FRANKLIN ROCK
By Mark E. Klein
Sometimes heroes appear when we least expect them.
One-part Siddhartha and one-part Forrest Gump, undergraduate student Franklin discovers that he has been chosen. In one extraordinary moment — a brief but crystal-clear glimpse into the future — Franklin learns that his life is to be an adventure unlike any other. Professor Charles Niemeyer, a Gandalf-like mentor, begins to skillfully guide Franklin along his journey. But before he has the chance to teach Franklin what he needs to know, Professor Niemeyer suddenly dies, leaving Franklin a blank book with a remarkable title: Franklin Rock: The Man Who Fixed the World.
Now on his own, Franklin must navigate toward his surprising destiny. Along the way, he encounters some wonderful characters. A mysterious man named Govinda who seems to know more about him than Franklin knows about himself; Maurice Burnside, a humble, elderly cancer patient who teaches Franklin life’s most important lessons; Lori Constantine, a beautiful woman who can see his heart; and some of the greatest minds of the 20th century all make their mark on Franklin.
Beautifully written, Franklin Rock is a novel of adventure, comfort and compassion. It is a healing balm and a ray of hope in our darkest hours. As Franklin grows in understanding, so does the reader, learning surprising lessons about time, our world and the meaning of life.
THE AUTHOR
Mark E. Klein is a physician and author. His career has been centered on caring for others, whether they are patients, colleagues or strangers. He is always a teacher, sometimes of new medical technologies to other physicians from around the nation and the world, other times of those even more important issues of life that none of us can avoid. He continues to practice medicine in Washington, DC. Franklin Rock is his third book and his first novel.
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THE SECRET DIARIES OF JUAN LUIS VIVES
By Tim Darcy Ellis
Perfect for “lovers of high drama, international intrigue, momentous history and psychological thrillers,” says Blueink, this critically acclaimed and enthralling debut resurrects a leading Renaissance humanist.
It is 1522. The Spanish Netherlands. Juan Luis Vives, a renowned academic, has fled Spain to avoid the fires of the Inquisition, yet even here he is not safe. When England’s Sir Thomas More offers him the role of tutor to Mary, daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, he eagerly accepts.
While publicly navigating life as a “New Christian,” Vives is quickly drawn into the secretive and dangerous world of London’s Jewish community. With a foot in each world, he is torn between the love of two women.
Inside the Tudor court, the king and queen separately seek Vives’s assistance to support their opposed demands. He must betray one to help the other, knowing his decision could cost him his life. Whom will he choose? Not only his survival but that of his family and his entire people hang in the balance.
THE AUTHOR
Tim Darcy Ellis (BA BSc, MHSc) is a writer and physiotherapy business owner. He was formerly a professional archaeologist. His critically acclaimed debut, The Secret Diaries of Juan Luis Vives, is a fast-paced and meticulously researched historical fiction novel. He is passionate about bringing his love of history, archaeology and philosophy together through his writing.
Tim is currently Managing Director and Principal Physiotherapist of Excel Physiotherapy and Wellness. He is chief writer of Excel Life magazine.
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THE BOND
By A.M. Grotticelli
Searching for the kind of love that many of us take for granted, The Bond is a powerful memoir that chronicles the strength of the relationships formed among a collection of unrelated siblings who forged a remarkable, separate and permanent family within a foster home.
A.M. Grotticelli’s writing is raw, honest and direct. He doesn’t soften or romanticize the truth, nor does he dramatize his story. Yet, despite the straightforward nature of his storytelling, the urgency in this narrative shines through as he builds suspense merely by relaying the events as they happened. Seemingly pleasant interactions become suspect as he introduces the harsh, tragic realities of the foster care system. “That the foster siblings were able to forge familial bonds with each other is extraordinary,” says BookLife, but this is a story of resourceful survivors.
THE AUTHOR
A.M. Grotticelli is a veteran technology trade journalist who, after years of roaming to find his true identity, ironically resides in the same town as the Huntington, N.Y., foster-care home he grew up in. He has a wife and three children.
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Read BookTrib’s review of The Bond.
FACADE
By Melody Saleh
Sex and the City meets Fifty Shades of Grey in this entertaining novel where things aren’t always what they appear …
Frustrated by recurring yet unsatisfying erotic dreams, Amber sets out to seduce a sexy attorney, but their attempt at a relationship suffers numerous setbacks. Are they meant to be together, or is the sexy Frenchman her heart’s desire?
Newly pregnant, Debra tries to rebuild her life after tragedy strikes, finding herself torn between two potential love interests. Does she say yes to the wrong man?
Up and coming fashion designer and single mother Zya struggles with her sexuality after falling for another woman while her daughter Ashanti is the victim of a hate crime. Will Zya let society decide her happiness?
Aspiring model Dominque wants to get her life on track but finds it hard to settle down after years of partying. When Mr. Right appears, how long does it take for her to realize although he’s everything she’s never wanted, he’s exactly what she needs?
This fast-paced contemporary romance will keep you glued to your chair.
THE AUTHORS
Melody Saleh made the leap at the end of 2019 to write full-time upon the release of her first book, Façade.
Melody lives with her husband in her home state of Florida. She’s blessed to be alive today after two cancer diagnosis and enjoys watching her grandchildren grow up — something she doesn’t take for granted.
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QUALIFY: THE ATLANTIS GRAIL
By Vera Nazarian
If you want to survive, your only hope is to Qualify.
The year is 2047. An extinction-level asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, and the descendants of ancient Atlantis have returned from the stars in their silver ships to offer humanity help — but there’s a catch. They can only take a tiny percent of the Earth’s population back to the colony planet Atlantis. Only bright, talented and athletic teenagers will be considered … and they must Qualify.
Sixteen-year-old Gwenevere Lark is determined not only to Qualify but to rescue her entire family — because there’s a loophole. If you are good enough to Qualify, you are eligible to compete in the brutal games of the Atlantis Grail, which grants all winners the laurels, high-tech luxuries and full privileges of Atlantis Citizenship. And if you are in the Top Ten, then all your wildest wishes are granted, such as curing your mother’s cancer.
There’s only one problem. Gwen Lark is known as a klutz and a nerd. She’s in over her head and in for the fight of her life against impossible odds and world-class competition. Because every other teen on Earth has the same idea: Qualify.
THE AUTHOR
Vera Nazarian is a two-time Nebula Award Finalist, award-winning artist, a member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and a writer with a penchant for moral fables and stories of intense wonder, true love and intricacy.
She immigrated to the USA from the former USSR as a kid, sold her first story at the age of 17, and since then has published numerous works in anthologies and magazines, and has seen her fiction translated into eight languages. After many years in Los Angeles, Vera lives in a small town in Vermont, and uses her Armenian sense of humor and her Russian sense of suffering to bake conflicted pirozhki and make art.
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THE TRUE ADVENTURES OF GIDON LEV
by Julie Gray
Named one of the Best Books of 2020 by Kirkus Reviews.
Of the approximately 15,000 children imprisoned in the Nazi concentration camp of Térézin near Prague, less than 100 survived. Gidon Lev is one of those children.
The True Adventures of Gidon Lev offers a primer on Jewish and Israeli history, insights into the culture of the modern state of Israel, and the inspiration to carry on after hardship and loss. From Prague to New York to California and back to Israel again, Gidon Lev and Julie Gray take us on a journey into the depths and back up into the sunshine of hope, love, laughter and possibilities.
Weaving Gidon’s invaluable memories together with the cultural and historical backstory of time and place, Julie Gray invites readers inside the process of mining memories for truths and history for lessons.
THE AUTHOR
Julie Gray was born in 1964 in the San Joaquin Valley in California. A longtime Huffington Post contributor, Julie has been published in the Sanskrit Literary Journal, Moment Magazine, The Times of Israel, MovieMaker Magazine, Script Magazine, Hip Mama and the Jewish Journal. Her essay “The Freaking Autumn of My Life” was included in the anthology Aging: An Apprenticeship. A veteran essayist and editor, Julie moved to Israel in 2012 and is working on her memoir They Do Things Differently Here.
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