Political Thriller “Guile” Weaves Fiction and Reality in a Gripping Reflection of Modern American Elections

7 September 2024

Veteran political strategist, Craig Snyder draws from his personal experience working in politics to craft a riveting narrative of the dark underbelly of election campaigning.

In the world of power and politics, the truth of what unfolds often lies behind closed doors and sealed lips. Now, seasoned political operative Craig Snyder’s debut fiction novel, “Guile,” takes readers behind the scenes of a not-so-unfamiliar story of dirty election campaigning and the fight for the soul of America.

Inspired by over 3 decades of work in the political sphere, including as Chief of Staff for former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Arlen Specter, Snyder brings to “Guile” an unparalleled level of authenticity and insider knowledge.

Published by Indigo River Publishing, “Guile” details the intense political battle between radical Republican candidate Thomas Ven Hess, Democrat candidate Alec Maynard, and the operatives pulling the strings of their respective campaigns, principally Ven Hess’ shrewd “Dark Angel” campaign strategist, Pete Vankov. Anticipating the chaos that would come with a Ven Hess presidency, Vankov’s colleague, David Gruber and hardened political journalist, Jane Berglund, join forces to thwart Vankov’s dirty tricks.

“This book gives you a sense of how politics happens in real life because Craig Snyder has lived it,” said Andrew Yang, former Democratic candidate for President of the United States.

With a plot driven by real-world conflicts and characters that mirror today’s most influential figures, “Guile” offers a thrilling and thought-provoking read for anyone interested in the inner workings of modern American politics.

“Snyder has been a national political insider and highest level operative for three decades and it shows in the authenticity and details on every page of this gripping ‘House of Cards’ style novel,” said former GOP Congressman, James Greenwood.

“Guile” is distributed by Simon & Schuster and available to order September 10th on Amazon.

ABOUT CRAIG SNYDER
An attorney by training, Craig Snyder is a former United States Senate Chief of Staff, GOP nominee for Congress and President of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. A founder of Ikon Global Consulting 25 years ago, Snyder is a nationally recognized political and public affairs consultant. Snyder is also the creator and co-executive producer of “The Whole Truth with David Eisenhower,” a deep dive discussion series now in it’s 8th season on public television and Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s National Security Program. He is the editor of “The Strategic Defense Debate” (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986) and a frequent OpEd author and television commentator. He was educated at Yale University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Temple University School of Law.

RICHARD CORBEN’S FANTASY SAGA CONCLUDES WITH “DEN VOLUME 5: THE PRICE OF MEMORIES”

Jocie McKade

6 September 2024

The Latest Volume in the Ongoing Richard Corben Library from Dark Horse Books

Dark Horse Books presents Den Volume 5: The Price of Memories, the final book in a series of graphic novels collecting Richard Corben’s fantasy masterpiece, Den. With illustrations restored by José Villarrubia and re-lettered by Nate Piekos, this special hardcover edition collects the fifth volume of the long out-of-print Den and includes bonus material, a dust jacket, and an introduction by screenwriter Christos Gage.

In Den Volume 5: The Price of Memories, an amnesic Den encounters an unexpected woman from his past. Sienna is a medium that takes Den on a memory journey starting at birth, where he will meet old friends and future enemies and get closer to understanding his journey. This last volume of Den connects all four previous parts of the story and takes Den on perhaps his wildest adventure on the floating Island of Heaven, where an idyllic existence hides a horrifying secret.

Den Volume 5: The Price of Memories (hardcover, 120 pages, 8”x11”) will be available in bookstores on February 11, 2025 and in comic shops on February 12, 2025. It is now available to preorder at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, TFAW, and your your local comic shop and indie bookstore for $39.99.

Den Volume 1: Neverwhere and Den Volume 2: Muvovum are now available wherever books are sold. Den Volume 3: Children of Fire and Den Volume 4: Dreams and Alarums are now available for pre-order.

Stay tuned for news on more books in Dark Horse’s Richard Corben Library.

Be sure to follow DarkHorseComics on social media and check our website, www.darkhorse.com for more news, announcements, and updates.

Praise for Richard Corben:

“Neverwhere is the comics medium pushed as far as it has ever gone in one particular direction that tons of its practitioners have strived to take it, first-ballot hall of fame comics by a master.”—The Comics Journal

“Richard Corben…was one of the most gifted artists to emerge from the wonderfully fertile 1960s underground scene.”—The New York Times

“Corben is meta-cinematic, gloriously unbound by prudence, and seemingly without precedent or heirs. In an odd way, he is the one author that emerges from the American underground and seeds the imagination of authors everywhere- creating a movement that combines genre and rebellion and finds perch in filmmakers and artists in the entire world- traces can be found in France, Japan, Italy, etc., etc.”—Guillermo del Toro

“Corben‘s work is singular in its humanity. He works with towering technical skill… …the wondrous thing of it all is that underneath all that technical tour-de-force is the sound of a beating heart.”—Will Eisner

“Mr. Richard Corben… a genuine giant of his chosen medium.”—Alan Moore

“Richard Corben stands among us like an extraterrestrial peak. He has sat in his throne a long time, above the moving and multi-colored field of world comics, like an effigy of the leader, a strange monolith, a sublime visitor, a solitary enigma.”—Mœbius

Dark Horse Comics

There’s a Book for That: Library Card Sign-Up Month!

Jocie McKade

6 September 2024

Spread the word! September is Library Card Sign-Up Month! According to The American Library Association, there are an estimated 123,627 libraries of all kinds in the United States! Libraries are transporting places where so many of us, and the authors we read, first discovered a passion for books. And we know that librarians are on the front lines advocating for our freedom to read. So let’s celebrate our libraries and the librarians who work so hard. Contact your local branch to get your library card if you don’t already have one and enjoy these titles about libraries and librarians:

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng OUR MISSING HEARTS by Celeste Ng

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left the family when he was nine years old without a trace. For a decade, his family’s life has been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture.” To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic. When Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of librarians, into the lives of the children who have been taken, and finally to New York City, where a new act of defiance may be the beginning of much-needed change.

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims HOW CAN I HELP YOU by Laura Sims

A LibraryReads Pick

The lives of two librarians become dangerously intertwined in this razor-sharp exploration of human nature and the lure of artistic obsession. Chilling, incisive, and darkly humorous, How Can I Help You is a propulsive work of psychological suspense that asks how far we might go to justify our most monstrous desires.

The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence THE BOOK THAT WOULDN’T BURN by Mark Lawrence

Two strangers find themselves connected by a vast and mysterious library containing many wonders and still more secrets, in this powerfully moving first book in a new series from the international bestselling author of Red Sister and Prince of Thorns.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan THE UNDERGROUND LIBRARY by A Novel by Jennifer Ryan

When the Blitz imperils the heart of a London neighborhood, three young women must use their fighting spirit to save the community’s beloved library in this heartwarming novel based on true events from the author of The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir.

Summer Reading by Jenn McKinlay SUMMER READING by Jenn McKinlay

When a woman who’d rather do anything than read meets a swoon-worthy bookworm, sparks fly, making for one hot-summer fling in New York Times bestselling author Jenn McKinlay’s new rom-com.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY: A NOVEL by Matt Haig

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

FOR YOUNGER READERS

This Is a Story by John Schu THIS IS A STORY by John Schu; illustrated by Lauren Castillo

Children’s literacy advocate John Schu and Caldecott Honor recipient Lauren Castillo celebrate the power of finding the perfect book—in a story that’s more relevant than ever.

GO FORTH AND TELL: THE LIFE OF AUGUSTA BAKER, LIBRARIAN AND MASTER STORYTELLER by Breanna J. McDaniel; Illustrated by April Harrison

From an award-winning author and illustrator comes this picture book biography about beloved librarian and storyteller Augusta Braxton Baker, the first Black coordinator of children’s services at all branches of the New York Public Library.

WAITING FOR THE BIBLIOBURRO/ESPERANDO EL BIBLIOBURRO (Spanish-English bilingual edition) by Monica Brown, John Parra, Adriana Dominguez

Inspired by the heroic efforts of real-life librarian Luis Soriano, award-winning picture book creators Monica Brown and John Parra introduce readers to the mobile library that journeys over mountains and through valleys to bring literacy and culture to rural Colombia, and to the children who wait for the BiblioBurro.

THE NIGHT LIBRARIAN: A GRAPHIC NOVEL by Christopher Lincoln

Night at the Museum meets The Land of Stories in this thrilling new graphic novel adventure series in which two siblings, a mysterious Night Librarian, and a motley cast of book characters try to save the New York Public Library

For more on these and related titles visit the collection Libraries and Librarians

Sneak Peek: Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

Jocie McKade

6 September 2024

Murder Takes the Stage by Colleen Cambridge

In this delightful historical mystery, Phyllida Bright—amateur sleuth and Agatha Christie’s esteemed housekeeper—discovers a killer stalking the stages of London’s illustrious theaters.

Housekeeper Phyllida Bright is quite in her element at Mallowan Hall, the charming English manor that she keeps in tip-top shape. By contrast, the bustling metropolis of London, where her famed employer Agatha Christie has temporarily relocated, leaves Phyllida a bit out of her depth. Not only must she grapple with a limited staff, but Phyllida also has to rein in a temperamental French cook who has the looks of Hercule Poirot, but none of the charm.

When a man named Archibald Allston is found dead in an armchair onstage at the Adelphi Theater, first impressions are that he died of natural causes. But the very next day, the unlucky actor playing Benvolio at the Belmont Theater is found with his head bashed in. And when a third victim turns up, this time with double-C initials, the fatal pattern is impossible to ignore.

With panic erupting among theater folk—a superstitious bunch at the best of times—Phyllida steps up to help with the investigation. The murderer’s MO may be easy to read, but can Phyllida uncover the killer’s identity before the final curtain falls on another victim?

What If? Alternate History Novels That Rewrite the Past

Jocie McKade

5 September 2024

History is a tapestry of critical events and influential figures, but what if one thread were pulled or woven differently? Alternate history novels allow us to explore these intriguing possibilities, presenting worlds where the past diverges from what we know. Here we’re highlighting stories that challenge our understanding of history, offering imaginative twists on real events.

Follow the Stars Home by Diane C. McPhail

A captivating reimagining of Lydia Latrobe Roosevelt, the intrepid expeditionist who, with her husband Nicholas Roosevelt, designed and co-captained the first steamboat to travel the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Eight months pregnant and with a toddler in tow – Lydia braved violent earthquakes and treacherous waters on the first steamboat voyage to conquer the Mississippi River and redefine America.

Bonfire Night by Anna Bliss

Spanning from England’s anti-fascism protests of 1936 through the aftermath of WWII, this moving, intricately wrought historical novel brings together a young Irish Catholic photographer and a British Jewish medical student, each discovering the price of love, art, and ambition…

The Diamond of London by Andrea Penrose

This dazzling historical novel is based on the real life of Lady Hester Stanhope, a British aristocrat born into an illustrious family of swashbuckling war heroes and brilliant political leaders. Lady Hester was a Regency-era adventuress who lived on her own terms and defied all conventional strictures of what a woman could and couldn’t do during the Regency era.

We Are Only Ghosts by Jeffrey L. Richards

An exhilarating, brutally candid saga about sexuality and war, tenderness and trauma, first love and fierce hate, as a teenage boy’s unexpected, complicated relationship with a Nazi officer in a WWII death camp is resurrected in 1960s New York City. We Are Only Ghosts depicts queer love against the horrors of death camps and the psychosis of those who got out alive—haunted forever by those who did not—balancing the violence and hatred of war and its aftermath with many poignant moments of tenderness and joy.

A Murder Most French by Colleen Cambridge

The City of Light is surging back to life in the wake of war, and its citizens are seizing every opportunity to raise a glass or share a delicious meal. But as American ex-pat Tabitha Knight and chef-in-training Julia Child discover, celebrations can quickly go awry when someone has murder in mind. Set in midcentury Paris and starring Julia Child’s fictional best friend, this magnifique reimagining of the iconic chef’s years at Le Cordon Bleu blends a delicious murder mystery with a unique culinary twist.

To Slip the Bonds of Earth by Amanda Flower

While not as famous as her older siblings Wilbur and Orville, the celebrated inventors of flight, Katharine Wright is equally inventive – especially when it comes to solving crimes – in USA Today bestselling author Amanda Flower’s radiant new historical mystery series inspired by the real sister of the Wright Brothers.

The Flower Sisters by Michelle Collins Anderson

Drawing on the little-known true story of one tragic night at an Ozarks dance hall in the author’s Missouri hometown, this beautifully written, endearingly nostalgic novel picks up 50 years later for afolksy, character-driven portrayal of small-town life, split second decisions, and the ways family secrets reverberate through generations.

A Jewel in the Crown by David Lewis

This riveting new historical caper series features a gifted young socialist turned counter-espionage spy on a World War II mission orchestrated by Winston Churchill himself. Propulsive, well-researched, and incorporating real historical events, David Lewis’s series is perfect for readers of Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series.

Fleeing France by Alan Hlad

Driving an ambulance in France after the fall of Dunkirk, an American nightclub singer races to evacuate a British pilot and a Jewish orphan across more than 4,000 miles towards a precarious freedom in this emotional, action-packed story of sacrifice, hope, and devotion inspired by real wartime events.

A Time for Defiance by James D. Shipman

Releases November 26th

In a gripping tale of sisterhood, survival, and resistance for readers of Kate Quinn and Pam Jenoff, a young woman in Nazi-occupied Holland joins a unique taskforce within the Dutch Resistance, wielding her youthful innocence and beauty to lure Nazis to their death.

Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books.

Book Ban Hotspots and Nearby Little Free Library Locations Shown on New Interactive Map

Jocie McKade

5 September 2024

The Little Free Library® (LFL) nonprofit organization is pleased to introduce an interactive map that highlights two key features: locations of book bans across the United States and locations of nearby Little Free Library book-sharing boxes. This dual-purpose tool not only reveals the widespread epidemic of book banning, but also positions Little Free Libraries as vital distribution points for these restricted books.

There are more than 180,000 Little Free Library boxes in urban, suburban, and rural areas worldwide. As book banning continues to accelerate—with a record 4,240 unique titles targeted for censorship in 2023, according to the American Library Association—this network of community book-sharing boxes gives advocates an opportunity to distribute banned books in a grassroots way.

“Banned books are welcome in Little Free Library book-sharing boxes,” said LFL Executive Director Greig Metzger. “Our new interactive map allows you to find both the areas hit hardest by book bans and the nearest Little Free Library box locations, where you can share books that have been censored or just books you love. The heart of our mission is to expand access to books, and we hope this map inspires you to provide access to the banned books that are meaningful to you.”

Using the Book Ban Map

LFL’s map shows U.S. book bans at both state and county levels, as well as locations of mapped Little Free Library book-exchange boxes nationwide. The number of bans per state or county are visualized using a color scale—the darker the purple, the more bans in the area.

How to use the map:

View the book ban map.
Hover over any state to view the number of bans in that state. For example, when hovering over Florida, 2,647 attempted book bans are shown.
Use the toggle in the top-right corner to switch between viewing book bans by state or county.
Use the search bar in the top-left corner to search for book bans in a specific location.
As you zoom in, blue pins will show Little Free Library locations. Click on any blue pin to see the library’s charter number. Want to learn more about that library’s location? Open LFL’s mobile app or web map and search for the library by charter number.

LFL developed the map in collaboration with the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom and PEN America, which each generously shared crucial data. ALA provided state-level data on books banned or challenged in school and public libraries, while PEN America provided county-level data on books banned or challenged in schools.

“PEN America is proud to have our school book ban data put to such good use,” said Sabrina Baêta, PEN America Program Manager, Freedom to Read. “As we look to turn the page on book bans, it’s important we find ways to keep books in the hands of our communities—in our schools, our libraries, and in this case, our sidewalks.”

To use LFL’s Book Ban Map, visit littlefreelibrary.org/book-ban-map

ABOUT LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Little Free Library® (LFL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that builds community, inspires readers and expands book access for all through a global network of volunteer-led Little Free Library book-sharing boxes. There are more than 180,000 registered Little Free Libraries worldwide in all 50 states, in 121 countries and on all 7 continents. LFL received the 2020 World Literacy Award as well as honors from the Library of Congress, National Book Foundation and others. The organization grants Little Free Libraries full of books to underserved areas through its Impact Library and Indigenous Library programs and champions diverse books through its Read in Color initiative. LFL is a member of the Banned Books Week Coalition, Unite Against Book Bans, and the Diverse Books for All Coalition. Learn more at LittleFreeLibrary.org.

Sneak Peek: The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams

Jocie McKade

5 September 2024

The Little Lost Library by Ellery Adams

Big clues come in small packages as Miracle Books owner Nora Pennington and the Secret, Book, and Scone Society attempt to solve a series of murders connected to a bibliophile’s missing books in the latest cozy mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ellery Adams . . .

When an elderly Miracle Springs resident, Lucille Wynter, arranges for Nora to deliver an order of books to her creepy, crumbling Southern Gothic mansion on the outskirts of town, Nora doesn’t expect to be invited in. An agoraphobe, Lucille doesn’t leave Wynter House. But when Lucille doesn’t come to the door to collect her books, Nora begins to worry.

Forcing her way into Lucille’s dilapidated home, Nora is shocked to find rooms bursting with books and a lifeless Lucille at the foot of her stairs. After reading a note left behind by Lucille, Nora wonders if her death was an accident. Did she fall or was she pushed by someone seeking a valuable item hidden within Wynter House? Lucille’s children are clearly confident the house contains something of value, because they hire Nora to sift through the piles of books.

Nora’s obsession with Lucille’s collection becomes cause for concern among her friends in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society—she’s even neglecting her bookshop! But Nora does find something valuable deep inside Wynter House—a revelation about Lucille’s terrible past . . . and a secret worth a small fortune. But there’s someone who’d do anything to keep the truth buried amid the moldering tomes, and it’s up to Nora and her friends to track down a murderer before Wynter House’s lost library claims another victim . . .

Book Review: Mud Season: A Bethany, Vermont Story by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Jocie McKade

4 September 2024

Mud Season: A Bethany, Vermont Story by Sarah Stewart Taylor

Enjoyed this short story prequel to Sarah Stewart Taylor’s new Historical Crime Fiction series. I enjoyed getting to know the citizens of Bethany Vermont who will be front and center of Agony Hill Detective Frank Warren’s first book. Especially amateur sleuth Alice Bellows and how she strings together bits of gossip and clues to solve the mystery of the abandoned car from Pennsylvania! One sharp cookie, good luck Detective Warren!

Blurb:

Enter the world of 1960s Bethany, Vermont in this suspenseful short story featuring characters from the forthcoming Agony Hill.

It’s mud season in Bethany, Vermont. As spring nears, the thawing ground and melting snow-pack have created muddy, impassable roads. It’s not unusual to see a driver pushing their car or going for help. But a car with Pennsylvania plates has been completely abandoned, still stuck in the mud.

Alice Bellows, an inquisitive widow who seems to know everything going on in town, can’t help but wonder what would lead someone to abandon their car like that. All that’s left in the car are two suitcases sitting in the trunk, no registration or keys. The police aren’t too concerned about the abandoned car, but Alice thinks there’s more to the story. Not sure what she’ll find or who may get hurt, she takes it upon herself to find the car’s owner and what they’re hiding in her small town.

Sneak Peek: Silent Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein

Jocie McKade

4 September 2024

Silent Nights Are Murder by Libby Klein

Gluten-free baker Poppy McAllister and her aunt Ginny are looking forward to a quiet, homey Christmas at their B&B in Cape May, but unfortunately, death isn’t taking a holiday this year . . .

Ever since Thanksgiving, when an engagement ring in a velvet box—and no gift tag—was left behind, Poppy and her pals have been left with an unsolved mystery. But at least this mystery isn’t the kind that involves murder. That all changes when the body of a fish supplier is discovered in the kitchen of her ex’s restaurant—and he’s frozen, not fresh.

For once, it’s not Poppy who tripped over the corpse, yet she can’t escape being drawn in since the victim has a note taped to him reading Get Poppy. Figures—an engagement ring isn’t labeled, but the dead guy is addressed to her. Now, while Aunt Ginny plans a tree-trimming party and pressures Poppy to decode a mysterious old diary, the amateur sleuth is asked to “unofficially” go undercover at the restaurant to help the police. Until then, the only crime Poppy had been dealing with was the cat Figaro’s repeated thefts of bird ornaments from the tree; now it looks like it’s going to be a murder-y Christmas after all . . .

Sneak Peek: BLINDSPOT IN AMERICA By Elom Akoto

Jocie McKade

4 September 2024

BLINDSPOT IN AMERICA By Elom Akoto

Kamao is the son of a prominent Ghanaian academic and incumbent minister of health and is devoted to all that America symbolizes. After immigrating to the United States in pursuit of higher education and the American Dream, he becomes unwittingly entangled with American politics when he meets Lindsey McAdams, the daughter of an influential, anti-immigration senator. As the couple’s feelings grow, so too does the senator’s animosity toward Kamao. Despite support from fellow immigrants Lazo, Ayefumi, and Dania—who follow American Dreams of their own—Kamao soon finds himself drawn into intrigues hidden from the American public that make him question himself and his adopted country. When Kamao is implicated in a murder, Lindsey’s loyalties are tested, Dania must decide if she is willing to risk her own future and security for the sake of justice, and Kamao discovers how far he’ll go to fulfill his American Dream.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elom K. Akoto immigrated to the United States from Togo (West Africa). He earned a bachelor’s degree in Education and a master’s degree in TESOL (Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages). He is the founder of Learn and Care, a nonprofit organization that aims to promote Literacy and Adult Education, not only among immigrants but also among Native Americans who missed the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. The program offers ESL, literacy, GED preparation classes, and more. He self-published two ESL workbooks: Ideal Companion, ESL level 1 and Ideal Companion, ESL level 2. He teaches French in a high school and ESL at a community college in Omaha, Nebraska, where he lives with his family.

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