All posts by mikekalmbach

Festival of Crime

by D A Lampi

FestivalThroughout Minnesota, from Austin to International Falls, people flock every year to more festivals--county fairs, arts and craft shows, ice-fishing contests, and music festivals--than you can shake a stick at. Most come for the food and fun, but a few festival-goers have more devious intentions in mind.

In this diverse collection of short stories, members of Twin Cities Sisters in Crime reveal the chilly underside of dog-sled races, gang rivalries at a Cinco de Mayo festivals, errant ice picks at a winter sculpture park, arson at a North Shore boat show, and a host of other ticklish and terrifying situations.

Sometimes humorous and always rich in local color, these mysteries abound in psychopaths and twisted cops, cagey con men and shrewd amateur sleuths. They'll keep you guessing 'til the band stops playing and the final light goes out.

Publisher

Published by: Nodin Press

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About the Author

D.A. Lampi lives in southeastern Minnesota with her husband, four children and a sheltie named Scout Finch. She has a Master of Arts degree in Psychology and writes fiction. This is her first novel. Her short story, Fifty Years is soon be published in a horror anthology of horror stories by Aprocryphile Press. She is currently working on a second Grace Rendeau novel.

Thursdays On First

The following books have been identified as candidates for the Thursday on First event. Please contact mikekalmbach@gmail.com if you have any questions about this list.

There are currently 38 titles planned for the Thursdays on First event.

A Dog Named Leaf

The Hero Dog from Heaven Who Saved My Life

by Allen & Laura Anderson

AAllen and Linda Anderson adopted a traumatized one-year-old cocker spaniel who had been abandoned. Soon, the troubled dog they named “Leaf” turned their home into a war zone. Although Leaf and Allen were forging a friendship with visits to dog parks and bonding time, Leaf’s emotional issues overwhelmed the couple.

Shortly after Leaf’s arrival, Allen, who had spent eight years as a big city police officer and survived so many close calls that Linda called him “Miracle Man,” received a diagnosis from his doctor that made him think his luck had finally run out. Allen had an unruptured brain aneurysm that could be fatal, and the surgery to repair it might leave him debilitated. Having seen his father live for years with the effects of a massive stroke, he dreaded that the worst fate might not be death.

What Allen didn’t know is that he and Leaf, like comrades facing the ultimate battle, would be there for each other with the miracle of this man and this dog coming together at exactly the right time.

Publisher

Published by: Lyons Press

Awards

  • New York Times Bestseller
  • 2012 Outstanding Book Award from the American Association of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)

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About the Author

Allen Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of A Dog Named Leaf with his wife Linda are coauthors of a series of popular books, published in multiple languages, about the benefits of human-animal companionship. In 1996 they cofounded the Angel Animals Network to honor and expand upon their lifelong love of animals. Angel Animals uses the power of inspirational stories to increase love and respect for all life.

The Andersons' books have won recognition from the American Society of Journalists & Authors's Outstanding Book Award program. Allen and Linda were named Partners and Friends of the American Humane Association in recognition that their mission and efforts are in alignment with the organization's work.

The Andersons raised two children along with pets as family members. They currently share their home in Minneapolis with pets whose relationships would make great film plots -- a dog named Leaf, Cuddles the cat, and Sunshine, a cockatiel who says, "I love you, sweet baby."

The Dream Guild

by David Bruns

TheWhen you dreamed last night did it seem real? It was.

Consider this: when you close your eyes at night, you enter a dimension where dreams are reality. And we are not alone. We share this space with a sister civilization--two worlds separated by space, bonded by dreams and guarded by the Dream Guild.

When a boy named Eli is Transported across the dream dimension, the balance between the two worlds is altered. Alone and scared, Eli becomes the protégé of a dark Sovereign—and beyond the reach of the Dream Guild. Under this malevolent tutelage, Eli develops an arsenal of superpowers that threatens to swallow his better nature.

Desperate for a way to stop the Sovereign, the Dream Guild recruits Mika, Eli’s best friend. Mika becomes an unwilling warrior in a battle that pits friend against friend and threatens to destroy both worlds.

Publisher

Published by: Calumet Editions

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About the Author

David Bruns grew up on a small farm in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. He got his undergraduate degree at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and spent the next 6 years as an officer in the US Navy submarine force chasing the Russians at the end of the Cold War. After leaving the Navy, David spent the next few decades in the high-tech sector until he decided to chuck it all and start over as a writer.

A self-confessed travel junkie, he and his family have visited over two dozen different countries in Asia, North America and Europe. Today, he lives in the middle of the United States with his family.

Sacrifice

The Dream Guild Chronicles #3

by David Bruns

SacrificeImagine Lost in Space crash landing into an ancient Incan civilization and you have SACRIFICE, Book Three of The Dream Guild Chronicles.

If crash landing isn’t bad enough, a crew member is taken captive by the natives. A rescue attempt, a firefight and one crewman is left for dead.

But Gideon is very much alive.

Alone, light-years from everyone who cares about him, Gideon navigates royal politics, tribal rituals, and ancient prophecies as he fights to take back the artifact that will let him reconnect with his family.

Purchase information

Sacrifice is available from:

  • Amazon in Kindle.
  • Directly from the author

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About the Author

David Bruns grew up on a small farm in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. He got his undergraduate degree at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and spent the next 6 years as an officer in the US Navy submarine force chasing the Russians at the end of the Cold War. After leaving the Navy, David spent the next few decades in the high-tech sector until he decided to chuck it all and start over as a writer.

A self-confessed travel junkie, he and his family have visited over two dozen different countries in Asia, North America and Europe. Today, he lives in the middle of the United States with his family.

Irradiance

The Dream Guild Chronicles #1

by David Bruns

IrradianceIn a bioengineered, telepathically networked society of comfort and safety, the only relationship that matters is the one between a Citizen and the Community.

But the Community hides a terrifying secret: their planet is dying--and they have no intention of saving the people.

When scientist and new mother Maribel uncovers the truth, everything in this world she cares about is threatened by the heavy hand of the Community.

Shades of Big Brother merge with Elysium in this dystopian sci-fi novel of one Citizen's fight against unbeatable odds.

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Irradiance is available from:

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About the Author

David Bruns grew up on a small farm in the mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. He got his undergraduate degree at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and spent the next 6 years as an officer in the US Navy submarine force chasing the Russians at the end of the Cold War. After leaving the Navy, David spent the next few decades in the high-tech sector until he decided to chuck it all and start over as a writer.

A self-confessed travel junkie, he and his family have visited over two dozen different countries in Asia, North America and Europe. Today, he lives in the middle of the United States with his family.