PIQUE YOUR CURIOSITY WITH WRITER CHAD LAMBERT’S SHORT STORIES, NOW TOGETHER FOREVER

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11 December 2023

“Kill Me and Other Curiosities” features love and death in a time loop

Chad Lambert, the 2015 Harvey Award-winning author of Best Short Story Breaking Out and Promising New Talent for Kill Me, is reteaming with Dark Horse Comics to present an anthology of his works from Dark Horse Presents in one thought-provoking volume, Kill Me and Other Curiosities. Including art from Kevin Czapiewski (Yesterday’s Muse), Apri Kusbriantoro (Dead Air), Christine Larsen (Kill Me), and Tom Williams (Now and Then), as well as lettering by Jaymes Reed (Radio Ga Ga), Tom Williams, and Kevin Czapiewski, the collection features new cover art and section breaks by Kelly Williams (Creepy, A Letter to Jo).

“These stories represent everything I am as a comic book creator,” said Lambert. “I’m thrilled to finally put them all together for the first time. Some of the stories, like my struggles in Midwest radio, are 100% true. Others, like falling asleep on a time-traveling amusement park toilet, might be slightly embellished.”

In “Kill Me,” a science fiction thriller, a man lost in a time loop tries to fix the biggest mistake of his life. But before he can, he faces off against multiple versions of himself on the loose, trying to right the wrongs of his past. With everyone in each other’s way, Jack has to kill his other selves to keep himself alive!

Including six additional short stories to satisfy readers’ curiosity, Kill Me and Other Curiosities arrives in bookstores on July 2, 2024, and comic shops on July 3, 2024. Pre-order at your local comic shop, bookstore, Amazon, or Barnes and Noble for $17.99.

Chad Lambert, the 2015 Harvey Award-winning author of Best Short Story Breaking Out and Promising New Talent for Kill Me, is reteaming with Dark Horse Comics to present an anthology of his works from Dark Horse Presents in one thought-provoking volume, Kill Me and Other Curiosities. Including art…”>

Sneak Peek: Bonfire Night by Anna Bliss

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Jocie McKade

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11 December 2023

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Bonfire Night by Anna Bliss

Bonfire Night: A Gripping and Emotional WW2 Novel of Star Crossed Love

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…

“A most tender work of art, providing a heartrending look at a couple in love while the world implodes and explodes around them. With the eye of a painter, Bliss uses the finest of brushes to vividly and crisply depict her characters while displaying an astonishing breadth of compassion for the situations in which they must struggle and persevere. Bonfire Night is a treasure of a novel, beautifully written with the unflinching style and subtle psychological insights of such masters as Ian McEwan and Graham Swift.” –Natalie Jenner, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls

London, 1936: At twenty-one, Kate Grifferty is a press photographer in a Fleet Street agency, an unusual job for a young woman. But Kate is both talented and daring, recklessly going wherever the story might be—including, one October day, to an anti-fascism protest in East London. There, she meets David Rabatkin, a brilliant Jewish medical student. While his idealistic brother is eager to go to Spain and join the fight for the Republic, David knows where his path lies: at home, fulfilling the expectations of his profession and his family.

Kate is exposed for the first time to the dangers and demands of David’s world, where marrying within the Jewish faith is seen as not only preferable, but key to survival. Kate neither expects nor wants to be any man’s wife, hampered by convention. And though she and David are both outsiders, as war looms, other differences between them are thrown into sharp relief.

Brighton, 1940: Catastrophe forces Kate to flee London and the onslaught of war finds her working at her sister’s seaside boarding house, while David tends patients at a busy London hospital as the Blitz rages. But Kate’s challenges and disappointments have only deepened her desire to capture images of life unfurling around her, the beauty and violence, struggles and surprising joys. And soon fate and ambition will align, providing her with the chance to make her mark at last . . .

“CAT + GAMER VOLUME 5” PROVIDES A FULL PARTY OF HUMOR

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Jocie McKade

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10 December 2023

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Catch up on this story about a hardcore gamer and her cats!

Available for the first time in English, Wataru Nadatani’s Harvey Award-nominated manga series continues with Cat + Gamer Volume 5. Featuring translation by Zack Davisson (Demon Days, Kaibyo: The Supernatural Cats of Japan) and lettering by Susie Lee at Studio Cutie, this manga is the best of both worlds; cats and video games! Be sure to catch up on Cat + Gamer Volumes 1-4 before volume 5 arrives in bookstores and comic book shops in 2024.

Office worker Riko Kozakura supports her entire band of adventurers—including the two cats she cohabitates with, party members Musubi and Soboro! Follow along as the three live, learn, and grow together. New quests and challenges offer the trio plenty of XP. “Leveling up” in skills, surprises, and adventures extends to real life, as Riko discovers what it’s like living with two cats.

The next volume of Wataru Nadatani’s hilarious manga series, Cat + Gamer Volume 5, arrives in bookstores on June 25, 2024 and in comic shops on June 26, 2024. Pre-order this and the rest of the series at your local comic shop, bookstore, or on Amazon, and Barnes and Noble for $11.99.

THE BLEEDING EDGE A RARE HISTORY OF THE BIRTH OF THE DIGITAL WORLD BY William Raduchel

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Jocie McKade

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10 December 2023

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A new book released today by Amplify Publishing offers a rare glimpse into the birth of the technology revolution. From a former high-level executive for early tech giants such as Sun Microsystems, AOL Time Warner, and Xerox, William Raduchel, comes a part-memoir, part-business manual titled The Bleeding Edge: My Six Decades at the Forefront of the Tech Revolution. Former CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, calls the book “compulsively readable” and “a master class in how to succeed in the business of technology.”

After more than half a century at the forefront of the technology revolution, Bill Raduchel has encountered every titan of the technological world—from Steve Case to Larry Ellison, from Steve Jobs to Scott McNealy. Raduchel offers never-before-heard stories: from delivering bids in the 1990s to buy NeXT and Apple to being in the room for the launch of licensed music on iTunes.

Packed with timeless wisdom on the art of computer science, the business of technology, and the durable power of relationships, The Bleeding Edge provides a rare history of how and why the internet looks and feels the way it does today.

For 50 years, William Raduchel has been at the forefront of the technological revolution in media, education, and corporate governance—including recognition at Sun as CIO of the Year and the top CFO in the computer industry and at AOL as CTO of the year. He holds more than fifty issued patents and a PhD in econometrics from Harvard. He is also the author of The New Technology State: How Our Digital Dreams Became Societal Nightmares—And What We Can Do About It. Learn more at his website: www.newtechnologystate.com.

William Raduchel is available for interviews, features, and events. The Bleeding Edge: My Six Decades at the Forefront of the Tech Revolution is on sale now through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Amplify Publishing.

New Winter Romances to Warm You Up

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Jocie McKade

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10 December 2023

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In the season of snow-covered landscapes and twinkling lights, there’s a unique charm to stories that unfold against the backdrop of winter’s embrace. And what better way to embrace the magic of winter than by diving into a world of winter romances? So, grab your coziest blanket, pour yourself something warm to drink, and prepare to be swept away by the irresistible allure of these romances.

Reasonable Adults by Robin Lefler

With wit and heart, Reasonable Adults explores the crossroads we all face—and how a detour born of disaster can take us just where we need to go.

Through the Snow Globe by Annie Rains

Annie Rains’ Through the Snow Globe is an enchanting new novel with touches of It’s a Wonderful Life and Groundhog Day follows a woman dangerously close to losing it all as she receives an unexpected Christmas gift that prompts a surprising journey of self-discovery…and another chance at happiness.

Santa and Company by Fern Michaels

Friends since high school, four 30-something women reunite for a Christmas ski trip filled with a few unexpected bumps—and lots of laughter—in this humorous, heartwarming celebration of female friendship from #1 New York Times bestselling author Fern Michaels

The Sound of Sleighbells by Janet Dailey

A cozy ranch setting, small-town neighbors, the uplifting magic of the holidays, and a Texas-sized love story make this brand new Christmas Tree Ranch novel from America’s First Lady of Romance, New York Times bestselling author Janet Dailey

Snowball Unwrapped by Kristen McKanagh

Take two humans destined for love (even if they don’t know it), add one adorably mischievous cat with a penchant for playing cupid, and throw in a gorgeous mountainside B&B decked out for the holidays…it’s Snowball’s recipe for the purrrfect Weber Haus Christmas!

Reprinted with permission from Kensington Books.

MINDSTRUCK By Michael McQueen – A Guide for Mastering the Art of Persuasion & Changing Stubborn Minds

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Jocie McKade

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9 December 2023

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A groundbreaking guide for mastering the art of persuasion was released today from leading change strategist, multi-award winning speaker, and bestselling author Michael McQueen and Amplify Publishing Group. Drawing on a decade of research, Mindstuck: Mastering the Art of Changing Minds offers practical techniques for changing stubborn minds and empowers readers to have a greater impact across all areas of their life. The book is on sale now from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Amplify Publishing, and more.

Having spent the past two decades helping Fortune 500 brands and leaders embrace the changes they’d rather fight or ignore, McQueen understands what it takes to influence even the most headstrong individuals. However, in our ideology-driven and polarized age, certainty has taken the place of curiosity, open-mindedness has given way to obstinance, and persuading people is getting harder and harder.

McQueen suggests that we are too often using 19th and 20th-century techniques to change 21st-century minds, forcing people to double down rather than open up. Mindstuck draws on the latest discoveries in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics to upgrade our understanding of what really makes up our minds, re-learn the skill of disagreeing without being disagreeable, and reveal the surprising truth about what drives resistance to new ideas.

“With its deft mix of research, humor, and practical advice, Mindstuck offers a timely—and much-needed—guide for restoring the lost art of civil discourse,” writes Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times bestselling author. “If you want to learn how to change minds, Michael McQueen opens the door.”

Whether you are a leader trying to help your team navigate change, a businessperson who needs a potential partner to see your value proposition, or a parent who wants to get your teenager away from their screen, this book will show you how to persuade even the most mindstuck people in your world.

Mindstuck: Mastering the Art of Changing Minds is available now via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Amplify Publishing. To learn more, visit www.mindstuck.net.

Beach Book Lovers Rejoice! the Ultimate Beach Read Program is Coming to Life

By

Jocie McKade

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9 December 2023

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Beach Book Lovers Rejoice! Apple Vacations is teaming up with Belletrist Book Club and Penguin Random House to Bring the Ultimate Beach Read Program to Life

New “Pages in Paradise” Program Features Curated Vacation Reads for Resort Guests at Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana
New Year’s Resolutions Meet Easy-Mode: Now Travelers Booking with Apple Vacations can check off their Travel and Reading Wish Lists
Belletrist Unveils the First “Pages in Paradise” Book-of-the-Month, Holding Pattern by Jenny Xie

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa., Dec. 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The travel experts from Apple Vacations have teamed up with Belletrist Book Club and Penguin Random House to launch a new “Pages in Paradise” program at the luxury all-inclusive resort, Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana, this January. New Year’s resolutioners looking to kick off the year with more reading, and more travel now have the best of both worlds with the ultimate readers retreat style beach-cation featuring a curated library of beach reads from their favorite book experts.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled to partner with the teams at Belletrist and Penguin Random House to introduce this campaign for book lovers and vacationers. For 55 years, Apple Vacations has strived to provide guests with an easy tailor-made booking experience that delivers dream-worthy results and “Pages in Paradise” is the definition of a dream-cation,” shared Dana Studebaker, Vice President of Consumer Marketing, Apple Vacations

Known for providing best-in-class vacation experiences for couples and couples with children, Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana will welcome the New Year with a newly unveiled lobby library filled with beach read selections curated by Belletrist book experts. The collection was customized by Belletrist co-founders, Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, and will feature a highlighted book of the month as well as favorites including Priya Guns’ Your Driver is Waiting, Emma Cline’s The Guest, and Zadie Smith’s The Fraud. Guests who book with Apple Vacations will be able to reserve beach reads in advance, delivered upon arrival by the hotel team. The entire collection will be available for viewing via the Hyatt Inclusive Collection App.

“One of the things we get asked the most by friends and the Belletrist community is: I am going on vacation, what should I bring to read on my trip? We are so excited to partner with Apple Vacations on a hotel library at Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana because it means that hotel-goers will have access to all the books we love and discover new authors without having to necessarily carry books in their suitcases! Apple Vacations has been the perfect partner to launch the “Pages in Paradise” program, combining our love of travel with our love for the literary world,” shared Karah Preiss, Co-Founder of Belletrist.

In addition to the library component, “Pages in Paradise” will celebrate book lovers all year long with a dedicated “Poolside Pages Happy Hour” featuring a book cart of select reads and a themed book-of-the-month specialty cocktail dubbed the “Pages Pour,” served to guests at the resort’s Infinity Pool. Guests won’t want to miss the blueberry mojito inspired by Happy Place written by Emily Henry, a story of friendship taking place on the coast of Maine; or a Sea Breeze, main character Nina Riva’s drink of choice in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Malibu Rising.

Founded in 2017 by best friends Emma Roberts and Karah Preiss, Belletrist is the Millennial-centric book club which has grown into a community for the curious that celebrates great books, the authors who write them, and the people who so lovingly read them. In partnership with literary experts Penguin Random House, the “Pages in Paradise” picks were exclusively curated for the partnership with Apple Vacations and will be available in both English and Spanish for resort guests.

“Books have always had the power to transport us, whether to a new romance, a different era, or a fantasy land. That’s why this partnership with Apple Vacations and Belletrist is so exciting – we get to bring readers to an amazing new destination with curated beach reads at their fingertips. I can think of no greater escape! We can’t wait to bring this program to life for avid readers everywhere,” said Carly Gorga, Director of Brand Marketing, Penguin Random House.

To celebrate the program’s launch, Apple Vacations will celebrate book lovers everywhere with the “Pages in Paradise ” giveaway going live in January 2024 in which one lucky winner will be awarded a trip to Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana complete with a signed copy of the January book-of-the-month, Holding Pattern by Jenny Xie. To enter to win the giveaway or to book your stay to enjoy “Pages in Paradise”, please visit www.applevacations.com/pages-in-paradise/ and redeem up to $150 off your stay at Dreams Macao Beach when you sign up for Apple Vacations’ email and SMS list. Avid readers can follow @applevacations for the unveiling of monthly book picks, tips, and fun facts from the author and insights from the Belletrist team.

About Apple Vacations
Online travel agency, Apple Vacations, connects travelers with worldwide vacations and experiences, including resorts, flights, excursions, and transfers. Part of the leading North American tour operator, ALG Vacations, Apple Vacations offers both all-inclusive and curated experiences spanning an extensive list of over 70 destinations worldwide. Apple Vacations is the nation’s largest provider of Nonstop Exclusive Vacation Flights with a robust product line including popular vacation destinations throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, the Hawaiian Islands, Central America and South America, as well as ski resorts throughout North and South America. To learn more about Apple Vacations visit the website at applevacations.com or follow the brand on social media on Facebook (@applevacations) and Instagram (@AppleVacations).

About Dreams® Macao Beach Punta Cana Resort & Spa

Located on the northeastern coast of the Dominican Republic, Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana is situated on the picturesque Macao Beach, labeled one of the Caribbean’s top beaches by UNESCO. Amid the beauty of Playa Macao, Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana sits as an idyllic haven where families and couples can experience Unlimited-Luxury® inclusions. Featuring 500 luxuriously appointed suites, all with a private terrace, balcony, or swim-out pools, this resort offers a high level of luxury, amenities and comfort, beautiful scenery and impressive views, free Wi-Fi, a daily refreshed mini-bar, and 24-hour room service. Guests can enjoy six à la carte restaurants serving gourmet international cuisine, one buffet, a snack bar, and a food truck along with seven bars serving refreshing premium cocktails. With four swimming pools, a water park, and a lazy river, Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana provides activities and entertainment for guests of all ages, including kids and teens, with the supervised Explorer’s Club for Kids and Core Zone Teens Club. For those looking for activities outside of the water, Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana is the only resort in the Dominican Republic housing an arcade, a bowling alley, and a pinball machine, amidst other activities such as ziplining, batting cages, a climbing wall, and more.

Just in time for the holiday season!!! Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas

By

Jocie McKade

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9 December 2023

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An audiobook by critically acclaimed media host and owner of Speke Broadcasting, Freddy Cruz

He just discovered why his dad died. Now ‘tis the season for a rampage of revenge…

Beckett needs his eyes bleached. Catching his mom and his favorite podcaster doing things that will get them on Santa’s naked and naughty list is enough to turn his stomach. And after he agrees to officially meet the new boyfriend, his slightly nauseous Yuletide cheer devolves into rage when he learns the guy was involved in his father’s death.

Driven by the need for vengeance, the incensed son sets out to stuff the home-wrecking grinch’s stocking with burning coal—by going after the loser’s wife and daughter. But as Beckett’s gore-trimmed plan descends into chaos, another ghastly secret could send him into murderous overdrive.

Is he about to unwrap a no-holds-barred retribution spree?

Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas is a perfectly gruesome revenge thriller. If you like characters pushed over the edge, dark acts, and family drama, then you’ll love Freddy Cruz’s bloodstained holiday treat.

Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas, now available in audiobook form. Subscribe now, wherever you get your podcasts.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Freddy Cruz is the founder of Speke Podcasting, a boutique media company in the Greater Houston area.

As a podcast producer, he has assisted The Rose Breast Center of Excellence and The National Museum of Funeral History with the launches of their podcasts, Let’s Talk About Your Breasts and The Final Curtain Never Closes, respectively. The former landed at #8 inside the Apple Podcasts Nonprofits chart while the latter landed at #29 in the same category.

Freddy’s work spans twenty-six years, three with the iconic KDWB/Minneapolis-Saint Paul and twenty-one with the legendary, two-time Marconi Award winning KRBE/Houston. From copywriting and voiceover to audio production and big picture ideas, he’s the quadruple threat you want to help you elevate your brand.

The Greater Houston area has heard Freddy’s voice for more than seventeen thousand hours via weekday shows, community affairs shows and podcasts. And he has elevated world class brands by means of over fifty-eight thousand hours worth of production elements and traditional ads. When he’s not in the lab creating auditory satisfaction, you can find him nose deep in a book, snuggling with his dog Sparrow, or jogging on the trail (trying hard to not sound like a horror movie villain).

TIME PASSAGES ANNOUNCES DEFINITIVE JOURNEY BIOGRAPHY: JOURNEY: WORLDS APART

By

Jocie McKade

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8 December 2023

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Time Passages announces JOURNEY: WORLDS APART, the definitive accounting of the “Don’t Stop Believin'” hitmakers by award-winning journalist Nick DeRiso. A multiple columnist of the year award-winner with the USA Today network, DeRiso conducted dozens of interviews to compile a book that’s not just a biography of Journey – it’s a backstage pass.

Journey started as a dream for former Santana road manager Herbie Herbert, who thought he could build a blockbuster band out of the remnants of post-Woodstock Santana with Gregg Rolie and Neal Schon. Turns out, he could – but it would take a few albums, and the arrival of frontman Steve Perry. By the time Rolie exited at the turn of the ’80s, Journey was already a multi-platinum band – and they would only get bigger with the addition of Jonathan Cain from Journey’s former opening act, The Babys.

Solo projects and long periods apart slowed their momentum until Perry finally left for good in the late ’90s. Then Journey was faced with one of its biggest challenges: Whether and how to move forward without the singer who had redefined their sound forever on songs like “Open Arms,” “Only the Young” and “When You Love a Woman.”

The story is guided from their earliest roots by conversations with co-founding members Schon, Rolie and Prairie Prince, along with long-time Herbert confidant Pat Morrow. DeRiso then follows Journey toward pop-culture superstardom through additional talks with later-era collaborators Cain, Steve Smith, Deen Castronovo, Steve Augeri and scores of producers, sidemen, label representatives and acknowledged experts like former Rolling Stone contributing editor David Wild, original MTV VJ Martha Quinn, and longtime San Francisco Chronicle music writer Joel Selvin, the latter of whom covered Journey almost from the beginning.

Along the way, JOURNEY: WORLDS APART emerges as the definitive look back at Journey, with deep explorations of every era, every album and every song. Pathway collaborations and key side projects complete this detailed analysis, as DeRiso speaks with John Waite, Jan Hammer, Marco Mendoza, Ron Wikso and others.

NICK DeRISO is assistant managing editor with Townsquare Media. TIME PASSAGES most recently published EAGLES: UP AHEAD IN THE DISTANCE, the second in a three-book series.

Time Passages, LLC is an independent publishing based near Annapolis, Maryland.

INFO: www.timepassages.net

Sneak Peek: In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath

By

Jocie McKade

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8 December 2023

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In Want of a Viscount by Lorraine Heath

How far would an abandoned son go to get revenge? New York Times bestselling author Lorraine Heath’s next Victorian era novel in The Chessmen: Masters of Seduction series where the price is always high…

American Leonora Garrison has come to England in desperate search of investors to keep her family business afloat but instead finds surprising pleasure when she visits an exclusive ladies’ club and dares to kiss a stranger, who leaves her yearning for more.

With a libertine for a father, Viscount Wyeth, more commonly known as Rook, vowed to live his life above reproach, with nary a hint of disgrace. Until one night, he takes a mysterious beauty into his arms, a lady who tempts him to cast his sterling reputation aside in favor of more wicked pursuits.

When fate reunites the couple, they are torn between desire and duty. Leonora may want the viscount, but she needs a stakeholder not a lover. When caught in a compromising situation that places everything they hold dear at risk, they must determine how best to win. However, in this scandalous game, nothing except love takes all.