Spotlight: Boolean Logic by Morgan Christie

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Powerful and Lyrical Essays from a New and Noteworthy Poet and Fiction Writer

Morgan Christie's book is in conversation with various themes including race, gender inequity, socioeconomic disparities, and others as questions regarding how experiences define us are viewed through a BOOLEAN LOGIC lens, where sums do not always equal their parts. These essays intertwine sport, family, and community and other aspects that assist in shaping identities through lineage and the lessons we take from them.

Literary Nonfiction. Essay. Family & Relationships. African & African American Studies. Women's Studies.

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About the Author

Morgan Christie's essays, stories, and poems have appeared in Room, Callaloo, The Hawai'i Review, Sport Literate, and elsewhere. Her first chapbook, Variations on a Lobster's Tale, was the winner of the 2017 Alexander Posey Chapbook Prize, and her first full-length short story manuscript, These Bodies (Tolsun Books, 2020), was nominated for the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award in fiction. Her most recent poetry chapbook, when they come (Black Sunflowers Press, 2021) is featured in the Forward Arts Foundation's National Poetry Day exhibit. She is the 2022 Arc Poetry Poem of the Year Prize recipient, and her collection People Without Wings (Black Sunflowers Press, 2021) is the winner of the 2022 Digging Chapbook Series Prize. Her new short story collection, Boolean Logic, is the winner of the 2023 Howling Bird Press Nonfiction Prize. Her novella Liddle Deaths (Stillhouse Press) is due out in 2024. Christie currently splits her time between North Carolina and Toronto. To learn more, please visit MorganChristieWrites.com.

Spotlight: Finding the End Zone by Tam DeRudder Jackson

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Never date a player.

Football god Callahan O’Reilly can keep his blazing blue eyes to himself. I have a scholarship to maintain, and I do not have time to babysit a jock through a make-or-break class project. Even if one smoldering glance from him sets my panties on fire.

Time to change her mind.

Jamaica Winslow opens her mouth and spews sass like a volcano. One look at her uptight package and I want to coax the genie from the bottle, unleash all the passion she hides beneath a mop of unruly curls and a smart-ass attitude. She’s not my type, she doesn’t know one damn thing about the game that rules my life, and I can’t stop thinking about her.

Who said anything about love?

Jamaica does her best to keep me at arm’s length, but I’m not a pro prospect because I let the plays come to me. With the game on the line, I always want the ball. When an alum with deep pockets and delusions of grandeur makes demands that threaten my NFL chances and Jamaica’s scholarship, I have no choice but to man up and do the right thing no matter the cost.

It started as fun and games. Now I’m playing for her heart—and my own.

Game time.

Excerpt

Sorry I’m late. A group of girls from the freshmen dorm rolled in at ten minutes to close and spent twenty minutes deciding to buy one bag of sour gummy worms and a couple boxes of Red Hots.”

Without acknowledging my outlay on the table, she began extracting notebooks, folders, and books from her bag as though it were Hermione’s magic purse from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At last, she set her pack on the floor beside her chair, pulled a pen from somewhere in her curls, and opened one of her notebooks. “I’ve outlined a list of themes we could explore. I’m sort of partial to exploitation in Hardy’s novels.”

“Hello, Jamaica. How was your day?”

When she glanced up at me, I sat back in my chair and crossed my arms over my chest. She might have ideas about how this partnership was going to go, but I had ideas too.

“What?”

I jacked a brow. “How was your day?” Letting a little grin slip out, I shrugged. “Aside from annoying freshmen at closing time.”

Her head tilted to the side as she finally looked at me, a puzzled expression on her stunning face. “Um, it was fine. Good, actually. Yours?”

“Better now.” I leaned my forearms on the table and dropped my voice half an octave. “I’m looking forward to pairing up with you.”

She scolded me with her face. “Partners. We are project partners.”

I coughed into my hand to hide my laughter at her expression and her schoolteacher tone. “The difference is—what?”

“We aren’t ‘paired up’ as in getting together. We are partners preparing a class project for our mutual advancement.”

“Is that what we are?” I drawled.

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About the Author

Tam DeRudder Jackson is the author of the paranormal romance Talisman Series and the contemporary romance Balefire Series. Her favorite “room” in her house is her patio where she dreams up stories of romance and risk. When she’s not writing her latest paranormal or contemporary romance, you can find her driving around in her convertible or carving turns on the slopes of the local ski hill. The mom of two grown sons, Tam likes to travel, attend rock concerts, watch football and soccer, and visit old car shows with her husband. She lives in the mountains of northwest Wyoming where she spends most of her free time trying to read all the books. Her TBR piles are threatening to take over her office, and she’s fine with that.

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Spotlight: Saving Madonna by Kate Bristow

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GENRE: Historical Fiction

Is a painting worth dying for?

Inspired by real events, an unforgettable story of love, courage and sacrifice to save a country’s heritage.

Italy 1943. As the Allies bomb Milan, Elena Marchetti reluctantly gives up her coveted job as an art curator in the city to return to her family farm near Urbino. She takes up a new role assisting Pasquale Rotondi, the Superintendent of Arts in the region, in protecting works of art from all over Italy that have been hidden in the relative safety of the countryside.

At a family celebration, Elena reunites with Luca, a close childhood friend. A shattering event instigated by the occupying Germans deepens their relationship, and they start planning a life together. When rumors surface that Italy’s art is being stolen by the German occupiers, Pasquale hatches an audacious plan to rescue the priceless paintings in his possession. Elena and Luca are forced to make an impossible decision: will they embark on a dangerous mission to save Italy’s cultural heritage?

Excerpt

Marco looked beyond his home to a small wood that stretched out from the rear of the property down to the narrow white road snaking through the valley toward the distant hilltop town of Peglio. His home was called Ca’Boschetto (House of the Copse) because of these trees, and Marco knew it would soon be time for his father and uncle to gather their friends and bloodhounds for the annual truffle hunt. Their small wood was known far and wide as a fruitful location for the illusive and highly sought-after fungi, and the truffle hunt was one of the highlights of the season.

Beyond the wood, a patchwork of fields that had been parched brown after the harvest in the heat of August was beginning to turn into shades of green from recent rain. Marco spotted a couple of deer making the most of the fresh grass. Something else caught his eye as it glinted in the distance. Marco lifted his hands to his brow to deflect the glare of the autumnal sun. Whatever was flashing in the sunlight was moving toward their farm. The ox-drawn carts that often made this journey on the back road couldn’t move that quickly. He squinted. Something was not right.

“Luca! Luca! I can see a car coming. Look at the road!”

His older brother turned away from the flock and walked over to where Marco was standing. Luca stared at the distant vehicle for a minute and his face darkened. “Marco, Gianni, run down to the house and tell Papà that there might be Germans coming. Move!”

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About the Author

Kate Bristow was born in London. She fell in love with reading when she got her first library card at the age of four. Her first attempt at writing and publishing for a wide audience was a local newspaper typed laboriously at home on her mother’s typewriter while at primary (elementary) school in north London. It is surely a loss to cutting-edge journalism that only one issue was ever produced. Kate divides her time between her small-but-perfectly-formed modern home in Los Angeles and her five-hundred-year-old farmhouse just outside Sassocorvaro in Italy.

Connect:

Website: https://www.katebristow.com

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Spotlight: Just One Tease by Carly Phillips

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Release Date: November 14

He’s the last single Dare sibling standing.

She’s his lost love who disappeared.

Now she’s back, bringing secrets and danger.

Hadley Stevens is on the run with her younger sister—again—but this time, she’s in control. Zach Dare might hate her, but she knows he’d never turn away someone in need. He’s the only man she trusts. The man she’s never gotten over. Even if she left him without a word.

Zach never expected the girl he once loved to walk into his bar. The last time he saw her, he’d dropped her off after school and promised to pick her up for prom. Except she disappeared.

Now, she’s back with a new name, but the same doe eyes and pouty lips, and she’s asking for the help he would have gladly given her all those years ago.

Zach agrees to protect them, but he refuses to fall for Hadley again. But late nights working side by side give them a tempting glimpse at the life they could have had…and all the reasons he loved her come flooding back.

He’ll have to keep her safe.

Before he can convince her to stay.

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About the Author

Carly Phillips is the NY Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of over eighty sexy contemporary romances featuring hot men, strong women, and emotionally compelling stories her readers have come to expect and love. She is happily married to her college sweetheart and lives in Westchester County, NY. She is the mother of two adult daughters and three crazy dogs who star on her Facebook and Instagram pages. She loves social media and is always around to interact with her readers. Way back in 2002, Carly’s book, The Bachelor, was chosen by Kelly Ripa and was the first romance on a nationally televised book club. Carly loves social media and interacting with her readers. For more information on upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter (below) and receive two free books!

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To learn more about Carly Phillips & her books, visit here!

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Spotlight: One Pucking Love by Ellie Wade

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Series: Crane Hockey

Author: Ellie Wade

Release Date: November 13, 2023

Genre/Tropes: Contemporary Romance, Sports, Hockey, Brother's Best Friend, Second Chance, Friends to Lovers, Male Virgin, Forced Proximity 

Cover Design: Kate Farlow with Y’All that graphic

From USA Today best-selling author Ellie Wade comes a brother’s best friend and second-chance hockey romance.

Cade Richards is the starting forward of the NHL team the Cranes. He’s at the top of his game and scoring like a champ. On a quick trip home, he runs into Iris, the woman he’s spent his adult life striving to be good enough for, the one who holds his heart.

Iris Feldmore’s life is in shambles. Everything she’s worked for has crumbled. Her brother returns home with his best friend—her first love, Cade—in tow. The hockey team gave Cade the nickname of Heartbreaker, and it’s fitting because he broke hers. If she’s honest with herself, she’s never gotten over it.  

Now Cade’s back and offering to help her in a way only he can. He’s always known what she needed, yet she’s terrified to let him in. She wouldn’t survive his loss again.

This time, though, something feels different. Their chemistry is off the charts, but she’s been fooled before. After all these years, could everything she’s wanted be in reach? 

Or will opening her heart end in another devastating heartbreak?

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About the Author

Ellie Wade resides in southeast Michigan with her husband, three children, and three dogs. She has a Master’s degree in education from Eastern Michigan University and is a huge University of Michigan sports fan. She loves the beauty of her home state, especially the lakes and the gorgeous autumn weather. When she is not writing, you will find her reading, snuggled up with her kiddos, or spending time with family and friends. She loves traveling and exploring new places with her family. 

Connect:

✰ BOOKBUB: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/ellie-wade

✰ Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/EllieWadeAuthor/

✰ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorelliewade/

✰ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorelliewade

✰ Amazon Author Page: https://amzn.to/2dwBFRC

✰ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/elliewade

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✰ Reader’s Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wadeswarriorsforthehea

Spotlight: Love & Consequences by BJ Harvey

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Series: Truth & Love Series

Author: BJ Harvey

Genre/Tropes: Second chance, law enforcement, Las Vegas crime, hero's redemption, smoke & mirrors, he's still gone for her, angst, heroine & hero in danger, protector, revenge, starting over, tortured hero, kick ass heroine, brother's best friend (can be read as a standalone)

Release Date: November 12, 2023

A year ago, I let my heart overrule my head and I made an error in judgment that cost me everything I’d ever worked for.

Then I screwed up again trying to save my career and lost the last ally I had left.

Just as I'm slowly rebuilding the life I spectacularly destroyed, I’m sent back to the scene of the crime to go undercover in the hottest new club on what seems like an open-shut skimming case. But as always, nothing is as it seems. Especially when I cross paths with the very last person who wants to see me--Marlee Manning.

The biggest distraction and risk to my cover—and hers—just happens to be the girl who enamored me as a kid, who enchanted me as an adult, and who used to be the one constant presence in my life, loving me unconditionally until I broke her heart, her trust, and everything else.

Now we need each other to help bring down a man who could be the most dangerous man on the Strip. The problem is, we don't know what we're up against, and the deeper I get into the life, the more I realize that the stakes are higher than ever. Not just for me, but for her, and any future we might have. 

Because if I'm not careful, this case, this chance, this journey toward redemption, could very well end up being my last.

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About the Author

BJ Harvey is the USA Today Bestselling Author of angsty contemporary romance, romantic comedy, and sometimes a little bit of romance suspense. She regards herself as a smut peddler, suspense conjurer, and a funny romance thinker upper. An avid music fan, you will always find her singing some hit song badly and loving every minute of it. She’s a miner’s wife, a mom to two beautiful teenagers, and was born in New Zealand and currently lives in Perth, Australia. 

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