Aryan is a young man living in the coastal village of Kornur, India. He dreams of becoming an artist one day, but his dream comes to an abrupt end when his father passes away when he is only sixteen, and since then he has been condemned to live the mundane life of a fisherman. But fate gives him a chance to achieve his dream and he moves to Mumbai in the hope of becoming a successful artist. The story then follows Aryan’s life in Mumbai as a struggling artist, the new things he learns and experiences, and his quest for self-discovery. During his struggle, he strives to master a new style of painting in order to stand out and succeed. He perfects his broken Hindi and explores human nature by observing himself and the people around him. He ponders on the nature of power, the desperate need for lies, the craze and importance of cricket in India, and the cultural differences between a small village and a big city, and he explores the relationship between God and human charity. This is a coming-of-age story about perseverance and survival.
Meet Arthinkal
Arthinkal is a pseudonym for Jordan John Anthony, who was born in Mumbai, India. A Fisherman’s Dream is his debut novel. He also maintains a website on which he posts essays on subjects that interest him. Connect with him on: https://arthinkal.com/ https://www.instagram.com/arthinkal_/
In booze, gambling, and sex fueled 1980s Vegas, an unlikely Mafia kingpin was just making her way on to the scene – 18 year old Cyn Hardy.
Mafia Madame pulls the curtain back on the Las Vegas sex industry, the same way Casino revealed the inner workings of the gambling industry.
“Mafia Madame is a well-crafted story which will have you burning the midnight oil as you keep turning the pages to find out what happens next.” – R.J. Krzak, Award Winning Author
1984 – Las Vegas, Nevada. Infamous Mob Boss, Tony Spilotro’s reign in Vegas is ended by an assassination, leaving a power vacuum in his wake. Sin City is up for grabs and Chicago, Detroit and New York families are locked in a territorial struggle to stake their claim in the Gold Rush that is Eighties Vegas. Enter Cyn, a wide-eyed, 18 year old, small town Michigan girl. After moving to Vegas and falling in love with the son of a Chicago Mob Boss, she finds herself entangled in the shadowy world of organized crime and the barely-legal sex industry. It’s up to her to defeat her New York Mafia business rival, or risk losing everyone who has ever meant anything to her. Her series of dangerous and bold choices lead to a rich and surprising odyssey of love, family and loyalty.
Meet Alexa Spagnoli
Alexa Spagnoli was born in a small town in Michigan and grew up in a private beach community on the shoes of Lake Erie. At the age of 18 she went to Las Vegas and decided to stay, moving in with a Chicago mob associate, and began a whirlwind of a life. Her skills allowed her to become, a bookie, a model, an Outcall service owner and finally, owner of an Event Planning company.
Through the decades, Vegas morphed from sophisticated adult amusements, to family-friendly in the Eighties and early Nineties, to “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” in the 2000s, Alexa morphed along with it, finding opportunities to flourish. As Vegas became the biggest tourist attraction in the US, the money and opportunities got bigger. As the Mafia was run out of town by the Nevada Gaming Commission, she transitioned to Event Planning, utilizing her contacts to become a legitimate success in convention-rife Las Vegas.
In her debut novel Mafia Madame, she chronicles a truly unique Las Vegas story. Her real-life experiences color her gripping prose, lending authenticity and richness to her storytelling. Alexa refers to Mafia Madame as her almost-memoir, because she lived nearly everything in the novel. In her spare time Alexa enjoys reading, hiking, cooking and fine wine.
A SINGLE ROUND, is a collection of short stories from a HARD PLACE. Stories of moonshine and shotguns, obsession and transcendence, love and darkness, and the blindness of human desire. Each tale follows a painful path to one ultimate realization: the devil’s deal always ends badly, often with a single round.
The head that was found on the blacktop tells a tale in Johnny Fucking Carson. Tommy watches his dream love become a nightmare in Together Forever. Fame has a dark side, Becoming Famous echoes the age old warning, ‘Be Careful what you wish for’. A story of realization, loss, and transformation takes flight in Redwing. Never judge a book by its cover, even one with fangs, as a surprise awaits in Doc’s Choice. The Grounded, sometimes the dream of escape should remain a dream. A tale of a man who fell in love with a woman who forgot him in The Dog Walker. The Ride will make you second guess what you thought you were sure of.
Meet R A Jacobson
After leaving the north forests and farmland of Saskatchewan, Rick headed to Calgary and the Alberta College of Art. After 4 years of hard work, he came out confused and somewhat lost. Now what?
Rick has been a bouncer (1 week), he has been a radio switcher (1 night) he worked at the CBC (1 month) he was a stuntman (2 action movies that he never saw but he’s not alone in that) he modeled briefly (he was the Jolly Green Giant for a time). Rick has built houses, packed groceries, cut grass, he has written children’s books (4) illustrated children’s books (19). He has worked as an illustrator, a writer, a designer and a painter. Rick has won awards for his work in advertising and publishing including the Ruth Schwartz Award, the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award and numerous national and international awards including the Toronto Art Directors’ Awards, Communication Arts Magazine’s Award of Excellence, American Illustration Award of Excellence, and the New York Art Directors’ Award of Excellence. He has been featured in Smithsonian magazine and in The Artist’s Magazine. His commissioned portraits include Margaret Atwood, Robertson Davies, Christopher Ondaatje, and David Thomson.
Rick will be releasing his first collection of stories from a HARD PLACE, ’A Single Round’ on October 24th He is currently working on the soon to be released “Hard Place” novel. Both the novel and the graphic novel are scheduled for release in 2021 as well as another collection of short stories, “A Lead Pill”. For Hard Place updates, sign up at deadcatstud.io.
You may call him Kevin, but Kevin is not his name.
One hundred and forty-nine years have passed since Earth fell apart. The new human settlements, though resources scarce, are thriving in peace. Or that’s what Kevin has thought. Until red flames engorge town after town on one ordinary night—a longtime foe has invaded his empire.
Kevin’s escape pod crashes into a hostile kingdom on Earth. Trapped and alone, he must plan to reclaim his empire. He needs to act—fast. But he is being watched. Closely.
Kevin must fake his identity, or he might as well kiss his only asylum goodbye. Wary of trusting anyone, Kevin still searches for allies to help him on his mission. With the Empire of Tiamis and his family’s lives at stake, one wrong move may be too much to risk.
“An affecting bildungsroman grounded in principles of emotional intelligence.” – KIRKUS REVIEW
Bijoy is a young boy in a remote Bangladeshi village where the legacy of hardship is passed from generation to generation. But a distinct dream has been handed to this little soul by his father. His tiny heart embraces the dream without knowing the price he will endure for this vision. Inevitably, every triumph comes with a price. But Bijoy didn’t accept this cost as a choice; he followed it as it was the only means to escape. When every door closes, Bijoy and his mother must embark on the unknown. At every turn, Bijoy is both aided and puzzled by the mysterious plots of destiny. Where will this hostile journey steer Bijoy? What is adversity striving to profess?
Spanning two continents and several decades, Bijoy’s dramatic journey captivates the reader through each twist and turn as he deals with poverty, danger, oppression, unusual breakthroughs, and love, and gains precious wisdom on life along the way. Ultimately, his greatest struggle is an existential one: finding peace with the hand life dealt him.
Taking place during a French Revolution that is familiar yet very different, this steam-powered story depicts the adventures of the Ordre de la Tradition, a group of elite knights and other exceptionally talented individuals, led by the cool and confident Jeanne de Fleur, who answer only to His Majesty, King Louis XVI. On July 14, 1789 (Infini Calendar), the Ordre is called to the Bastille to investigate a mysterious message that has appeared in the cell which formerly belonged to the diabolical Marquis de Sade. While they are there, the prison suddenly comes under attack by an angry mob. They soon discover that this is not an isolated incident; the Palace at Versailles is also besieged around the same time. Why is this happening? Will the Ordre be able to save the monarchy from assassination? How is the Jacobin Club involved in this? What strange powers does the Count of Saint-Germaine possess? What is the secret of Jeanne’s left eye? Is that sadistic Austrian woman friend or foe? All is revealed within. This is the 3rd edition.
