THE GIRL WHO WANTED TO BE LIKE A SPOON is a glimpse of a teenage girl’s life as she wanders through the shadowy world of Swansea Beach Amusement Park in the summer of 1967. Penny lives with her parents and older sister in a grimy apartment sandwiched between an arcade, a fun house, and a French fry stand. Her parents, preoccupied with running a large arcade, ply Penny with quarters for games and daily hamburgers, clueless of her life selling newspapers in bars and forging friendships with the hippies who sleep under the pier, a cabalistic clown, an erudite sex worker, and a fortune teller. Penny’s once-innocent world begins to spin out of control when she gets a crush on an older woman and faces the
tragic loss of a cherished friend and protector. She struggles to make sense of the changes in herself and a world reeling in the tumult of the 1960s, turning inward in an existential search for meaning. Penny emerges a stronger person, but an encounter with her crush fifteen years later shakes her beliefs about herself and the past. Penny’s story reveals life’s profound and sometimes disturbing truths, but always tenderly, through the lens of childlike innocence and the enchantment of a coming-of-age story that will touch readers young and old.
Cover design: Dana Ravyn
THE WOMAN FROM MONTEVIDEO is the story of two women from different worlds who share a hidden truth: both are survivors of sexual assault. Moira, who grew up in a pious home in rural Missouri, is tormented by the dark memories of a father who stole her childhood. Lilja’s serene life in Lapland was fractured forever on a long Nordic night, leading her to Uruguay in search of answers. When they meet in an online community for survivors, Moira and Lilja forge an immediate bond. Through a transformative journey of healing, they give voice to their experiences and create a space where they can reclaim the intimacy and trust robbed of them. But soon, their blossoming relationship is put to the test as one finds solace through forgiveness and the other seeks retribution. Is their love strong enough to bridge the gulf between them? Or will their destinies divide Moira and the woman from Montevideo?
THE WOMAN FROM MONTEVIDEO is a poignant and unflinching examination of the unfinished and often unspoken journey from victim to survivor. It unveils the courage and resilience of its characters while adroitly evading the pitfalls of sentimentality and voyeurism. Despite their flaws, the women of the novel emerge heroic—not as conquerors—but by choosing to live a purposeful life that defies the indelible and corrosive forces of violation and memory.
What would happen if there was a biological switch in the brain that could turn suicidal behavior on and off?
When psychiatrist Jules Solaris accuses his mentor of cooking the data in their suicide research, he opens the floodgates of an international conspiracy that takes him from the halls of Ivy League medicine to five countries in pursuit of the truth. With his mentor mysteriously exonerated, Jules is sent to work on a clinical trial in Thailand where he encounters the unexpected. In Bangkok, he meets and falls in love with Astrid Källström, an investigative reporter from Stockholm. But explosive revelations from Jules’ earlier years in Thailand working for a nongovernmental organization challenge their bond. A dark web of espionage unfolds as Jules and Astrid learn the reason why global adversaries will stop at nothing to acquire the secrets of the ‘suicide switch.’ Through it all, they risk everything as they peel back layers of deceit and betrayal to expose the pernicious forces operating in the shadows.
Cover design: Dana Ravyn
Fearless Heart
When investigative journalist Astrid Källström arrives in Minnesota from Sweden for her brother’s wedding, she quickly finds things are not as idyllic as they seem. Astrid must negotiate the minefield of her parents’ separation, thwart her stepfather’s inordinate affection, and bear the emotional machinations of her brother’s insecure fiancée. When a mysterious hit-and-run is linked to her brother’s former girlfriend, Astrid agrees to investigate. She quickly unveils a conspiracy at the highest levels, but nagging uncertainties from changing relationships and a family tragedy lead her to question herself as a reporter, a daughter, and a sister. Forced to face her demons, overcome her fears, and bring her family together, Astrid grows to find her Fearless Heart.
Cover design: Dana Ravyn