“Ava is a child of the sixties whose journey over many decades forms a long and winding path toward what she wants out of life—thrill and adventure, love and belonging, and ultimately sobriety and salvation. Susen Edwards’s fast-paced work of modern Christian historical fiction will touch readers seeking stories of ordinary people finding faith and redemption.”
—Jude Berman, author of The Die and The Vow

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“Dr. Filos paints vivid pictures of pet parents and the many life lessons that they and their ‘fur babies’ can teach us.”
—Melinda G. McCall, DVM, author of Driving Home Naked: And Other Misadventures of a Country Veterinarian

“Dr. Dawn Filos hits a grand slam with Tales of a Pet Vet—a well-written, fun, and easy read. Whether she’s facing a vicious dog, a recalcitrant cat, or nutty pet parents, Dawn’s stories are relatable and entertaining. This captivating book held my interest from cover to cover.”
—Mary Carlson, DVM, author of Drinking From the Trough: A Veterinarian’s Memoir

“Dr. Dawn Filos is an extraordinary guide through a world so many of us enter but few ever fully understand—the world of caring for our pets. With humor, empathy, and deep affection for both her patients and their humans, she shares tales of treating every kind of case—from snakes with pneumonia to Harold the self-pleasuring Maine coon cat. If you love animals, you’ll love Dr. Dawn and the stories she’s collected from thirty-plus years of practice.”
—Jim Axelrod, CBS News correspondent and author of In the Long Run: A Father, a Son, and Unintentional Lessons in Happiness

“A wonderful read—Dr. Dawn engages the reader with her storytelling prowess. Tales of a Pet Vet is a must-read for every person who owns a pet and for every person who wants to work in the animal industry.”
—Laura C. Lefkowitz, DVM, author of Bite Me: Tell-All Tales of an Emergency Veterinarian

“Tales of a Pet Vet is fun and lively. With her plain-spoken ability to poke fun at herself when things don’t go as expected, the author stirs up laugh-out-loud moments—and turns them into useful life lessons. A good read for pet parents and any animal lover.”
—Duncan MacVean, DVM, author of My Patients Like Treats: Tales from a House-Call Veterinarian

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“A vivid examination of how troubles from the past affect an unfolding future.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“A compassionate portrait of facing past abuse and conflict.”

—Publishers Weekly

“What Was Lost operates like a delicate nesting doll of secrets and confessions hidden within each other in a seemingly peaceful small town, the idealized neighborhood family, and childhood traumas. Each doll shatters the lies of the one before. Connelly writes tenderly as if releasing a long-held whisper that her protagonist, Marti, has been holding in all her life. The changes in time and POV deftly reveal the way the past is always present.”

—Melissa Acquino Coss, author of Carmen and Grace

“In her searing debut novel, What Was Lost, Melissa Connelly deftly straddles two timelines in the life of a woman who was abused in her childhood, showing us the long shadow of sexual violence, and what it takes to confront the past in an effort to heal family dynamics. I couldn’t put it down.”

—Emily Raboteau, author of Lessons for Survival, Searching for Zion and The Professor’s Daughter

“Connelly combines a heavy fist with a light touch, and she knows when to use each. What Was Lost is a searing narrative of sexual abuse, artistic sabotage, and their aftermaths. At the same time, it’s an uncommonly compassionate tracing of the webs of confusion and insight that connect parent to child, child to parent, and generation to generation. Reading Marti’s story made me tingle and ache.”

—James L. May, author of The Body Outside of the Kremlin

“What Was Lost still runs around in your mind after you’re finished reading. Gripping, deftly told, and full of psychological insight. It always feels like Connelly is describing a living, breathing person as she has a gift for seeing the world through children’s eyes, of any age, and making us experience their piercing joys and sorrows. This is a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, both harrowing and delicately observed.”

—Burkhard Bilger, author of Fatherland and a staff writer for The New Yorker

“Multi-layered mysteries unfold with taut precision and suspense as Connelly walks a tightrope between past and present, coercion and consent, redemption and revenge. What Was Lost is a provocative spin on a classic theme—the seductive power of a charismatic mentor. Told with deft characterizations, a shrewd eye for detail and emotional complexity, no one is let off the hook—not even the heroine—in this uncompromising novel.”—Chirlane McCray, former first lady of New York City, writer

“Stunningly written, unerringly human, and deeply felt, Melissa Connelly’s What Was Lost is everything I yearn for in a novel, a story about people that I love in all of their flawed messiness, trying to make sense of and move through the murk and ache of their pasts, to discover and assert who and what else they might be.”
—Lynn Steger Strong, author of Flight, Want and Hold Still

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“Part emotional story of adoption and motherhood, and part heart-pounding suspense, Not Yours To Keep will have you racing to the end as you are swept into the lives of three people on a collision course.”
—Lyn Liao Butler, best-selling author of Someone Else’s Life

“One missing baby. A missing woman. Lots of secrets, lies, twists, and turns. In this heartfelt and heart-pounding domestic suspense, I found myself racing to the breathtaking conclusion. A sensational debut.”
—Rhea Frey, #1 best-selling author of Don’t Forget Me and The Other Year 

“With a gentle hand and tender heart, Not Yours to Keep examines what it really means to be a family. With captivating prose and a plot that will have you on the edge of your seat, Ruskin explores the ways we cleave to hope no matter how much adversity or unexpected change we face. Most definitely a novel that will keep you glued to the pages as you race toward the unexpected conclusion, Ruskin’s debut is a gem and a true winner!”
—Jacqueline Friedland USA Today best-selling author of He Gets that From Me

“A missing newborn, an adoption worker struggling with infertility, and an abused woman desperate for a second chance at motherhood, all collide in Ruskin’s page-turning debut. About the ache for love, the desperate choices of birth and adoptive parents, and the struggles to make and keep a family, Not Yours to Keep is a stunner.”
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Days of Wonder 

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“Jude Berman has created a spirited, engaging glimpse into the life of one of the most important artists of the eighteenth century. Kauffman was a true free spirit, dedicated to her art, and that is captured beautifully in this novel.”
—Susanne Dunlap, award-winning author of The Portraitist: A Novel of Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

“The Vow poignantly explores both the rewards and challenges of being a creative woman. With its rich descriptions of eighteenth-century Europe, this novel is a well-researched, timeless look at how powerfully the soul can guide us, both in art and in love.”
—Ginny Kubitz Moyer, author of The Seeing Garden

“Enthralling, beautiful portrait of the talented neoclassical artist Angelica Kauffman, whose fierce passion for independence drove her love and ambition. Berman’s vivid dialogue recreates the fascinating tug between Kauffman’s sensual artistry and clever intellect. Skillfully evocative of time and place, The Vow is a must-read for art-loving historical fiction readers.”
—Joan Fernandez, author of Saving Vincent: A Novel of Jo van Gogh

“A lyrically written, deeply imagined fictional biography of one of the early feminists—the renowned 18th-century artist Angelica Kauffman, who was close friends with both Joshua Reynolds and Goethe.”
—Sara Loyster, author of The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit

“In The Vow, Berman brings a mostly forgotten eighteenth-century artist breathtakingly to life. Angelica Kauffman was truly exceptional—fierce, independent, beautiful, fought over by patrons and lovers. This graceful and well-researched novel exposes the deepest heart of a passionate woman who makes excruciating choices to keep her spirit free.”
—Laurel Huber, author of The Velveteen Daughter 

“Based on extensive research, The Vow uncovers the life of Angelica Kauffman, an artist who vows never to marry but instead pursue her art. Berman imagines rich scenes of Kauffman’s struggles as a woman trying to succeed and find love too. An insightful and intimate book that pulls back the curtain on the art salons of eighteenth-century Italy and England”
—Linda Moore, author of The Attribution

“Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman’s quest for immortality—both as an artist and as a woman—underpins her every movement in Jude Berman’s compelling second novel, The Vow. Berman breathes life into a historical character who dared to break professional and social boundaries. Thus intriguing and historically accurate novel will delight readers of art history, women’s history, and 18th-century historical fiction.”
—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Eliza Waite

“Jude Berman’s The Vow brilliantly explores the life of 18th-century Swiss artist Angelica Kauffman. In an era when women lived with few rights, Kauffman rejects society’s restrictions and follows her dream of becoming a successful portraitist and history painter. In a stellar first-person narrative, we share Kauffman’s struggles, passions, and successes. If you’re a fan of classical art, historical novels, and the roots of feminism, you’ll love The Vow.”
—Susen Edwards, author of What a Trip: A Novel

The post The Vow appeared first on She Writes Press.

“I loved the loops and tangles in this gorgeous net of stories. It’s such a beautifully mapped world, where every friendship has its betrayals and rescues and every city is one in which ‘you were bound, eventually, to bump into everyone you’d ever slept with.’ A wonderful and clear-sighted book.” —Joan Silber, author of Secrets of Happiness and Improvement

“Sex, money, ambition, friendship; the myriad challenges of ordinary survival in A New Day are handled with wry and artful insight. Beautifully complex characters are pieces of a puzzle in this fine collection, while each story is both distinct and part of the whole.” —Louise Marburg, author of You Have Reached Your Destination

“A wise and tender portrait of chance encounters and missed connections, Sue Mell’s A New Day is a love letter to the people we meet along the way and those we leave behind. I loved it.” —Daisy Alpert Florin, author of My Last Innocent Year

“Intimate and immediate, Sue Mell’s A New Day expertly weaves together stories about unspoken desires, missed connections, and people searching for intimacy amidst their fear of truly being seen. An enthralling and visceral collection about both our inescapable interconnectedness and loneliness, the role chance plays in the decisions we make, and how even the most seemingly small moments irrevocably impact our lives.” —Ronit Plank, author of Home Is a Made-Up Place

“In these stories, Sue Mell crafts vivid, deeply human characters and sends them pinballing off of each other, rocketing or drifting into next chapters, next relationships, new cities, and old haunts. This collection beautifully captures the delicious chaos of real life, lived over decades of mingled success and disappointment, of missed connections and second chances.” —Caitlin Horrocks, author of Life Among the Terranauts

“Sue Mell brilliantly crosses three decades of heartbreak, desire, and discovery in these sharp and nimble stories. The trio of women at the heart of A New Day are whip-smart, creative, vulnerable, determined. I would follow them anywhere.” —Laura van den Berg, author of State of Paradise 

The post A New Day appeared first on She Writes Press.

“One Ripple is a soul gift—poignant, heartbreakingly beautiful, and filled with wisdom and hope. Through an unflinching examination of her pain and the healing journey that followed the tragic death of her son, Janice offers a buoy of light to every person feeling adrift in waves of grief.”
—Rebecca Ivanoff, Lawyer & Professional Coach

“What appears to be a heartbreaking story turns out to be one of resilience and triumph over unspeakable tragedy. This book will help you see that life can still be beautiful after your worst nightmare. I highly recommend it.”
—Jillian Smith, M.A., Life Coach & Author

“When I read Janice’s book, I cry. Tears spring from the unimaginable tragedy she endured but also from the inspiration the story holds. Her journey to reclaim her lost child and the love they shared is filled with tenderness and courage. This book glows with strength and wisdom.”
—Mary Bauer, author of Mercury, Miko, and Me

“Living demands that we deal with the unimaginable, accept the past, and honor the beauty of having been part of that being who is no longer with us. One Ripple is about loss but also how to move into the future, how to gather what is left and forge forward.”
—Marisela Rizik, Author of Forgotten Times

“This beautiful memoir is a tribute to the author’s son—rich with comfort, solace, and hope to help people who have experienced great loss. As Janice’s dance instructor, I saw the profound effect that learning to dance had on Janice and how it became her final catalyst for healing.”
—Laura Taylor, Dance Instructor, Dance With Us!

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“Dredge reaches into her darkest truths with this piercing memoir about victimization and the powerful act of reclamation. A captivating read, Girl, Uncoded speaks to anyone carrying the weight of secrets they shouldn’t have to keep.”
—Rev. Jennifer Dawn Watts, MA, CPC, founder and CEO of Living Well Counselling Services

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“Large and saga-like in scope, and set in 1930s India, Joanne Howard’s Sleeping in the Sun delivers a compassionate portrayal of a missionary family as they struggle to navigate the personal and political crosscurrents of enchantment, terror, love, and deceit. What I admire most in her debut novel is the courage with which this writer lifts the masks of disguise from her characters and reveals, as if superimposed on the place itself, that secret, interior world of human emotions.”
—Jack Driscoll, author of 20 Stories: New & Selected

“Set against the backdrop of India in the 1930s, Sleeping in the Sun tells the story of the Hintons, a family of American missionaries sent to bring Christianity to the city of Midnapore. Told from the point of view of Gene, the Hintons’ youngest son, and Arthur, their Indian servant, this sweeping historical novel flawlessly transports readers to another time and place. Political, racial, and interpersonal conflicts ensure you won’t be able to put it down. I know I couldn’t.”
—Susen Edwards, author of What a Trip and Lookin’ for Love

“In her debut novel, Sleeping in the Sun, Joanne Howard explores the tribulations and tragic ironies of imperialism in British India. Relationships are not what they appear to be, people have hidden dark sides, and one person’s faith is another’s sin. After a crime has been committed, it must be determined who did what and why. Yet Howard leaves you wondering who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in a country where religion and culture have been forcibly imposed. A thoughtful read, using historical fiction to shine light on the praxis of decolonization in our current century.”
—Jude Berman, author of The Die and The Vow

“Exquisitely rendered and highly nuanced, Joanne Howard’s debut novel, Sleeping in the Sun, immerses readers into the world of young American Gene Hinton as he comes of age in rural India in the 1930s. Battling inner and outer demons, Gene forms a unique bond with the Hintons’ Indian servant, Arthur, and gains an eye into life’s underbelly. Sumptuously written and detailed, this novel is destined to become a classic. A triumph!”
—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Eliza Waite

“In this gorgeously written book, Joanne Howard explores the corrupting influence of power, both within the family structure and the broader world. Rich with sensory details and vividly drawn characters both human and animal, Sleeping in the Sun is a stunning novel that grabs your emotions and doesn’t let go.”
—Ginny Kubitz Moyer, author of A Golden Life

“With meticulous attention to detail, Howard paints a vivid portrait of colonial India through the perspectives of an American family and their Indian servant, skillfully blending historical events with familial moments. Through the eyes of her characters, readers are transported to a world where identities are questioned and the true meaning of home is explored. As the narrative builds toward an explosive climax, Sleeping in the Sun becomes more than just a story—it is a poignant exploration of the human experience that resonates far beyond the last chapter.”
—Veena Rao, author of Purple Lotus

“Joanne Howard’s Sleeping In The Sun is a quiet and deeply moving novel, a story of a nation trying to reclaim itself, while one man and one boy try to discover who they are themselves. Howard shows us all this not by looking at the big picture, but at the individuals caught at the center of their sometimes conflicting, sometimes heartbreaking goals. A beautiful story, beautifully revealed.
—Pete Fromm, author of Indian Creek Chronicles

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