New releases from Dagmar Miura
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Shrink in the Shadows
by George Bixley
Don’t mess with the hothead—or he might just mess with you. Slater Ibáñez is only interested in two kinds of guys: the ones he wants to punch, and the ones he sleeps with. Things get interesting when they start to overlap. A freelance investigator, Slater trolls the dark side of Los Angeles, rooting out insurance fraud, not afraid to use whatever means necessary to get things done, and not about to hold back with his fists. A queer antihero for a new age, Slater walks the line between ordinary life and the frayed fringes of society, keeping his balance with the back-channel support he gets from his idiot cop ex-boyfriend, Conrad, and regular squeeze Andy.
Hired by banker Tad to track down a missing shrink, Slater soon finds there’s more going on, like the cryptic list Bianca left in her briefcase. An excursion to Bianca’s college leads to an intriguing ex-husband, a conspiracy theorist’s blog posts, and a suburban bungalow that’s been thoroughly sanitized, but Bianca remains elusive. Slater goes undercover with a gardening crew, and infiltrates a police investigation at a seedy hotel, but what’s the connection to Bianca’s list? Meanwhile his field operative, Etta, has taken up renovating the office as a part-time gig, bringing a degree of chaos for Slater and his business partner, Max. As the conspiracy theories get more bizarre, Slater gets closer to the truth, uncovering why Bianca is lying low, and maybe even why Tad has been playing him all along. Trolling the underbelly of the city and the high-desert wilderness, Slater zeroes in on the truth, never hesitating to hit on guys, throw a punch, or demand answers.
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“The Bixley books just keep getting better … This book is a fast page turner that is crisp in style, catchy in tone, and fully engrossing. I highly recommend all the author’s work!”
Raph’s Tale
by Dan Shapiro, MD
Raph and Hawk are two birds of a different feather. Raph can’t fly. Hawk soars high. Together, they build a boat and journey up-river. Raph comes ashore and meets two new friends, Dog and Turtle. Dog runs too fast. Turtle moves too slow. Raph, balancing in between, rides a unicycle. They set off on an excursion. But a mountain blocks their path. For the love of Tambalacoque fruit, what to do? Follow the tails of Raph, Hawk, Dog, and Turtle as they learn important lessons about diversity, friendship, and resilience.
The author and illustrator are also two birds of a different feather. Dr. Dan is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician. John Watkins-Chow is a math teacher–artist. Combining stories from their first two books, Raph’s Tale is an inspiring and richly illustrated adventure.
Bonus: Make your own coloring book! The last two pages of the book provide black-and-white pictures for children to fill in as they like. Go to ParentChildJourney.com/raphcolors to download all the original drawings and create your own Raph’s Tale Coloring Book.
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Lili l’Abeille
by C. M. Potter
Lili aimerait te raconter sa vie dans la ruche. C’est une très vaillante petite abeille qui habite avec sa maman et ses milliers de sœurs et frères. La vie n’est pas facile pour Lili et sa famille. Elle se demande ce que leur réserve le futur. Sa maman lui a dit qu’ils partiront en vacances mais elle ne sait ni quand ni comment. La seule chose qu’elle a entendu dire par deux vieilles abeilles c’est qu’il y aurait un essaim en effervescence. Tu découvras la vie de Lili l’Abeille et de sa famille au fil des saisons dans l’attente des vacances.
“L’histoire est charmante ! Elle nous fait découvrir la vie de nos amies les abeilles. Lili l’Abeille est un livre qui est non seulement un vrai plaisir pour les enfants mais aussi c’est aussi un livre éducatif qui permet de mieux comprendre qui elles sont. Que l’on soit jeune ou moins jeune, il est important que nous soutenions ces petites créatures exceptionnelles.”
For Position Only
by Adele Royce
For Position Only, the sequel to Camera Ready, is an evocative tale of one man’s sin and redemption—woven into the fabric of the advertising business, where lies run rampant and the truth is manipulated.
Craig Keller is LA’s preeminent ad man: wealthy, powerful, and a notorious playboy. At least, that is what he’d like everyone to think. In reality Craig’s business is plummeting at the hands of blonde bombshell and spurned ex-girlfriend Hayden Towne. He is also haunted by the gruesome death of his brother, which occurred under suspicious circumstances.
Craig’s only chance to salvage his career is to propose a partnership with longtime rival Warren Mitchell, his former mentor, whose business Craig cavalierly took down in the past. Although Craig’s advertising prowess can catapult Warren’s business to the top of the market, Craig’s womanizing reputation comes with a price. Craig is specifically warned to avoid Jane Mercer, Craig’s ex-lover, and Warren’s agency partner.
Craig has privately carried a torch for Jane for years—despite her visceral hatred of him. Her presence is a painful reminder that he lost the one woman he always wanted because he treated her so badly. As the barriers between them slowly break down, Craig is now faced with the ultimate dilemma: if he dives into a relationship with Jane, his livelihood is in jeopardy. If he rejects her, he will miss out on his one true love.
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“Craig Keller is that tall, gorgeous, sexy, and ridiculously rich S.O.B. that really could sell the chrome off a bumper. Though our friends and families warned us to avoid him at all costs, Royce’s leading man reels us in against our will with his sophisticated charm and professional finesse. Once firmly under his spell, we witness the underside of his tortured soul. We root for him as he tries to work out his own salvation, taking every wrong turn along the way. But, after he turns his back on love, he inadvertently learns to love himself. For Position Only is an emotional roller coaster of glamour, greed, loss, love, and transformation.”
The Landers Mystique
by Christopher Church
On a weekend break in the Mojave, psychic investigator Mason stumbles across the story of a bygone journalist, Geraldine, who expired in the desert on her way to one of the early flying saucer meet-ups. Unable to shake the pointlessness of the tragic tale, Mason trades a favor with his psychic-world mentor, Hanh, who sends him to the East Coast to attend a wedding where he doesn’t know anyone. Wracked with guilt about his role in disrupting the event, Mason grapples with the cost of intervening in Geraldine’s life, and gains new resolve to change the outcome.
With help from his mid-century friends Billy and Flattop, and with the unflagging support of his boyfriend, Ned, and their roommate, Peggy, Mason shifts to Geraldine’s era, and on a long road trip to Landers, manages to rearrange things enough to shake the foundations of his own timeline.
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“Every foray by Church’s wonderful psychic detective Mason Braithwaite is a truly suspenseful page-turner in the most unusual crime series ever, and certainly one that no aficionado of crime fiction should miss.”
Words to Lift By
by Bob Gold
Amid the disruption of the pandemic shutdown, Bob Gold sought a way to connect with people amidst the separation, isolation, and growing uncertainty. Teaming up with poet Ryan Ashley, the duo created a series of poems to celebrate family and friends. The works in Words to Lift By capture the spirit of its subjects in poignant and heartfelt language.
With artwork by Bonnie Lee Holland and photographs by Marcia Gold, Words to Lift By transcends the dysfunction of our era. Take a moment to explore this volume and savor the power of uplifting words.
“A delightful project in what is definitely a strange time. Ashley’s poems … manage to capture the best qualities of their subjects, and a close read through this tome definitely … lifts one’s spirits.”
The Tenacious Goldbrick
by Chester Henry
When a stranger jumps into Celeste’s car and begs her to help him escape his pursuer, she decides to help him out. Drawn into the mystery, Truman tries to help Rolán recover some compromising evidence that his former boss, Davo, is using to blackmail him. Davo turns out to be more than a penny-ante local crook, with an expensive secret and shadowy connections overseas. Working undercover, Celeste collaborates with Mariam, Davo’s wife, on a design project, and gradually gets more entangled with her when Mariam asks for her help navigating LA’s art world.
Things come to a head in a cluttered self-storage unit when Truman and Celeste uncover the truth about Rolán and learn what Davo is really up to. The feds intercede when the pair get ensnared in their surveillance of the players. Celeste has to decide whether her feelings for their goldbrick client are eclipsed by his bad behavior, while Truman blithely hits on the G-man and hooks up with one of the tangential lowlifes.
Join the bar-hopping, booze-swilling duo as their digging pushes things right to the edge, where Truman and Celeste have to figure out whether to do what’s easy or do what’s right.
“Once again Truman and Celeste solve an intractable mystery, outsmarting some nasty con artists and macking on guys all the way. Long live the booze hounds!”
Messages from Sam: A Daughter’s Insights on Our Lives Here – And Her Life in Heaven
by Beverly Holliday
What happens to our loved ones when they die? Can we communicate with them? How do they spend their time?
After her daughter, Sam, passed away, Beverly Holliday sought answers to these questions. Through divine guidance, she found professional mediums who helped her connect with her daughter on the other side. These dialogues comforted and healed Beverly while illuminating an existence beyond earthly life. She devoted several years to recording and transcribing her conversations with her daughter, with the mission of sharing Sam’s messages—to bring hope and comfort to others who are grieving or seeking guidance.
This true story offers a glimpse into Beverly’s life as the mother of a gentle, compassionate child who left this world unexpectedly. Throughout the book, Sam shares her insights about her time on earth and many fascinating and uplifting details about her life in heaven. These messages from Sam have dramatically changed Beverly’s view on life, the afterlife, and losing her child—transforming her grief into joy.
“This is an author and a story you can trust. A fascinating, moving, and inspiring memoir about love, faith, and courage. This book taught me a lot about life after death—which, in turn, changed my life for the better.”
The Somersville Bodies
by David Osborn
When the bodies of a retired couple in a small town are discovered six months after their deaths, the local police chief, his lead detective, and the county coroner all rule the couple a shared suicide. One young woman police officer, however, suspects murder. Her dogged pursuit of the killer or killers against orders to desist eventually leads her to evidence that the deceased couple were silenced to cover up a major scandal at the state capitol and to a terrifying shoot-out when she finally runs the killers to earth.
“A good tale of mystery and murder. Its plot twists and turns in and out of an intriguing whodunit that packs a punch at the end powerful enough to floor one.”
The Psychic Vegan Cookbook
by Henrietta Flores
It has never been easier to cook vegan, and you don’t even need to be psychic to do it. This all-plant-based cookbook is a tie-in with the Mason Braithwaite paranormal mystery series and contains some of the plucky LA psychic’s favorite dishes.
The sixty recipes are straightforward and focus on everyday Southwestern cooking. Simple and whole foods are the rule, and few nonstandard ingredients are involved—and when they do appear, they’re explained in detail. You won’t need to make a special trip to esoteric grocery suppliers, however, as this book is ideal for cooks just diving into plant-based home cooking.
Whether your motivation is eating healthier or the welfare of other sentient creatures, Henrietta Flores guides you through some plant-based versions of familiar dishes as well as some that might be new. Many are sure to become household favorites.
“Thank you, Henrietta, for pulling together an amazing collection of vegan grub from Mason’s world. Bon appétit!”