The Munchkin is in serious trouble. Children are being eaten and she has only two weeks to stop it. Outwitting Mobius, solving the riddles of Ariadne, getting through the Centaur Wood, Chicago traffic, and battling an unkillable Minotaur are just part of the battles she must face. All of that and she can’t even find a decent cup of coffee!

“IF ONLY!” you might think. If only the author had included sarcasm, comedy, spot on cultural references, and teenage angst, now that would be a fantasy novel I would definitely read. You are in luck, he did. So read on, Brave Reader, read on.

Ruby Achera just wanted a nice, quiet drink at her family’s casino in Magic City. The Mist Casino sits just above a kemana with an interior that would make a ghost feel right at home. Of course it does.

After all, Magic City has to compete with nearby Vegas. A different kind of magic.

Ruby is just back from University for the summer, catching up with an old friend when everything changes with a BANG! 

A series of small blasts are exploding all around her. Chips are flying through the air. Someone wanted to announce their arrival in town. But who?

Ruby is about to get drawn into a battle for control of Magic City. They just made the fight personal. Is the Ebon Dragon Casino next?

Will Ruby’s secrets get in her way?

What waits at the end could change her life forever, if she survives the journey.

For action, magic, snarky banter, martial arts, mystical creatures, and high intrigue, take a vacation to Magic City! Scroll up and click the Buy Now button and read it today.

Save that MONEY and buy the Boxed Set of The Unbelievable Mr. Brownstone books 1 – 6

(Including Feared By Hell, Rejected By Heaven, Eye For an Eye, Bring The Pain, She Is The Widow Maker, and When Angels Cry.)

Feared By Hell

You never mess with a young girl around James Brownstone.

It doesn't matter what crime syndicate you belong to, that just doesn't sit well with him.

The world has changed since the news of Oriceran came out twenty years before. Now, countries all over the world have agreed to use a bounty system for dangerous criminals using advanced magic or advanced technology.

People too powerful for the cops to deal with.

Magical criminals, thugs and bounty hunters, in the future we revert to what worked in the past.

if you find out you are hunted by Brownstone, we suggest you turn yourself in. 

It will save you a monumental ass-kicking.

Rejected By Heaven

Brownstone now has a young lady to support, what is he going to do?

He requests a special Oriceran artifact the Professor is willing to trade, for a price.

Shay is willing to help, so long as everyone understands her help is not free. Brownstone will do whatever it takes to help Allison, and while he is at it? The orphanage that helped him is insolvent.

Time to get tricky when the church can’t accept funds from blood projects.

Eye For an Eye

The Harriken have decided James Brownstone needs to die.

So, they put out a hit on him valued at $500,000.

Shay is working her way back to California from a raid on artifacts in Asia, but she could be too late to help. With all of Los Angeles and Southern California's hitmen trying to take out Brownstone, even the cops are sitting this one out.

Until they don't

Bring The Pain

The Harriken have decided James Brownstone is an unacceptable dishonor to their clan.

This time, Grandfather has hired the best assassins in the business and Shay knows them.

Shay won't allow Brownstone to go to Japan without backup.

Her backup.

Brownstone needs to decide what he will do with the wish, and how much is he going to tell Allison?

The Harriken may have paid the piper, but James Brownstone is calling the dance.

While this is happening, Tyler has made an unexpected alliance with the law.

She Is The Widow Maker

The dark elves have come back to Earth.

They want to find the half-Drow named Alison, and to get to Alison, they need to find James Brownstone.

The Oriceran Consul doesn't want the Drow to mess up the fragile relationship between Oriceran and Earth.

But he can only warn the obstinate Drow so many times.

The professor needs a package picked up in Washington State and returned safely to him. He figures Brownstone is the man to do it.

And he wants Shay to do him a favor, with a few zeros attached to the end of the request.

When Angels Cry

All James wanted was to get some barbeque in Vegas.

The Red-Eyes Killer decided to start his spree at the wrong time in the wrong town with the wrong little girl.

Trey comes to Vegas in search of a relative he hasn't seen in seven years.

Could the City of Sin be bringing together some good out of tragedy? 

Las Vegas PD isn't prepared to fight high-level bounties like Los Angeles could.

Speaking of Los Angeles, Lieutenant Hall is doing something a bit shady to protect her men. 

Is she becoming that which she loathes?

Sorcerers are a blight. Knight Adept Geneve must end them.

A wizard rumored to hold the Tome of Lost Souls is on the run. This powerful grimoire can destroy Geneve's order in an instant. She must capture him–and the Tome.

Geneve finds truth on her path. Monsters brutalize the world, and her leaders are complicit. She runs from them into the blasted plaguelands. Geneve damns herself through her choice of companions: a Feybrind who keeps his own counsel, a renegade illusionist, and one of the vile Vhemin.

Her quest to uncover the Tome's secret remains. If she succeeds, she will let down those she serves. If she fails, not even the gods can stop the end of all things. Her armor has never felt so heavy.

Read this gripping dark fantasy adventure today!

Evil stepmothers aren't born—they're made.

After a devastating plague nearly destroyed humanity, Vespera never expected to leave the safety of her rural homestead. But the ruling royals chose her to help repopulate the kingdom's capital city, and a single peasant girl can't defy a power-hungry new government without a death wish.

Things go from bad to worse when, instead of rewarding her loyalty as promised, the city officials doom her to a life of servitude and labor in the lowest class of society. When blind obedience to her rulers leaves her unemployed, homeless, and estranged from her family, Vespera’s attempt to change her fate and avenge the peaceful life she lost leads to even more trouble.

Because in a city swarming with nobles, soldiers, and rebels, revenge will come at a desperate cost...

If you can't get enough of Grimms' twisted Fairy Tales and Kiera Cass' The Selection series, then this is your next addicting read.

Grab a copy of Girl in the Dark to start this chilling, villainous royal dystopian fantasy story today!

A mysterious island. A hidden magical item. And two unlikely friends that must brave the sea to save their home.

10-year-old Kai is thrilled to be chosen as a junior protector of Pineapple Cove. But when a sea monster threatens the island, Kai isn't sure if he's the right protector for the job.

Island girl Delphi longs to be accepted by the rest of the Cove. But when you're terrified of water and your only friend is a sea lion, fitting in is not so easy.

Can Kai and Delphi work together to defeat the sea monster and save Pineapple Cove?

Poseidon's Storm Blaster is the first book in the enchanting Pineapple Cove middle grade fantasy-adventure series for kids. If you like reimagined mythology and animal side kicks, then you'll love Marina Bowman's legendary story.

Get Poseidon's Storm Blaster to share the gift of imaginative adventure today!

FREE Bonus Gift

For a limited time, you can get a FREE copy of the Audiobook the Legend of Pineapple Cove: Poseidon's Storm Blaster. Be transported into the world of Pineapple Cove with unique character voices, music, and sound effects. Find out how to get your FREE copy in the front of the book.

What Readers Are Saying

"I loved reading Poseidon's Storm Blaster to my kids. It was full of adventure! We all couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next. I also loved the lessons of kindness and bravery that the main characters showed. Definitely check this book out!!" - Amazon Customer

"My 8 and 10 year old thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a great intro to chapter books style read. The book is engaging and kept both their attention to complete it in a single sitting. The hidden pineapple game was a nice touch and really drew each of them in." - Arcticus

"This is such a great book to either read or listen with kids by chapters! We also have the coloring book and it's the perfect companion. We decided to color the page corresponding to the chapter we were hearing! You will love it!" - Leslie

Ages 6-11 | Kids Chapter Books | Fantasy Adventure + Mystery Series

For Fans of:

- Magic Tree House books
- The Boxcar Children
- A to Z Mysteries
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- Legend of the Star Runner
- Captain Underpants
- Dog Man
- Nate the Great
- Junie B Jones
- Ivy and Bean
- Never Girls books
- The Princess in Black

Shelve Under:

- kids books
- audio kids books
- children's ebooks
- chapter books
- intermediate readers
- action & adventure
- mysteries & detectives
- fairy tales, folk tales & myths
- greek & roman
- multicultural

Everyone thinks Poppy Kyle is naturally happy and positive. But it took a major tragedy in her life for her to overcome her natural negative tendencies and develop a happiness attitude. She will not allow the surly West Barclay to steal her joy.

After West Barclay lost his parents in a car accident, he spent some time in foster care. Unfortunately, he fell in with the wrong crowd and saw just how rotten life can be. He still carries the scars. Poppy, with her perpetual smile and positive attitude irritates him to no end.

He couldn’t think of a person he would be less inclined to be snowed in with.

So, of course it was Poppy who had delivered the church’s supper to his ranch when the Snowstorm of the Century hit, closing down all roads and stranding two people who can barely stand each other together for a week.

Is it possible that they will see beyond their surface irritations and fall in love?

Reviews for Dreaming of His Snowed In Kiss:

★★★★★ "WOW. WOW. WOW. I can't tell you how much this author writes from he heart but she does and everything she writes is just amazing, wonderful and heart melting. All of her Christmas stories are unique and you won't be able to put them down until the very last page is read." - KRP

★★★★★ "Jesse does it again. Another soul reaching book that takes you through the heartbreak of life and the hope and love that is found in the ashes." - Supermom

★★★★★ "Jessie can bring grace and love and hope to the most dismal situations. You never finish one of her books without feeling uplifted and smiling. Her humorous takes on everyday situations in life are spot on and helps you get over the tough parts of life happening in her stories." - Wren

★★★★★ "This is a lovely story of life, loss, and having faith in yourself when you feel all is crashing around. This is a standalone story, but it is interwoven in the lives of a family built from heartache and through their faith in the Lord. This is one of those series you fall in love with over and over." - GreenJeepMom

★★★★★ "I'm feeling all kinds of feelings. Joy, peace, heartache, silliness, giddiness, so much love. I'm feeling them all. I'm wrapped up in love. And I'm sad. And I'm happy. It's the entire gamut of human emotions. What a great book. So very touching. West and Poppy are the best kinds of characters." - Janet

Heartbreaking yet heartwarming – a coming-of-age story filled with love, loss, and blossoming friendships.

Freddie’s life isn’t like it used to be – he’s alone, homeless, and carrying a secret that threatens to swallow him up. Every day is a struggle, until he meets Violet Johnson.

Violet’s life is going down-hill. Her parents argue, her little brother’s stopped speaking, and she’s about to move schools. She used to be popular, she used to be happy, but now she feels as though that is all slipping away.

Having to grow up quickly and find their way in the world, Freddie and Violet grow closer despite their differences.

Focusing on everyday issues faced by teens and young adults, The Boy Who Lived in The Ceiling will leave you asking: Are some people invisible to us?

“Expertly written with a voice I would follow anywhere, The Boy Who Lived in the Ceiling wrapped a spell around my heart from the very first page, enchanting me with a poignant tale of first love, heartbreak, and second chances. I couldn’t put it down.” —Chelsea Bobulski, author of THE WOOD and REMEMBER ME

Claire Hinterland and Penny Hingston might be attending classes on opposite sides of the country, but they share something in common: they can see the ancient beings from myth and legend that are coming through the veil. Which results in both attending classes at Unveiled Academy.

Get both the Penny and Boots Complete Series Omnibus AND Paranormal University Complete Series Omnibus - 8 books total - to attend class and find out how to protect themselves and the world from these creatures.

Paranormal University:
At the University of Paranormal Studies, class is starting.

Claire just received her letter of acceptance despite the fact that she didn’t apply. Why does the university want her?

Because ghosts, vampires, werewolves, elves, dragons…They exist, and more are crossing into our world every day. The problem? Many of them want to kill us.

Claire has a rare ability to actually see these creatures. See? Heck, her best friend is a drunk leprechaun.

Coming from a small town, Claire thought her future prospects were flipping chicken at the local fast food joint. Now she’s traveling to Boston, where she’ll learn how to fight this ‘mythological invasion’. She never thought she’d be in a class called Vampires 101 but…

Claire’s a soldier in this new war – she will be humanity’s most dangerous asset.

And if Claire and her classmates fail? If they don’t learn fast enough and fight hard enough?

Well, graduation won’t matter too much when the world is reduced to ashes.

Penny and Boots:
Not everyone can see the ancient beings from myth and legend as they slip through the veil.

Penny Hingston can’t just see them… she’s best friends with one.

Perhaps that’s how Penny and Boots landed a recruitment letter for the Academy of Myth and Legend.

Who’s Boots? She’s a serpent. Not just any serpent — she’s a Rainbow Serpent, an ancient Australian Dreamtime legend come to life. It's actually not so unusual these days. Mythical creatures are tumbling through the Veil every two seconds. The Academy not only teaches its students how to fight the bad ones, but to protect the good ones as well.

That's why Penny joined. She’s only there to make sure Boots stays safe. Once she figures out a plan, she’s out. At least, that's what she’s trying to convince herself — and her new friends, including Cisco. It's only a coincidence that Penny blushes when he talks to her, really!

Scroll back to the top and click "BUY NOW" or "READ FOR FREE" to join Claire and Penny's adventures!

*** USA Today Bestseller and First Place Winner Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem Awards ***

Middle age can be murder ...

At least that’s how it seems to former crime journalist, Wilhelmina Chance, whose near-fatal accident has given her a strange side effect ... she sees ghosts.

After a messy divorce sends her fleeing back to her hometown of Mystic Notch, nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, Willa finds herself haunted by the tenacious ghost of the town librarian who insists Willa solve her murder.

Luckily, she has lots of help, including a quirky cast of small-town characters, the cat she’s inherited from her grandmother, and her best friend, Pepper, who claims her herbal teas can work magic.

But just when Willa thinks she’s discovered who the killer is, she finds out that things are not what they seem in Mystic Notch, and the case takes a strange turn that has Willa adding even some of her long-time friends to her suspect list.

Can Willa find the real killer in time to keep the magical balance in Mystic Notch on the side of good, or will evil prevail?

USA Today Bestseller - debuted November 27, 2014
Winner Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem Awards (Animal Mystery Category) 2015

Protect Yourself And Your Family In Any Disaster And Crisis: Discover A Complete Guide On Survival Skills.

Do you want to know how you can save your life when the time comes?

And make no mistake -- the time when you and your loved ones’ survival will depend on you will surely come.

Climate change has brought on us an onslaught of natural disasters, and various life-threatening accidents in the cities are also on the rise.

But it doesn’t even have to go so far -- crisis can hit at any time and place. A terrifying storm might knock out your power, a car accident might leave you stranded, or you can just get lost by wandering too far off the trails on your camping trip.

Would you like to know how to limit the damage in such situations and save lives?

Even a simple skill of knowing how to make fire or build a shelter can sometimes mean the difference between life and death.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we should be prepared for everything.

After that year, would you honestly be surprised if the zombie apocalypse hits next?

Even in the off-chance that happens, you’ll know how to defend yourself and protect your family.

In The Prepper’s Long Term Survival Handbook, you will discover:

• The Prepper Checklist - an ultimate list of gear, equipment and provisions that should always be packed and ready in your survival kit
• How to develop a survival mindset and stay calm and collected when crisis hits
• Where and how to find water in the wilderness, by using various wildlife and nature clues
• How to avoid starvation and find food in different environments, including desert areas and mountains
• How to keep warm if you get lost and find yourself stranded in the cold weather
• Self-defense techniques to protect yourself both in the city and in the wild
• A detailed guide on how to build shelter, both in urban areas and the wilderness
• First aid skills everyone should know, including city dwellers who have never stepped one foot in the woods - heart attack, bleeding and broken bones don’t care where you live

And much more.

Having survival skills is not just about building fires and hunting.

It’s also about staying calm in life-threatening situations, dealing effectively with fear and panic, and knowing how to survive in both cities and wilderness.

Experts agree that the 2020s will turn out to be the most challenging decade we’ve had in a long time.

Make sure you’re ready for it.

If you want to be able to survive and endure any disaster and crisis, then scroll up and click the “Add to Cart” button right now.

USA Today Best Selling Author, Willow Winters, brings you an all-consuming, gripping romance featuring an epic, anti-hero you won't soon forget.

"The emotions Willow evokes in this are on another level. This small glimpse into the world of Marcus is thrilling, chilling, a little bit sweet and a whole lot of just wow. You won’t want to miss this one." - Ky Reads Romance

An epic tale of both betrayal and all-consuming love...
Marcus, the villain.
Cody Walsh, the FBI agent who knows too much.
And Delilah, the lawyer caught in between.

This is the complete This Love Hurts trilogy in one collection.

"Riveting, all-consuming and absolutely addictive." - Amz, The Sassy Nerd Blog


He enters the car accompanied by a chill from the evening wind and the car rocks gently until he's seated behind me and the door is shut. His scent fills my lungs first and as it does, I remember that I've been told that smell is the sense that holds the most memory. Maybe I read it somewhere, but I've never known something to be truer than that fact is now.

When I open my eyes, his chilling gaze is on mine in the rearview mirror and my treacherous heart chokes me in an attempt to escape. It hovers at the base of my throat, pounding viciously in protest.
I did always love him. There wasn't a moment that I didn't love him. He knows that.
He has to know that I still love him; we just simply couldn't be together. We decided. We decided together.
"You said you'd let me go," I whisper, speaking over my strangled breaths. My gaze never leaves his, even as tears prick my eyes. Not until he answers me.
"I changed my mind."

If you are frustrated with the difficulties of starting a successful home garden, in the small spaces you have available, then keep reading!

Now I know for many, gardening can be a little intimidating.  How many times do you hear sad stories of people putting in a whole season's worth of work only to get a few disappointing patches of growth?

Our lives are insanely busy these days. So when you invest your precious free time and end up with nothing to show for it, it can get very disheartening. 

In the end, we often find the errors responsible for ruining our harvest often fall to more minor decisions we missed or weren't aware of along the way.  'Nothing' choices that seem simple and easy to manage in the moment but will have a lasting effect throughout the whole season.

Yes, for some, gardening comes as a natural talent. For others, some research and self-education may go into the mix. But with a few practiced steps, it can become an easily repeatable process, and with that, anyone can create a fine small space garden.

Back yard… patio… deck… living room… kitchen…

Small space gardening is a constant exercise in creative design.  Finding ways to fill in bare spots both inside and outside our homes with growth and color.  But selecting various plants you can enjoy is as easy as shopping for clothes.

Getting them to a point where they will flourish year after year… that is where we can run into trouble.  Many times over, people will buy beautiful flowers at the local nursery only to see them wilt away as they attempt to care for them.

Not for any lack of interest or effort, but simply because they took steps that weren't optimal for the plants' needs. 

In this book, you will discover:

• How to properly assess the spaces available to work with for optimal growth.
• Elements you may not have considered when designing your layout.
• Steps to make sure the time and effort you invest in your garden does not go to waste.
• Critical choices when selecting plants for your home and garden.
• How to create the best foundations for your plants to grow in.
• Help spark creative methods for taking advantage of every bit of space both inside and outside your home.
• Help you to manage your garden more efficiently by clarifying and simplifying foundational elements of gardening.

Gardens are a contradiction of nature. We bury seeds down in the dirt so they will grow up towards the sky.  Plants that have evolved to ward off pests coexist in gardens with other varieties that intentionally draw bugs in.

Consider the growth of plants is a fairly automatic process. Yet frequently, we must keep these plants under observation to ensure they are protected from harsh environments, appropriately watered, and that there is guaranteed adequate sunlight. 

Too often, I have heard from friends and family that gardening is too complicated or takes up too much of my time and effort.

And each time, I can't help but point out it is not difficult.  It does not need to take a great deal of time and effort if you don't want it to.  What it does take is the right effort.

Even if you can only spare 30 minutes a week, I know anyone can start a small, successful growing space.  No design is too small to enjoy. 

Start with a couple of pots or a wide planter on your windowsill.  Become comfortable with the basics.  After that, I'd be willing to bet you'll be thinking about your whole backyard for next season.  Everyone is capable of becoming a successful home gardener.

If you wish to be able to grow bountiful flowers and other plants on just about any scale, then scroll up and click the Add to Cart button.

No good deed goes unpunished...

Two months after his fiancée, Elizabeth Reinhardt, leaves him with no explanation, broken and confused, Trent Lemend is forced to pack up and start over in rural Georgetown, Texas. Believing his life could get no worse, Trent attempts to bury the inner demons of his past.

But when he stumbles upon a terrifying crime scene, Trent's troubles are only just beginning. Discovering that one of the victims, an emaciated, blood-covered woman, is still alive, changes his life in ways he never thought possible.

Saving the woman destroys all that he's ever known. Suddenly, as a witness, he's the killer's number one target. With the murderer on the loose, nobody is safe--especially Elizabeth, the only woman he's ever loved. Now, it's up to Trent to save his ex and reclaim his life. But will he discover a dangerous dark side of his own?

After the loss of her father two years before, Hannah Moseby has endured resentment from her step-father in order to help her mother get through her new marriage. When her step-father tells her he’s arranged a marriage for her with a preacher going west, and she can either marry the preacher or she can find somewhere else to live, she agrees to meet the man. She’s not a natural fit as a preacher’s wife, and she’s not sure the Oregon Trail is something she can survive.

Jedediah Scott is surprised when a stranger he meets at the general store in Independence offers him his daughter—more than offers, in fact. The man agrees to give Jed the amount of money it would cost to take her west, if he would consent to marry her. Jed agrees to meet the girl, because as a minister, he strongly believes in providence. Upon seeing Hannah, he feels drawn to her and wants her as his wife. God must surely have a hand in their meeting.

Will the two of them be able to see past the circumstances in which their marriage began? Or will life on the Oregon Trail break the fragile connection Jed is sure could blossom into love?

Our existence is fragile. I learned that in many intricate ways, so I do not take today for granted. I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I do not even know if tomorrow will come.

On the eve of Thanksgiving 2016, I received the diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer. Next to dying, I fear the spread of cancer to my brain and losing my ability to think, speak, or write. This loss would be devastating to me.

The fragility of our life made me want to be authentic. Therefore, I am writing this memoir to be authentic—we become our true selves when we author who we are.

I am afraid of being forgotten. Death does frighten me. But more than dying, I am scared of having no one remember me or, even worse, of being recognized differently from who I was. At the same time, I have never thought that I was entitled to ask others not to forget me. But, not to be forgotten is precisely what I yearn for.


While I am writing for the other, I am simultaneously writing for myself. I am one of the readers and will test the subject as it gets written. My criteria are stricter. I want to say, “This is my narrative.”

I need to be able to say, “This is my narrative.”

A man on a mission must come to terms with his forgotten past in this gripping thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.

In Portland, he saved a young boy from a drunk driver. In Boston, he rescued a child from an underground explosion. In Houston, he disarmed a man who was trying to shoot his own wife. Reporter Holly Thorne was intrigued by this strange quiet savior named Jim Ironheart. She was even falling in love with him. But what power compelled an ordinary man to save twelve lives in three months? What visions haunted his dreams? And why did he whisper in his sleep: There is an Enemy. It is coming. It’ll kill us all...?

DI Hunter Wilson never has just one problem to solve.

Three elderly women he knows have died in mysterious circumstances. Hunter appears to be the only link.

A little girl goes missing on a cold winter’s night. When his team discovers cocaine hidden at the farm where she was living, the search becomes even more urgent.

Why did the women die? And what did the child witness?

Hunter must find the answers to these questions to ensure his family and his city are safe.

Once again, The Hole In The Coral Wall Gang is up to their eyeballs in wild misadventure and incredible circumstance!
The hundred-year-old Coiba Penal Colony off the coast of Panama is an island swarming with convicts, inside and outside the prison walls, and yet, by the strangest of fates, this extraordinary tropical isle possesses an ancient, incredibly valuable secret that could change the world.

Kansas and Will along with their team, find themselves challenging this strange island while trying to dodge wild desperadatos, prison soldiers, and a crazed island commandant.

If that weren’t enough, there’s the South Florida mafia, who also want what the team has discovered. Then there are the two hired crazies from the bizarre “Last Resort” chasing Will and Kansas because they failed to die in a timely fashion, and didn’t pay their bill.
Startling! Clever! And very funny in places.

THIS IS ALSO A GREAT STAND ALONE READ

From the author of IR Discovery Award finalist Learning to Haight comes the next great punk rock novel.

Wally, a neurotic, self-depreciating sales rep in San Francisco, somehow wins the heart of Julie, the drummer for a rising punk band. She’s everything he isn’t—cool, brash, confident in her own skin—and Wally never feels he’s able to live up to her public persona.

Complicating matters is the fact that Wally is convinced he will die young and has taken weirdly precise considerations to make sure his affairs are taken care of after he is gone—even going as far as to pick out a potential mate for Julie to step in after his death.

When tragedy tears them apart, Wally spirals into a tailspin involving booze, strippers, old wedding videos, a Jack Russell named after Joey Ramone and a dramatic rescue on the Golden Gate Bridge. Eventually, it’s his circle of friends that act as his de facto family as he deals with a devastating loss.

Above all, Polk Gulch is a startlingly honest story about love and grief that allows readers to enter the brain of someone who is haunted by the impending specter of death.