Fiction

End Times

By John M. Williams

Fiction | Southern Gothic

… John M. Williams has avoided kudzu-choked cliché and found rich humor and pathos in sibling orphans, Jon Karl and Summer, left to fight their way through poverty, porn and the Deep South. What’s more, he’s added to the literary stable of Wise Men – think Sam the Lion and Gus McRae — with Redwine Pyle, the font of all beer cooler wisdom. With crazy but believable characters that would make Flannery O’Connor dizzy, Williams paints his masterpiece. If you can put this book down, you are tired of life.”—Rheta Grimsley Johnson, author of Enchanted Evening Barbie and the Second Coming.

Jon Karl and Summer Odom, siblings attached at the hip and heart, navigate a fascinating cast of both ne’er-do-wells and do-gooders in the tiny southern town of Douvale, Georgia, in this novel of Biblical proportions. Both comical and tragic, John Williams’s End Times offers a glimpse of small-town characters wanting to get out, as the reader understands that, perhaps, getting out might be much worse. I loved living with these people, plus a dog named Food Stamp. —George Singleton, author of The Curious Lives of Nonprofit Marty.

“It should be no surprise that John Williams has written a quirky novel driven by characters hovering in the “curious microcosm” of a small town (East Douvale), who try escaping to what must be a better life. Somewhere in the history of the South, these characters existed in droves, but this life has long faded away except in peculiar outposts, such as Williams’ second novel, End Times. In the tradition of The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Confederacy of Dunces, Williams is a masterful storyteller of the small southern town, richly layered and recreated in the unique flavor that will soon to be gone except in the pages of some finely crafted Southern Literature … Williams is the raconteur of lost souls trying to do well in this world, and with End Times, he does not disappoint.”—William Walsh, author of Lakewood.

Mojo Rising

Masters of the Art

James L. Dickerson, Editor

Fiction | Short Stories

“With perennial favorites such as Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and a previously unpublished story by Ellen Gilchrist, this anthology is a little treasure trove from a region which constitutes a veritable gold mine of literature. Mojo Rising is as valuable to the neophyte as to the connoisseur.” – Peter Cooley, Professor of English, Director of Creative Writing, Tulane University

“Mojo Rising: Masters of the Art: An outstanding collection of stories by some of the most renowned Southern writers. Highly recommended.” – Robert W. Hamblin, Professor Emeritus of English and Founding Director, Center for Faulkner Studies. Southeast Missouri State University

“Mojo Rising” is a short story anthology that includes stories by Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author William Faulkner, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Eudora Welty, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Tennessee Williams, Richard Wright (generally regarded as one of the top three African American writers in American history), noted Civil War historian and novelist Shelby Foote, author Willie Morris (legendary editor of Harper’s Magazine in the 1960s, novelist, and journalist), American Book Award winner Ellen Gilchrist (who contributed a previously unpublished story), Elizabeth Spencer (graduate of Belhaven College and Vanderbilt University; University of Mississippi creative writing instructor; five-time winner of the O. Henry Award for short fiction), Stark Young, former drama critic for the New York Times and author of bestselling novel “So Red the Rose,” and novelist and short writer Ellen Douglas, whose work has appeared in The New Yorker and in the O. Henry collection of prize stories.

Available formats: Hardcover, paperback, and eBook

Mojo Rising

Contemporary Writers

Joseph Atkins, Editor

Fiction | Short Stories

Short stories by some of the South’s most talented contemporary writers, including New York Times bestselling author Ace Atkins, Sheree Renee Thomas, William Boyle, Julie Smith, Steven Barthelme, Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Jere Hoar, Corey Mesler, James L. Dickerson, Margaret Skinner, and the editor of this book, Joseph B. Atkins, a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi and author of a novel, Casey’s Last Chance.

Available formats: Hardcover, paperback, and eBook

Dog Stories for the Soul

An Anthology

Mardi Allen, Editor

Fiction & Non-Fiction | Dog Stories

A collection of heart-warming dog stories written by some of America’s most talented writers, including Nobel Prize-winning John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Willie Morris, Outdoor Life editor Andrew McKean, Memphis magazine managing editor Frank Murtaugh, who writes about his childhood pet, Susie, who made him into the man that he is today, and others. Psychologist, Mardi Allen, has written five books.

“If you have a soft spot in your heart for the canine species, this moving anthology of dog stories will leave you alternately in tears, in awe of their heroism and dedication, bowled over with unexpected laughter, and, probably, deeply sighing in your sleep. Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck leads off the collection with an all-Charley compilation culled from his bestselling travel book, Travels with Charley. There is even a celebrity dog or two in the mix. A great gift for anyone, except perhaps confirmed cat lovers.” – Michael Levine, acclaimed Hollywood publicist and author

Available formats: Hard cover, paperback and eBook

Cold Eye

A Short Story Collection

By Margaret Skinner

Fiction | Short Stories

The characters face emotional mishaps, soulful sorrow and sucker-punch surprises in the City of Memphis, alternately known over the years as the murder capital of America, the home of the blues, and the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll. With a backdrop like that, it figures that the stories told in the bars, barbecue joints, and churches of such a gritty city would offer a unique perspective on life.

Margaret Skinner has published two novels. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee.

Available Formats: Paperback and eBook

Where Do They All Come From?

By Patty Friedmann

Fiction | Short Stories

“Walker Percy once wrote that ‘the next Southern literary revival will be led by a Jewish mother, which is to say, a shrewd self-possessed woman with a sharp eye and a cunning retentive mind who sees the small triumphs and tragedies around her and has her own secret method of rendering it, with an art all her own.’ And that is totally Patty Friedmann.” – Anne Gisleson, author of The Futilitarians

Patty Friedmann lives in New Orleans.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

The Coming Woman

By Karen Hicks

Fiction | Historical Biography

Victoria Woodhull was the first woman to run for U.S. President, 50 years before women could even vote. Victoria was also the first woman to own a successful Wall Street firm, the first to publish a successful national newspaper, the first to head the two-million-member Spiritualist Association, and the first to petition the Senate Judiciary Committee, advocating for woman’s suffrage. She spoke boldly on the great social issues of her day, which led to her persecution and imprisonment and the longest, most infamous trial of the 19th century.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Legend of the Soul Eater

By James L. Dickerson

Fiction | Religious Fantasy

This is a fictional interpretation of Jesus’s mythical visit to the Mississippi Valley in search of the Lost Tribes of Israel.
“The force of evil cannot be deterred so easily. The Legend of the Soul Eater is a novel set two thousand years among [the Native Americans who inhabited] the Mississippi Valley. Miko, son of the chief, encounters the force known as the Soul Eater, and he learns about its nature and finds that he and his father must stand against them and learn the rules of mortality. The Legend of the Soul Eater is riveting fantasy of pre-colonial America, a strong pick for those looking for something different.” – Mid-West Book Review

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Trey’s Company

By Frank Murtaugh

Fiction | Coming of Age

Love a little, die a little, and break the law. Trey Milligan did them all in one summer, and before his 14th birthday. Trey lives in Southern California with his parents and younger sister, but is spending the summer after 7th grade with his widowed grandmother in a small Tennessee town. The South becomes home to Trey, but also represents the freedom every child associates with the summer months. Three of Trey’s friends — Wendy, Devon, and Larry — come to personify love, death, and the criminal element, challenges every child must, at some point, confront. Together, the trio builds an unasked-for bridge to adulthood for Trey. The warmth and comforts of a “summer at Grandma’s” becomes a life-changing season of internal growth. Murtaugh is well known in Memphis as an editor at Memphis magazine.

 

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Memphis Hoodoo Murders

By Kathryn Rogers

Fiction | Mystery | Occult

People have been hunting down Addie Jackson’s family her entire life. Now the people who have targeted her grandparents, Pop and Grandma, have their wicked sights on her. The Memphis police have been unable to stop them because they have been bewitched to stay away by practitioners of a virulent strain of Memphis Hoodoo. To make matters worse, Addie is disturbed to discover she is being stalked by a witch doctor named Hoodoo Helen. The more secrets Addie uncovers, the more danger she finds.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Vampire Defense

By James D. Bell

Fiction | Mystery

With its unforgettable cast of characters, mesmerizing plot, and pulse-racing storyline, Vampire Defense bristles with suspense, courtroom drama, action, and intrigue. An inventive, imaginative, and spellbinding tale, Vampire Defense is a sensational and captivating debut.
Vampire Defense features protagonist John Brooks. A brilliant young trial lawyer, John Brooks is working hard—but hardly getting any notice. Admired for his work ethic, integrity, and intellect, Brooks’ friends think he needs one big case that will show off his talents and help him make a name for himself. Defending Hal Boyd might be just the case. Charged with arson and four counts of murder, Hal Boyd, known as the Butcher of Belhaven, is the central figure in a grisly murder mystery that has gripped the nation. Eager to cover the case, media from the world over descend on Jackson, Mississippi, and it looks like the Butcher of Belhaven case might be the one to put John Brooks on the map. But this case may well turn into a career-ender when Brooks announces his unorthodox, and highly unusual, defense: Not guilty by reason of insanity, as his client actually believed the person he killed was a vampire.

James D. Bell is a retired Judge who received the highest bar association approval ratings ever given to a Mississippi Circuit or County Judge. Bell has been involved in some of the most significant cases in Mississippi, and drew on actual experiences in writing Vampire Defense.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Maximilian’s Treasure

By James D. Bell

Fiction | Suspense

Mississippi lawyers John Brooks and Jackson Bradley find themselves embroiled in an explosive legal case when the respected patriarch of a Choctaw family is murdered in a drive-by shooting during a family gathering on their farm. His grandson pursues the murderers. Three “rednecks” suspected in the drive-by shooting are found on the farm, dead. The grandson is charged with their murder. The sensational news that the victims were scalped grips the attention and imagination of the public. Expecting a resumption of the Wild West range wars, the world press descends upon Philadelphia, Mississippi. The fate of nations, tribes and individuals will be decided in battles fought simultaneously in a Central American jungle, in a courtroom in Mississippi and in the hearts of the people involved in this briskly-paced epic adventure.

Author James D. Bell is a retired judge who lives near Jackson, Mississippi, with his wife, Joanne.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Casey’s Last Chance

By Joseph B. Atkins

Fiction | Suspense Thriller

Written in a hardboiled, noir style, Casey’s Last Chance takes you back to the days of Raymond Chandler, when characters knew only one direction—straight ahead, their fedoras tilted into the wind. Author Joseph B. Atkins writes fiction the way Jimi Hendrix played guitar, with delicate fingering that explodes into soaring, lyrical riffs when least expected. Casey Eubanks is a small-time North Carolina hustler on the run after angrily firing a shot over the head of his girlfriend Orella during an argument and accidentally killing his cousin. He seeks refuge with a crony, Clyde Point, who steers him to a big operator in Memphis, Max Duren, a shadowy former Nazi with a wide financial network across the South. The story takes place in July 1960.

“Joe Atkins’s Casey’s Last Chance is such pitch-perfect vintage noir, you can almost smell the cigarette burning in the ashtray, a woman’s perfume drifting past. With a twisty plot, vibrant characters, and hardboiled grit to burn, it’s everything you want in a crime novel.” – Megan Abbott, Edgar-award-winning author of Dare Me and The Fever

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Love on the Rocks

By James L. Dickerson

Fiction | Romance

Katherine Summer had everything in life that she wanted—a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, an incredible island home in the Thousand Island region of the St. Lawrence River, an incredibly bright cocker spaniel named Bessie, and a wildly successful career as a landscape artist. All that changed in an instant, when a boating accident seemingly took the lives of her husband and daughter, leaving Katherine alone and heartbroken on the idyllic island that previously had provided her with so much joy and inspiration.

Love on the Rocks takes place in the picturesque, castle-populated Thousand Islands region of Ontario/New York State. It follows Katherine through the process of sorting out her emotions as she overcomes her grief and seeks a meaningful new relationship, only to discover that the path to happiness requires her to choose between two men—an American psychologist who may lose his license because of his love for her, and a millionaire, “bad boy” Member of the Canadian Parliament being groomed for prime minister, who dazzles her with his charm. The surprise ending will take your breath away.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Michael’s Black Dress

By James Thibeault

Fiction | Cross-Dresser Comes of Age

“Cross-dressing involves dressing as the other gender for entertainment or pleasure. Cross-dressing isn’t necessarily a sign of a person’s gender identity or sexual orientation.” – Mayo Clinic

Seventeen-year-old Michael has a secret: he likes to cross-dress. For years, this Black star of the wrestling team has kept this to himself. When his twin sister Shah walks in on him trying on her clothes, he finally confides to her that he wants to wear dresses in public. Understandably, Michael is terrified how his suburban peers will treat him. No one besides Shah knows the truth–not even Michael’s best friend, Jacob. Shah agrees to keep it a secret, but Michael’s eagerness to express himself in dress becomes stronger each day.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Thursday Morning Breakfast (and Murder) Club

By Liz Stauffer

Fiction | Mystery

When Clare Ballard sports a new bruise on her right cheek the day after a contentious town meeting, the ladies of the Thursday Morning Breakfast Club suspect her husband Roger of abusing her. That same day Hester Franklin, another breakfast club lady, is called to rescue her grandson Patrick after he is arrested for transporting drugs. Proclaiming his innocence, Patrick threatens that those who set him up will pay. Roger Ballard is high on his list.
But it’s when Lillie Mae Harris, the club’s leader, discovers the body of the local drug dealer on the nearby hiking trail, that the community is upended. Roger Ballard, the primary suspect, goes missing, and when his body turns up in his own backyard, Clare Ballard confesses to his murder. No one believes she did it, but Clare insists she’s guilty and mysteriously refuses to talk to her lawyer, the police, or her family and friends. The Thursday Morning Breakfast Club ladies believe she’s protecting someone, and they vow to find out who it is.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Poster Girl

By Joni McPherron

Fiction | Erotic Romance

CJ Jones has it all. The perfect life. The letters M.D. behind her name, the Chief, Emergency Services embroidered on her white coat. Her home on the water seems designed for yoga and biking, and her vintage poster collection fits in perfectly with the decor. Life is good. Until she wakes up as a patient in her own Emergency Room with the hand of the hottest surgeon in town on bare skin and dangerously close to parts she’d rather keep private.
This energetic, first-time novel is much more than a sexy romance. It offers a fascinating look at one woman’s struggle to merge her desire for independence with her equally strong desire for a loving relationship with a man.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Deacon’s Folly

By James Thibeault

Fiction | Mature Coming of Age

“James Thibeault’s The Deacon’s Folly is a bleak but strangely engaging Brothers Grimm sort of fable, tottering precariously between both the reality and the dream-memory of young Devon, the story’s hero. Devon is trapped in the terrifying landscape of his own uncertain perceptions and the cruel distortions imposed on him by those who should have been his caretakers. But once nudged to it by the story’s obese and hapless Deacon, Devon enters onto a violent quest for the truth. He pursues that quest relentlessly, seeking both what is monstrously real and what might just possibly yield some small measure of hope and love…if he doesn’t destroy it himself along the way.” – Fr. Barry Bercier, Assumption College

Available formats: Paperback

Seven Turns

By Bill Smith

Fiction | Historical Mystery

Ancient books in a monastery … a code left by Nazi soldiers … a deep fjord … and a mysterious stainless steel cylinder—all lead to a fantastic war-time discovery.

The one hundred thousand ancient books in the Great Library of the Benedictine monastery were just part of the majestic beauty of Austria’s 12th century Melk Abbey. But that beauty was marred when the monks discovered that scores of valuable books had been marked and disfigured by persons unknown.

Wilhelm Gerhard was retained to find the cause. With help from his friend Wolf and 100 monks in black habits, they examined every volume in all 12 rooms of the library and even searched the rock catacombs deep under the 900-year-old abbey where the screaming Will-o’-the-Wisp lived. They discovered that the marks were a code left by Nazi soldiers during the Second World War.

Available formats: Paperback and eBook

Confession

By Richard Freis

Fiction | Psychological Suspense

An intense and engrossing novel of psychological suspense set on the Mississippi Gulf Coast—and reminiscent of the darkly tangled familial relationships brought into prominence by Mississippi-born writer Tennessee Williams—Confession features protagonist George Burden, a distinguished attorney who finds himself at a crossroads as he approaches his 55th birthday.

From outward appearances, it seems George is living an enviable life. But even with his devoted wife, affluent lifestyle, social prominence, successful career, and beautiful family, George is dogged by the worry that the choices he made were too easy and too safe.

“A taut psychological thriller, focused on a mid-life crisis and arriving at a stunning conclusion.” – Suzanne Marrs, author of What There Is to Say We Have Said: The Correspondence of Eudora Welty and William Maxwell

Available formats: Paperback and eBook