Lucid House Publishing, based in Marietta, Georgia, was recently notified that six of its authors’ books were named either a winner or finalist out of thousands of entrants in the 2022 Book Excellence Awards, an international competition for independent publishers and authors. In addition, Echo Montgomery Garrett, CEO and co-founder of Lucid House Publishing, won for Best Autobiography for a book she’d written under the banner of another publisher. Here are the winners and finalists that reflect the diverse interests of Garrett, a 40+ year journalist and the author of 22 non-fiction books.
Spellbound Under the Spanish Moss: A Southern Tale of Magic
Authors: Connor Judson Garrett and Kevin N. Garrett
Category: Book Cover Design
Money Plain & Simple: What the Institutions and the Elite Don’t Want You to Know
Author: Stephen J. Spence
Category: Finances
Paradise Road: A Memoir
Author: Marilyn Kriete
Category: Adventure Non-Fiction
A Season in Lights: A Novel in Three Acts
Author: Gregory Erich Phillips
Category: Performing Arts (Film, Theatre, Dance, Music)
Fractals: The Invisible World of Fractals Made Visible through Theater and Dance
Author: Kimberley Cetron
Category: Performing Arts (Film, Theatre, Dance, Music)
Knock! Knock!: Lessons Learned and Stories Shared
Authors: Douglas Thompson and Echo Montgomery Garrett
Category: Business
Here is Echo Montgomery Garrett’s other winner, under her co-author’s publishing company:
Big Lucky: Serial Entrepreneur Jim Markham’s Secret Formula for Success
Authors: Jim Markham and Echo Montgomery Garrett
Category: Autobiography
To request review copies of Lucid House Publishing books or an interview with any of the winners or finalists, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
The critically acclaimed series continues by author,
David M. Kelly
Released and published by Nemesis Press!
The book is available worldwide in digital formats
When you lose everything you love, the whole world becomes the enemy.
After his planet was invaded by ruthless Corporate forces, engineer Logan Twofeathers is trapped on Earth by the authorities, who are more afraid of starting a war than helping their people. He may be safe, but many others are still missing.
When security tries to arrest him on trumped-up charges, he must find his own way to return to Kwelengsen. His only option is to seek out someone from his past–a borderline psychotic, who might just be crazy enough to help. Now, he must draw on all his strength and resilience as he undertakes a precarious and violent journey into the unknown, with enemies lurking in every shadow. The outlook is bleak, and all he has is his grit and sense of honor. Will that be enough?
The battle is over. But the war is about to begin.
Book One of the Logan’s World Series
You can turn your back on war, but sometimes it refuses to let you go.
When Logan Twofeathers takes on the job of head of engineering on Kwelengsen, the first habitable planet discovered by Earth, he thinks he’s leaving conflict far behind. But when he investigates the loss of a deep-space communications relay, his ship is attacked and crash-lands back on the planet.
With his new home destroyed by the invaders, Logan is stranded deep in the frozen mountains with an injured sergeant who hates him almost as much as the enemy. Against the ever-present threat of capture, he must battle his way through icy surroundings in a treacherous attempt to find his wife.
And when he’s forced to ally himself with a disparate group of soldiers and their uncompromising captain, Logan must face the reality that he may have lost everything—and everyone—he loves. Will he choose to fight? And what will it cost him?
Kwelengsen Storm is the first in a gripping, new sci-fi thriller series from the author of the Joe Ballen novels.
“That’s all changed with the Internet and digital publishing; and David Kelley is an excellent example of gifted, knowledgeable writers, producing first rate fiction. This series combines good old space opera with a light touch humour. Well plotted, well paced and with central characters you start to root for. Just superb writing.” – London Citizen
“I really enjoyed Mathematics of Eternity. The main character is far from perfect (physically) and through no fault of his own is dragged into an event that could change the lives of those still living on a partially-drowned Earth. The worldbuilding was amazing, the science plausible, and the story engaging. I would highly recommend it.” – Indie Sci-Fi Fantasy
ABOUT DAVID:
David M. Kelly writes fast-paced, near-future sci-fi thrillers with engaging characters, cynical humor, and plausible science. He is the author of the Joe Ballen series, Logan’s Worldseries, and the Hyperia Jonesseries, and has been published in Canadian SF magazine Neo-opsis.
David’s interest in science and technology began early. At the age of six his parents allowed him to stay up late into the night to watch the television broadcast of Neil Armstrong stepping on to the surface of the moon. From that day he was hooked on everything related to science and space.
An avid reader, he worked his way through the contents of the mobile library that visited his street, progressing through YA titles (or ‘juveniles’ as they were known back then) on to the classics of Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and Harry Harrison.
David worked for many years in project management and software development. Along the way his interests have included IPSC combat (target) pistol shooting, crew chief on a drag racing team, and several years as bass player/vocalist in a heavy rock band. He also managed to fit in some real work in manual jobs from digging ditches and assembly lines jobs to loading trucks in a haulage company.
Originally from the wild and woolly region of Yorkshire, England, David emigrated to Canada in 2005 and settled in Northern Ontario with his patient and supportive wife, Hilary. Foot surgery in 2014 temporarily curtailed many of his favorite activities – hiking, camping, piloting his own personal starfighter (otherwise known as a 1991 Corvette ZR-1). But on the plus side, it meant a transition from the world of IT into life as a full-time writer—an opportunity he grasped enthusiastically.
David is passionate about science, especially astronomy and physics, and is a rabid science news follower. Never short of an opinion, David writes about science and technology on his blog davidmkelly.net. He has supported various charity projects such as the Smithsonian’s Reboot The Suit and the Lowell Observatory Pluto Telescope Restoration. He also contributes to citizen science projects such as SETI@home.
To request additional review copies or an interview with David M. Kelly, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
The journey of Galen Dwyn continues in the second book of the Starquest 4th Age series.
While Dwyn lies in stasis, recovering from his injuries in his stand against Harmool’s fleet, Rhea has assumed the title of Regent of Salacia while leading the search for her missing father, King Iodocus. She is also helping repair the damage done to the Alliance in her Uncle’s and Mother’s mad quest to launch a new Empire. A shocking assassination attempt is thwarted at the last second by Dwyn, who seems to be a changed man now that he has exited stasis to save his love.
The King’s location is ascertained and a rescue mission mounted to retrieve him from the Wilds, a lawless area of space. An ambush splits their forces and Dwyn leads the ambushers away so that Rhea and her father can escape. Before Dwyn can find a way back to Alliance territory, an old enemy returns from the grave, and hold Rhea and the King hostage, while triggering a massive insurrection that overthrows the Alliance and installs a new Emperor.
Dwyn must now mount a second rescue while finding a way to rally a rebellion against this threat to peace in the Hominids’ corner of the Andromeda Galaxy.
Galen’s Way! The stunning debut of the series!!!
Millions of years in the future, humanity has been driven out of the Milky Way and now calls the Andromeda Galaxy home. Lost in their murky past are the tales of great knights that held the line against the invasion of a dark force until the rest of humanity could escape their doom. The last and greatest of these knights was Galen Underwood.
Long after that heroic stand, a mercenary by the name of Galen Dwyn has been hired to rescue a kidnapped princess. Enticed by a healthy down payment and a chance to settle an old score, Galen accepts the job, only to find out it’s a lot more than he bargained for.
Soon Galen finds himself weaving and dodging through a web of political intrigue as the very forces that chase him have set in motion plans that will throw the galactic alliance into civil war.
To his surprise, he also finds that the rescued princess might not be quite the spoiled brat he rescued from the clutches of her keeper.
Accompanied by the princess, his former mentor, and a snarky AI, Galen sets out to find a way to outsmart entire kingdoms, keep the princess alive, and avert the deaths of millions.
Of course, he’ll also learn the reasons behind his namesake’s chosen path, as he realizes that the only way to win is Galen’s way.
From a ReadersFavorite.com 5-star review by Steve Robson:
Galen’s Way: A Starquest 4th Age Adventure by Richard Paolinelli is a paradigm shift to a galaxy as distant in the future as it is in space: Andromeda, a place Captain Galen Dwyn calls home. As a mercenary in charge of the space ship Tempest, Galen finds himself drawn into intrigue by the lure of wealth beyond his imagination; a convoluted web of deceit, treachery, political plots, and galactic forces that will not only threaten his life but the lives of those he loves and the peace of all hominids. How Galen negotiates the challenges which are thrown at him will reveal his character and worth as an individual and will have implications that reverberate throughout the worlds of Andromeda, and into a future of uncertainty. Only the climactic end of this fast-paced action-adventure tale will determine the destiny of Galen’s Way; a revelation unexpected and shocking in its possibilities.
ABOUT RICHARD:
Richard began his writing journey as a freelance writer in 1984 and gained his first fiction credit serving as the lead writer for the first two issues of the Elite Comics sci-fi/fantasy series, Seadragon. In 2010, Richard retired as a sportswriter and returned to his fiction writing roots. Since then he has written several award-winning novels, two non-fiction sports books, and has appeared in several anthologies including eight of the 11-book Tuscany Bay Books’ Planetary Anthology Series and five Sherlock Holmes collections. He also writes a weekly Star Trek fan fiction series, The Calling, on his website, www.scifiscribe.com.
He has multiple novels planned for release this year including the upcoming novel, Galen’s Way, a space opera set in award-winning author John C. Wright’s Starquest Universe and it is due out in just a few weeks. Galen’s Way is the first of six planned novels connected to Starquest that Richard will be writing and releasing over the next two years. He also has three other standalone novels planned for release over the next year.
He also occasionally fills in as a guest co-host here on The Writer’s Block whenever Jim Christina’s horse runs off and leaves him stranded in the middle of the desert.
To request additional review copies or an interview with Richard Paolinelli, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
Bad Deal for America explores the high-stakes game U. S. politicians are playing with the taxpayers’ money. The major players, themselves like a deck of cards, have shown us in their own words that the political system is broken. Readers can follow the money to see how some have lived high on the hog while masquerading as public servants. Told in an entertaining and unique way, this book is a call to arms to fulfill the ideals of the founding fathers by holding the political class responsible.
MY REVIEW:
At 63 years-old, I’ve seen the changes in our political environment and the massive rift that’s developed between the two parties. I went into this book expecting the narration to be slanted toward one side or the other. I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t. I’m sure left leaning Liberals would say it is, but that’s because the truth hurts. However, the finger of shame points both ways.
The majority of this book are quotes from selected party members from both the Republicans and Democrats. Some are hilarious but the majority made me realize how stupid and worthless our politicians are. They all pretend to be so smart and looking out for your best interest, but it’s their own pockets they care about. They all have their own political agenda and will do everything in their power to advance it. Which means cheating, lying, and stealing from the American people.
To prove that point, David listed the Members who’ve made the most money while in some form of office. Of course, Biden leads the top with all the money he’s squandered over the years and positions of power he’s created for his family and friends. Yeah, no hiding from the truth there.
I’m really not sure what the purpose of the book is, as it doesn’t solve any issues, but it does point out the problems we have with our government. If you like non-fiction, political recourse, with some tongue-in-cheek humor, you’ll enjoy this book. I give it 4 stars.
Thirteen more chilling stories of gothic Macabre by Bram Stoker Nominee, Meg Hafdahl
Released and published by Inklings Publishing
The book is available worldwide in paperback and e-format
In Twisted Reveries 3, Bram Stoker Award nominated horror author Meg Hafdahl continues her twisted tradition of female-driven tales with a razor sharp bite. This third collection is steeped in the gothic and antique terrors of years past. Among an intriguing cast of characters, we meet a suffragette who has a sudden brush with telepathy; a deaf widow haunted by her own, devious past; and a young girl fixated on vanquishing the monster who killed her.
Travel into bygone eras and experience thirteen chilling stories that will undoubtedly make you question the shadowed, terrifying memories of the past.
More Books in The Series:
About Meg:
Horror and suspense author Meg Hafdahl is the creator of numerous stories and books. Her fiction has appeared in anthologies such as Eve’s Requiem: Tales of Women, Mystery and Horror and Eclectically Criminal. Her work has been produced for audio by The Wicked Library and The Lift, and she is the author of two popular short story collections including Twisted Reveries: Thirteen Tales of the Macabre. Meg is also the author of the two novels; Daughters of Darkness and Her Dark Inheritance called “an intricate tale of betrayal, murder, and small-town intrigue” by Horror Addicts and “every bit as page turning as any King novel” by RW Magazine. Meg, also the co-host of the podcast Horror Rewind and co-author of The Science of Monsters, The Science of Women in Horror, The Science of Stephen King and upcoming The Science of Witchcraft, lives in the snowy bluffs of Minnesota.
To request additional review copies or an interview with Meg, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com / 403.464.6925.
Set for release this May and published by CAEZIK SF & Fantasy, an imprint of Arc Manor Books!
The novel will be available in eBook and print form across all platforms!
GUARD BROOKLYN, FIGHT MONSTERS, TAUNT BAD GUYS
What would you do if you lost everything that mattered to you, as well as all means to protect yourself and others, but still had to save the day? Conrad Brent is about to find out.
Conrad Brent protects the people of Brooklyn from monsters and magical threats. The snarky, wisecracking guardian also has a dangerous secret: he’s one in a million – literally.
Magical ability comes to about one in every 30,000 and can manifest at any age. Conrad is rarer than this, however. He’s a middling, one of the half-gifted and totally despised. Most of the gifted community feels that middlings should be instantly killed. The few who don’t flat out hate them still aren’t excited to be around middlings. Meaning Conrad can’t tell anyone, not even his best friends, what he really is.
Conrad hides in plain sight by being a part of the volunteer Watch, those magically gifted who protect their cities from dangerous, arcane threats. And, to pay the bills, Conrad moonlights as a private detective and monster hunter for the gifted community. Which helps him keep up his personal fiction – that he’s a magical version of Batman. Conrad does both jobs thanks to charms, artifacts, and his wits, along with copious amounts of coffee. But little does he know that events are about to change his life…forever.
When Conrad discovers the Traveling Fair auction house has another middling who’s just manifested her so-called powers on the auction block, he’s determined to save her, regardless of risk. But what he finds out while doing so is even worse – the winning bidder works for a company that’s just created the most dangerous chemical weapon to ever hit the magical community.
Before Conrad can convince anyone at the Watch of the danger, he’s exposed for what he really is. Now, stripped of rank, magical objects, friends and allies, Conrad has to try to save the world with only his wits. Thankfully though, no one’s taken away his coffee.
“Shvartsman delivers real magic action and surprise twists…You’re going to want more.”—Esther M. Fiesner, Nebula-award winning author of the national bestseller, Warchild.
PRAISE FOR THE MIDDLING AFFLICTON:
“With the fast-paced first Conradverse urban fantasy, Shvartsman (Eridani’s Crown) delivers a laugh-out-loud, snarky adventure, throwing out pop culture references and wry observations with dizzying frequency….His supernatural New York City is vibrant and authentic, and Conrad fits right in with wisecracking fan favorite heroes like Harry Dresden and Simon Canderous. The result is a thoroughly satisfying romp.”—Publishers Weekly
“Shvartsman delivers real magic action and surprise twists…You’re going to want more.”—Esther M. Fiesner, Nebula-award winning author of the national bestseller, Warchild.
ABOUT ALEX:
Alex Shvartsman is the author of The Middling Affliction (2022) and Eridani’s Crown (2019) fantasy novels. Over 120 of his stories have appeared in Analog, Nature, Strange Horizons, etc. He won the WSFA Small Press Award for Short Fiction (2014) and was a two-time finalist (2015 & 2017) for the Canopus Award for Excellence in Interstellar Fiction.
His translations from Russian have appeared in F&SF, Clarkesworld, Tor.com, Asimov’s, etc. Alex has edited over a dozen anthologies, including the long-running Unidentified Funny Objects series. He’s the editor-in-chief of Future Science Fiction Digest.
To request additional review copies or an interview with Alex Shvartsman, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity by email: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com or by phone at 403.464.6925.
The End Of Kayn’s Life Was Only The Beginning Of Her Story.
You die today.
There will be nowhere to run, no place to hide.
Do you have what it takes to survive your Correction?
Could you leave your humanity behind?
She had never coveted the role of princess. She’d always wanted to be the hero.
Fantasy adventure, magical realism, non-stop action with laughter, tears and a coming of age paranormal romance that will capture every reader’s heart. A story of a teenage girl who overcomes tragedy and evolves into something she never knew possible as an immortal destiny comes to light. This paranormal fantasy will leave you breathless as it takes you through the darkness and leads you back out into the secret world of immortality triggered by choices in the afterlife.
Warning
The information contained within this book is not intended for mere mortals. Reading this may inadvertently trigger your Correction. If you show great bravery during your demise, you may be given a second chance at life by one of the Guardians of the in-between. For your soul’s protection, you must join one of three Clans of immortals on earth. You are totally still reading this, aren’t you? You’ve got this.Welcome to the Children Of Ankh Series Universe.This is not a fairy tale. This is a nightmare.
The series continues by critically acclaimed fantasy author and podcaster, Richard H. Stephens
A novel in the Highcliff Guardians Epic Fantasy Series
The Dragon Witch Wraith has returned.
With the Grim Duke in his place, and a tentative pact with the wizard’s guild, the Queen of the Elves’ only real concern is for her rebellious daughter. Or so she is led to believe.
Buoyed by the news of unrest in the land’s largest city of Urdanya, Duke Orlythe’s new wizard attempts to convince him that a path to the coveted Willow Throne lies within reach of someone bold enough to seize the opportunity.
The return of the Dragon Witch Wraith prompts the ailing high wizard to find a way to thwart his arch nemesis before everything South March has fought for is lost.
Oblivious to the dangers of the world, Princess Ouderling sets out on a quest to locate an ancient dragon, in a desperate attempt to save her mother from an inevitable fate.
Should she fail, the Grim Duke will ascend the throne.
More Books in The Series:
Something evil lurks beneath the palace.
A phantasm from a darker past makes its presence known to Khae Wys, Queen of the Elves.
Braving the perils of a haunted tower, the queen seeks the counsel of the mysterious Fae, for only they can predict what is to come. A future that doesn’t bode well for her only living child.
In a desperate attempt to save the heir to the Willow Throne, Princess Ouderling is exiled to the only place capable of protecting her. Highcliff, the home of the coveted Crystal Cavern and the dragons that watch over it.
The Duke of Grim, however, has other plans for the princess.
About Richard H. Stephens:
Born in Simcoe, Ontario, in 1965, I was raised and still reside in Cambridge, Ontario. I began writing circa 1974, a bored child looking for something to while away the long, summertime days. My penchant for reading, ‘The Hardy Boys,’ led to an inspiration one sweltering summer afternoon, when my best friend and I thought, ‘We could write one of those.’ And so, I did.
As my reading horizons broadened, so did my writing. ‘Star Wars’ inspired me to write a 600-page novel about outer space that caught the attention of a special teacher, Mr. Woodley, who encouraged me to keep on writing.
A trip to a local book store saw the proprietor introduce me to Stephen R. Donaldson and Terry Brooks. My writing life was forever changed.
At 17, I left high school to join the working world to support my first son. For the next twenty-two years I worked as a shipper at a local bakery. At the age of 36, I went back to high school to complete my education. After graduating with honors at the age of thirty-nine, I became a member of our local Police Service, and worked for 12 years in the provincial court system.
In early 2017, I resigned from the Police Service to pursue my love of writing full-time. With the help and support of my lovely wife Caroline and our 5 children, I have now realized my boyhood dream. More information about Richard can be found at: Award-winning Fantasy Author | Richard H. Stephens (richardhstephens.com)
To request additional review copies or an interview with Richard H. Stephens, please contact Mickey Mikkelson at Creative Edge Publicity: mickey.creativeedge@gmail.com | 403.464.6925.
In Rimwords Conspiracy, Book One of this science fantasy fiction, Arun Dyem fights for her people’s survival on her planet of Hettamir against the space pirates who threaten to take over.
Tragedy ensues and in Book Two, an Ally princess races to freedom with her newborn. She turns for help to the Treetop Witches who are forbidden to interfere with human destiny.
In Book Three, much time has passed and the frontier gods try to prevent a human child’s return to the Allies, but her telepathic power lets her escape.
Will this spell triumph or tragedy for a galaxy at war?
![Kwelengsen Storm: Logan's World, Book One by [David M. Kelly]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51FsI6vMdVL._SY346_.jpg)
![Galen's Way: A Starquest 4th Age Adventure by [Richard Paolinelli]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41PKSwMUNpS.jpg)
![Twisted Reveries by [Meg Hafdahl, Fern Brady]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/415GQdntRWL.jpg)
![Twisted Reveries II by [Meg Hafdahl]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41zTjwlPgFL.jpg)
![Let There Be Dragons: Children Of Ankh Universe (Children of Ankh Series Book 3) by [Kim Cormack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51UsHIJMe2L.jpg)
![Handlers Of Dragons: Children Of Ankh Universe (Children of Ankh Series Book 4) by [Kim Cormack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/515GE0BFyOL.jpg)
![Tragic Fools: Children Of Ankh Universe (Children of Ankh Series Book 5) by [Kim Cormack]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51s8mrJHb-L.jpg)
![Keeper of the Jewel: Highcliff Guardians Epic Fantasy Series (Soul Forge Universe Book 1) by [Richard H. Stephens]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51uhYWabHeS.jpg)
