability, Lena knows something extraordinary happened to her. When a deep guiding instinct hums to life inside her, she sets out into the unknown in hopes of unlocking secrets to her past. Now, hitchhiking around the country with nothing but a personalized bracelet as proof of a life she once led, Lena must decide - seek answers to her past at any cost or accept that the truth to who she really is may never be known.

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About the Author

Krista Street is a Minnesota native but has lived throughout the U.S. and in another country or two. She loves to travel, read (obviously), and spend time in the great outdoors. When not writing, Krista is either chasing her children (or hiding from them, it varies depending on the day), spending time with her husband and friends, sipping a cup of tea, or enjoying the hidden gems of beauty that Minnesota has to offer.

Lost Children #3: Reborn

The Lost Children #3

by Krista Street

RebornThey've found the other lost children, but that win came at a price. On the run, Lena, Flint and their family know they have two options: go back into hiding or fight.

Will their abilities be strong enough to ensure their freedom? Or will Lena and Flint's greatest fear finally come true?

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About the Author

Krista Street is a Minnesota native but has lived throughout the U.S. and in another country or two. She loves to travel, read (obviously), and spend time in the great outdoors. When not writing, Krista is either chasing her children (or hiding from them, it varies depending on the day), spending time with her husband and friends, sipping a cup of tea, or enjoying the hidden gems of beauty that Minnesota has to offer.

Lost Children #2: Remembered

The Lost Children #2

by Krista Street

RememberedLena, Flint and their unique family have discovered what created their extrasensory abilities and hidden memories. When a new opportunity arises to give them answers to a past they thought was lost, an entire world is reopened. Now, stronger than they were before, they venture to the heart of what created them knowing they may not all return.

Remembered is book 2 in The Lost Children Trilogy - a New Adult Paranormal Fantasy with elements of romance and YA themes - sure to please mature YA and adult readers alike!

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About the Author

Krista Street is a Minnesota native but has lived throughout the U.S. and in another country or two. She loves to travel, read (obviously), and spend time in the great outdoors. When not writing, Krista is either chasing her children (or hiding from them, it varies depending on the day), spending time with her husband and friends, sipping a cup of tea, or enjoying the hidden gems of beauty that Minnesota has to offer.

Lost Children #1: Forgotten

The Lost Children #1

by Krista Street

ForgottenFour months ago, Lena awoke in a dark alleyway with no memories of who she is or what happened to her. Even more alarming, she has a mysterious tattooed symbol and an extrasensory ability which allows her to see if people are good or bad.

Armed with nothing but her determination to pursue answers to her forgotten past, a strange guiding instinct pulls her to a small Colorado town. There, she meets others like her. Others with forgotten memories, strange abilities, and tattooed symbols. Among them, a dark eyed man she's inexplicably drawn to. With him, her body remembers what her mind cannot. Yet despite Lena and her new friends banding together, they're unable to find answers to explain their mysterious beginnings until they stumble upon a clue that alludes to the depths of their connection. A connection that plunges them into a sinister world filled with secrets. Secrets that may be deadly.

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About the Author

Krista Street is a Minnesota native but has lived throughout the U.S. and in another country or two. She loves to travel, read (obviously), and spend time in the great outdoors. When not writing, Krista is either chasing her children (or hiding from them, it varies depending on the day), spending time with her husband and friends, sipping a cup of tea, or enjoying the hidden gems of beauty that Minnesota has to offer.

Emily Swift 1: Murder on Madeline Island

Emily Swift Travel Mystery

by Lorrie Holmgren

MurderWhen travel writer Emily Swift agrees to join her boyfriend Chet for a romantic getaway on Madeline Island, she has no idea she will end up accused of murder. But that’s what happens when she finds a dead lawyer stashed in an abandoned refrigerator. Who could have killed him? Could the fact that he was on the island to help Chet’s grandmother rewrite her will be a motive? Chet’s family is outraged by a will that excludes them unless they find Gram’s Ojibway half-brother. But surely they aren’t angry enough to kill. Or are they? When everyone on the island assumes that Emily and Chet are engaged and the victim’s blood stains are found in her car, she quickly becomes the prime suspect. Can Emily clear herself and solve the case in time to prevent the killer from striking again? Or will her sleuthing lead her into a new romance and even greater danger? Find out in Murder on Madeline Island.

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Published by: Cozy Cat Press

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About the Author

Lorrie Holmgren is the author of two Emily Swift travel mysteries -- Murder on Madeline Island, and Homicide in Hawaii. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, busily penning mysteries when she isn't traveling the world. Lorrie has a special affection for Madeline Island, one of the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior, which she often visits with her writing group, friends and husband. She is currently writing her third travel mystery novel about Emily Swift.

Jin-Ling’s Two Left Feet

by Helen Chen

Jin-Ling'sLike the yin and the yang, Jin-Ling is comprised of two equal parts that fit together. One part is the dutiful Chinese daughter who does everything her immigrant parents expect of her, and the other part is the American teenage girl who yearns for the independence that she sees her peers taking for granted every day.

Jin-Ling would do anything to have Tony Blake - the smartest boy in school - for her prom date. Tony not only has the look that her friends would approve, but also meets her parents' definition of a "good" boy. Jin-Ling's hopes are shattered when she finds out Tony is going to prom with Kim - one of her very best friends. What should she do? No matter what she decides, it seems that Jin-Ling is destined to always feel as if she is walking on two left feet - feet that are often heading in opposite directions.

In Jin-Ling's Two Left Feet, Helen Chen explores the challenges and struggles of fitting in with a touching and sensitive narrative of an Asian American teenager's voice. Heartwarming and humorous, this compelling story of clashing cultural expectations and self identity will be enjoyed and related to by all who come across it.

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About the Author

Helen Chen was born in Taiwan and educated in Taiwan and the United States. She and her husband live in Rochester, Minnesota, where their daughter grew up. She has won prizes in: Kay Snow Non-fiction contest (2002), Winnipeg Free Press/ Writers' Collective Non-Fiction Writing Contest (2004 and 2006), and the Minneapolis Writers' Group Writing Contest (2005).

How to Ditch Dead Guys

The Witches Handbook #2

by Ann M. Noser

HowAfter everyone that Emma Roberts raises from the dead sinks back into the river, she longs for a purpose. A schedule. Something to accomplish. Then Officer Walker leaves a message on her voice mail: “There’s been another murder, and I need your help.”

With a bag of witchcraft supplies slung over her shoulder, Emma performs a séance for Walker at the site of the murder. But nothing happens until Emma gets back home. Black smoke swirls inside the bathroom. An invisible force slams her head onto the tiled floor. A golden snake slithers across her legs, then impales her wrist with its icy teeth.

As the smoke clears and the images fade, the truth becomes clear. This time around, Emma won’t just watch what happened. She’ll live it.

As Emma helps Officer Walker solve murder cases, she relives the horror of each victim’s last moments of life. From the edge of the river to the underground lair of the gang who murdered Steve, she endures it all.

As Emma weakens, both the victims and the murderers who killed them fight for control of her body and mind. She’s possessed, and the voices inside her head won’t let her ask for help.

Even the Book of Shadows can’t save her now…

Publisher

Published by: Curiosity Quills

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My to-do list dictates that I try to cram 48 hours of living into a day instead of the usual 24. I’ve chosen a life filled with animals. I train for marathons with my dog, then go to work as a small animal veterinarian, and finish the day by tripping over my pets as I attempt to convince my two unruly children that YES, it really IS time for bed. But I can’t wait until the house is quiet to write; I have to steal moments throughout the day. Ten minutes here, a half hour there, I live within my imagination.

Like all busy American mothers, I multi-task. I work out plot holes during runs. Instead of meditating, I type madly during yoga stretches. I find inspiration in everyday things: a beautiful smile, a heartbreaking song, or a newspaper article on a political theory. For example, a long drive in the dark listening to an NPR program on the SMILEY FACE MURDERS theory made me ask so many questions that I wrote HOW TO DATE DEAD GUYS to answer them to my satisfaction.

I’d love to have more time to write (and run, read, and sleep), but until I find Hermione Granger’s time turner, I will juggle real life with the half-written stories in my head. Main characters and plot lines intertwine in my cranium, and I need to let my writing weave the tales on paper so I can find out what happens next.

A Necessary Act

by Tony Wirt

ACan you stop a serial killer before he starts? If so, should you? How far would you go?

The students at Lake Mills Community High School knew there was something wrong with Scott – but what David saw firsthand was more than they could ever imagine. He and his best (only) friend Matt were content to keep their suspicions to themselves until a simple trip to the library sets them on parallel trajectories where even the most careful plans have unexpected consequences that can rock a community and reverberate long after they're gone.

Fifteen years later, Matt loses his high-profile reporter gig and is forced to return to the town he did everything he could to leave behind. He gets a shot at redemption with the small-town weekly where he started and quickly discovers a community that has moved on from the past. Well, everybody but David. He remembers everything and doesn’t buy a thirty-something Scott’s “normal” act. There's a madman hovering inside. After all, some people never change, right?

Something the entire town is reminded of when the first dead girl turns up.

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About the Author

I got my first taste of publication in first grade, when my essay on Airplane II: The Sequel appeared on my elementary school’s Creative Courier.

Seriously.

Questionable parental movie supervision notwithstanding, seeing something I had written in print was invigorating. So after spending my formative years running around a small town in rural Iowa, I enrolled in the University of Iowa and eventually picked up degrees in Journalism and Communication Studies. During that time I also spent three years writing for the Daily Iowan.

After graduation crossed over to the media relations world in the University of Iowa Sports Information Department, where I spent nine years on the road, running stats and frantically writing post-game stories before the team bus left.

I only got left behind once.

Marriage and a baby made road trips an impossibility, so I thought the life of a stay-at-home dad would be the perfect way to finally write that novel that had been bouncing around my head for years.

How cute is that?

Needless to say, caring for a 6-month-old leaves precious little time to breathe, let alone write. I was barely able to keep up with the fake blog I decided to make for her at 3 a.m. the day she was born.

But despite being parented by me, the kid got older and my novel idea poked its head out from under an avalanche of dirty diapers. I was ready to start writing.

Just in time to find out we were having another kid.

This time I knew what I was getting into, however, and I hustled to get whatever I could down before the next avalanche arrived. It was about 14,000 words, and it wasn’t good, but it was the seed from which A Necessary Act grew.

That was six years, six drafts and a move to Minnesota ago. There were plenty of detours along the way, including a stint writing opinion pieces as a member of the Rochester Post-Bulletin’s Editorial Advisory Board, but I finally got the book done.

I can’t say if it’s good or not—that’s your job—but it’s full of the things I like. Creepy bad guys, twists and bad decisions made for good reasons.

Hope you like it.