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Dorothea Jenses, Gary F. Jones, Geanna Culbertson, Marla K. Benjamin, new releases, reading, Spring Books
Um, in Colorado we still have snow, but apparently on the calendar and in other parts of the country it is spring. I see tulip and crocus pictures on Facebook, so it must be true, right!
This winter, four BQB authors have been busy growing fiction. They have sowed their words, edited their weeds, picked their harvest covers and are now ready to share them with readers. BQB is proud to announce these new novels – all with spring release dates!
A Buss from Lafayette by Dorothea Jensen
Fourteen-year-old Clara Hargraves lives on a farm in Hopkinton, a small New Hampshire town, during the 19th century. She has a couple of big problems. First of all, she has a stepmother, Priscilla, who used to be her spinster schoolteacher aunt. Clara, still grieving her mother, resents that her late mother’s older sister has not only married her father but is about to have a baby. To make matters worse, “Prissy Priscilla” keeps trying to make the rambunctious, clever, and witty Clara act like a proper young lady. Secondly, Clara has red hair, making her a target for teasing by a handsome older boy, Dickon Weeks, and by her pretty seventeen-year-old Dread Cousin Hetty. Clara, however, has a secret plan she hopes will change this.
During the last week of June, 1825, Clara’s town is abuzz because the famous General Lafayette is about to visit their state during his farewell tour of America. In those eventful seven days, Clara learns a lot about her family, Hetty, Dickon, and herself. In addition, she hears many stories from her family, neighbors, veterans, and from Lafayette himself. Through these tales, she comes to understand the huge and vital role the French aristocrat played in America’s Revolutionary War. She also comes to see that her problems might not be quite so terrible after all.
Releases April 22, 2016 – Available for Pre-Order now!
A Light in the Dark by Marla K. Benjamin
One couple begins a Monday much like any other, but an arbitrary moment quickly sends them on a course of turmoil and uncertainty. Dez Parker, a former professional football star, and his fiancé, Sabrina, a divorced tax lawyer, have spent two years carefully carving out their future together. But nothing is ever guaranteed.
When Sabrina disappears from her office parking lot, a city-wide search is launched. The case goes cold from the beginning and the only way for Dez to cope is to retreat into memories, relying heavily on his best friend, Alex, while he waits for a miracle.
Three days later, Sabrina is found and in the days the months that follow, she and Dez attempt to navigate through a new normal of sleepless nights, mood swings, and relationship missteps.
A uniquely crafted love story, layered with doubt and determination, A Light in the Dark is a daring and willful account of one couple’s struggle to regain a future amid the fallout of three fateful days in October. This is a story about life after survival.
Releases May 24, 2016 – Available for Pre-Order now!
A Jerk, A Jihad and A Virus by Gary F. Jones
Veterinary virologist Jason Mitchell can’t keep his mouth shut, can’t lie convincingly, and can’t follow orders. He’s an unlikely candidate to help the CIA locate and destroy a deadly hybrid virus stolen from Jason’s lab at the University of Minnesota. From Washington to Djibouti, From Minneapolis to Yemen, Marines cringe, Senators turn livid, and CIA agents shudder as Jason struggles to prevent the virus from becoming a biological weapon in the hands of jihadists.
Jason and Ann Hartman, veterinarians, lovers, and graduate students, conduct a study of BCV in calves, a common virus that causes diarrhea in cattle. A recently arrived Chinese student accidentally exposes the calves to the SARS virus, a close relative of BCV. The calves and the Chinese student develop a severe and puzzling pneumonia. The Center for Disease Control isolates a hybrid BCV-SARS virus from the Chinese student and the calves. The FBI is notified of the new and dangerous virus.
Ahmed, more con man than graduate student, discovers samples of Jason’s that contain the virus. He steals them and flees to Yemen where he pretends to be a devout Muslim to get funding from a jihadist group. The jihadists believe the virus will be valuable as a biological weapon and as bait to lure the CIA into military action that will kill innocent civilians and increase hatred of the US. Jason and an unconventional CIA agent redefine “thinking outside the box” as they con Ahmed, dodge bullets, and thwart the jihadists.
Releases May 3, 2016 – Available for Pre-Order now!
Crisanta Knight: Protagonist Bound by Geanna Culbertson
I was going to be a great protagonist. At least that’s what my mom, Cinderella, kept telling me. I, however, had my doubts.
Unlike most main characters at Lady Agnue’s School for Princesses & Other Female Protagonists, I was opinionated, bold, and headstrong. Moreover, for a princess, I had a lot of issues. I’m talking vicious nightmares about people I’ve never met, a total stalker prince, and a Fairy Godmother for an enemy.
But I digress. Because here’s the thing about living in an enchanted realm of fairytale characters, crazy junk you never planned on happens all the time. One minute you could be practicing fainting exercises in Damsels in Distress class, sword fighting in a field, or flying on a Pegasus, and the next, BAM! Your book has begun and you’re saddled with a prophecy that changes everything.
I still don’t know if I will be a great protagonist one day. But I do know one thing about my fate, for certain. Despite what The Author and the antagonists have in store for me, whatever it costs . . . I’ll be the one taking charge of my own story.
Releases May 10, 2016 – Available for Pre-Order now!
*** All books by BQB and WriteLife Publishing are available on Amazon, B&N or can be ordered by your favorite local bookstore. ***