Books published by Black Rose Writing

"A jaw-dropping work of contemporary California noir. Fans of James Ellroy will fall hard for Casey Dorman." -Best ThrillersWhen a woman is murdered, her wealthy husband and his troubled psychiatrist both become suspects. The dreams of the husband and the neurotic obsessions of the psychiatrist criss-cross in a plot that has both the police and the psychiatrist wondering who is the real killer.

As Seen in Scream MagazineMilton, Illinois is a small Midwestern town that sports an incredibly low crime rate. Violent crime is almost unheard of; only two murders in nearly forty years. A mysterious suicide brings one family back together in Milton. While asking around about their sister's suicide, TH and Richie Brown find that both of the murder cases handled by their father, Chief of Police Teddy Brown, may have been fixed.A convicted killer lies dying of cancer in a nursing home. His release from prison has people talking about The Murder of Fatty Fuller and his conviction. Old questions come to light. An unsolved murder of a young black man nearly forty years earlier draws more attention. Are both cases somehow connected? As more questions arise, and as answers appear, history rears its ugly head and threatens to tear the Brown family apart.

"Odd happenings, misdirection, and suspense." -LibraryThingEverybody in the village liked Grace Mathison, but, when the body of this retired schoolteacher is found on the roof of her home, it is up to the small-town police force to determine what has happened and why.The residents of Summerfield, Ohio, under investigation and ranging in character, all add pieces to the puzzle. But the more the police department learns, the more questions they have, and the scope of their investigation grows. Solving the death of Grace Mathison is only the beginning, and the reputations of several leading citizens become at risk. In a town where everyone knows everyone else, the most danger comes from trying to keep something hidden.

A thousand miles of wilderness. Innumerable dangers. Uneasy alliances. A bond forged in blood. The odds are great, and survival has never been more uncertain.Vampires and humans have always been bitter enemies, destined to push each other to extinction. But when a group of scientists develops a genetic enhancement meant to boost the effectiveness of human hunters, tragic results threaten to bring about the destruction of vampires and humans alike.After the fallout of Year Zero and rise of mutated hybrids known as morphs, the remaining humans retreat into five fortresses.All seems well until Easthaven is attacked in an assault that leaves only thirty survivors. Enter Marcus Warren, one of the most powerful hunters in existence. Reluctantly, Marcus assumes leadership and decides that the group's only chance of survival is to cross a thousand miles of wilderness to Ashland.Forced to trust a hybrid named Clio and a vampire called Aya, Marcus and the others set out. Dangers lurk everywhere, and enemies seem destined to destroy them…if they don't destroy each other first.

Historian Dyrne Samson doesn't want to read about the past anymore. Now he visits it.Abandoning University lecturing, he joins a classified research organisation, hidden beneath the streets of New London. Their time-distortion pods let him witness crucial moments throughout history. But when observing the past, Dyrne discovers that he can also change it. Of course, visiting events from his own life is forbidden - the only reason he can't return to the day he'll never forget… unless he can manipulate the rules.

"Think Lolita meets Holden Caulfield." -The Huffington Post"Drawing upon his background as a rock-music journalist… Anthony Mora offers a world-premiere glimpse behind the scenes… engaging." -BackstageVirtual Velocity is the story of the curious creation of pop phenomena, Jake Jenkins, America's most renowned and successful literary novelist. Spanning six decades, through three interconnected stories, Virtual Velocity follows Jake from a sixteen-year-old learning about literature and women, to frenetic rock journalist, to struggling literary novelist, to world-famous author. Journeying through LA's rock and literary worlds, it is also an homage to the city, tracking its internal and external changing landscape and its cultural shape shifting.Virtual Velocity explores the complicated and often mystifying intersection between fame and art.

"A courageous journey of survival and loyalty through the eyes of children during WWII." -S.A. Larsen, author of Motley EducationEleven-year-old Joyce and her little sister hide in their bomb shelter during the German Blitz on London, during World War II. After nights of bombing, it's decided that they'll join the over 800,000 children who've already been evacuated during Operation Pied Piper. They board a train not knowing where they're going or who will take them in.The long, crowded train ride is less than pleasant. Thankfully they make two allies, Sam and Molly. Upon arriving in Leek, the evacuees are herded off the train and paraded down the street like sheep. Joyce and her sister are terrified they won't be chosen.Eventually, a family welcomes them. As they adjust to all the changes, they find the people of Leek aren't so accepting to all the evacuees. Sam's host is dark and abusive. As the girls help plan his escape, they discover this sleepy little community holds a dark secret...

"Crime caper meets riverine adventure in this whimsical yet riveting tale." -US Review of BooksNoah has finally gotten himself under control; he's clean and sober, and carving out a new life. But when he gets involved with a woman from a local crime family, he lets his demons run amok again. He has no other option than to flee in his canoe onto the river. Along the way, he meets Becca, a mysterious pregnant woman with a burdened a past. As they continue together and through the trials and tribulations of river life, their pursuers continue to nip at their heels. In spite of this, Noah and Becca fall in love. If they're to have a future together, Noah needs to decide whether Becca is a heaven-sent agent of goodness or the author of his demise. And, whether he knows it or not, he's part of a plan that's been unfurling since the two of them first met.

2019 Maxy Awards "Best Mystery-Detective"Two old letters reveal the existence of an unknown Van Gogh painting. Only four individuals have ever seen the work, all now dead. One deceased man, an alcoholic thief, claimed to have smuggled the painting out of France at the beginning of World War Two. His two sons dedicate themselves to finding the Van Gogh, seeking personal redemption for their father and damaged childhoods.Valued at $250 million, the painting attracts an unseen hired killer, three unscrupulous collectors, and the Russian mob. One brother undertakes the search for the painting, accompanied by a beautiful ex-KGB assassin as his bodyguard. Together, their quest takes them from New York to Los Angeles, from Paris to Amsterdam as murders pile up around them. Welcome to the high-end art world, secret deals, and billionaires willing to go to any length to get their hands on the last Van Gogh.

Wrath of the Wendigo is the third book in J.L. Hickey's bestselling YA adventure the Secret Seekers Society.Hunter and Elly prepare for their second year in their Enlightenment classes which includes a dangerous field trip alongside their parental Seekers deep into the Michigan wilderness to investigate the recent sightings of one of the most vicious cryptids they've ever encountered, a Wendigo. Elly struggles with her new "curse" stemming from her run in with Solomon's Seal, and Hunter attempts to come to an understanding over his true feelings for Olivia.

2019 American Fiction Award Winner - Best Mystery/Suspense, Hard-Boiled/Crime"A simmering crime thriller with an explosive payoff." -Best ThrillersTrapped in a wintry setting and followed by two men determined to kill her, Victoria Anderson searches for someone who doesn't want to be found. She drove the length of the east coast in a quest to find Danny Wilcox, intending to convince him to return to Florida with her. The drug lord, the most wanted criminal in the Province of Quebec, has other plans.Tori is nothing if not loyal. She unflaggingly defends Danny and refuses to believe he'd harm her, despite several attempts on her life. Others befriend her, even as they covertly advance their own agendas. Tori's devotion is tested at every turn, not knowing who she can trust, or the consequences of her ultimate decision.

"Jerri [Sparks] is a magnificent advocate for those caught in these [abusive] relationships and offers tools and organizations for those that know it's time to get out." -I Heart ReadingOne woman's true story of surviving madmen at work and at home.On July 4th and 5th, 2012, Jerri Lynn Sparks was nearly killed by her Ivy League-educated husband in a vicious assault. Instead of retreating in fear, she fought back and is now fighting to change the system that contributed to her attack by becoming a volunteer firefighter, political advocate and educational speaker.

"[Seaburn] does a good job of tracking the myriad ways that the different players react to the tragedy." -KIRKUS REVIEWS"I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I think I died today."So begins the complex and mysterious journey of Gavin Goode and his family. What happened to Gavin and why? What secrets will emerge along the way? Frankie, his wife and a dress store owner, feels guilty, but why? His son, Ryan, who owns an ice cream parlor, and daughter-in-law, Jenna, who is a bank manager, are expecting their first baby. How will this trauma affect them? And what of Rosemary, Frankie's best friend? Or Ben Hillman and eleven year old, Christopher? How are they implicated in the events that unfold around Gavin's misfortune?This is a story of despair and hope, dreams and reality, uncertainty and faith, humor, secrecy, forgiveness and beginnings.

Rosina finds that life in the Victorian era is not all petty coats and charm. She is filled with despair as she fails to reach up to the standards of her well-rounded family and falls into a deep depression. She is exorcised by the all-powerful and overwhelming church bishop, and when that fails, she is rejected by her family. She wanders the streets at night, looking for anything to fill her empty soul only to find more violence and pain.She stumbles upon one tiny flame of hope that is quickly snuffed out when her life is taken by a monster; a vampyre. She slowly comes to terms with what she is and tries to work along with her vampyre voice. The place she finds to seek refuge is peaceful for only a short time. Hunters have found her, and she has to fight for her life once again.

Readers' Favorite Award Winner for Coming of AgeThe Domino Effect is the story of Danny Rorro, a charismatic kid from Queens poisoned by the past. A series of painful defeats have left him scarred and isolated from his neighborhood, his parents, and - most significantly - the benevolent ways of his childhood when he was known as "Domino." With great insight, imagery and wit, Danny recalls his past in Queens and his coming-of-age at Hamden Academy. This fast paced and powerful story is rich with conflict, humor, tenderness and music-just like life, especially when coming of age.

When fourteen-year-old Penelope Clark accidentally travels through time to 1915 Boston, she must disguise herself first as a pickpocket and then as a newsboy, learning how to thieve, fight, and broadcast headlines to survive in an era before antibiotics and open-heart surgeries.Stuck in the past with no way to get home, Penn makes her first friend ever, and many enemies. But when Penn is robbed, and the pickpockets kidnap the head newsboy, she finds herself stuck in the middle of a dangerous rivalry, questioning her loyalties to either side and to herself.After a violent fistfight with a fellow pickpocket, Penn incurs a life-threatening infection. As her supposed enemy nurses her back to health-discovering she's a girl and befriending her in the process-Penn realizes that someone else must have betrayed her. Her ensuing investigation reveals not only the truth of her betrayer's identity but also her own.

Nicola was never a hero... until she had to be. She was an everyday single mother, Heathen witch, and herbalist. And she felt the scars of her prior quests deep in her soul and her psyche.While on vacation with her best friend, Joseph, hiking along the Appalachian Trail, Nicola learns of a "miraculous" escape from prison. All signs point to a Runespell that releases all forms of entrapment, and the convict is spotted on the Trail. With a deadly creature waiting to be freed and Ragnarok once more on the line, the race is on. But Nicola is hindered by PTSD, and Joseph doesn't seem to understand the sacrifices she might have to make, including their friendship… and their very lives.

"This book will touch the veins of your heart." -Bengie Molina, World Series Champion and author of New York Times Bestseller MolinaIn the mid-1990s, a band of baseball-loving boys from the small town of Chester, Illinois, on the banks of the Mississippi River, pursue their dreams of state and national championships. Their fathers, guards in the local penitentiary that houses some of the worst criminals in US history, are their coaches. One dream comes true-the other doesn't.This is the story of the dreams and of the town that made them possible. Filled with unforgettable anecdotes from perhaps the last (nearly) innocent age in America, The Sons of Chester recalls a childhood that in some sense is the twentieth century's version of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn.

"Heartwarming, poignant… a joy to read." -Writer's DigestClaire Chastain reflects on her journey of childhood innocence and discovery in small-town Texas in the 1950s. She and best friend Libby share a lifetime of challenges and friendship although Claire is pampered and sheltered in contrast to street-savvy Libby. Claire is blindsided by her mother's devastating illness and ensuing conflicts with her beloved father. Her world of family traditional values crumbles and her lifelong dreams shatter.For the first time, she must make her own way and her own forever decisions. Libby has lived a life of poverty before being adopted by a ranch family and hides behind her tough outer shell to cover her deep emotional scars and broken spirit. She copes with continuing conflict (guilt, isolation and abandonment) after giving up her family for one with comfort and security but no emotional connection. Personal growth and redemption triumph in a heart-warming story of the power of love and forgiveness.

"…an entertaining, tense ride into a world of lavish criminals and intrigue." -IndieReaderTwo detectives' steamy past complicates their hunt for a psychotic killer and puts them in an assassin's deadly sights.Would you trust a former lover who'd betrayed you? Detectives Cole Trane and Mollie Simmons have no other choice. They're after a ruthless killer tied to the Russian mafia who leaves behind a bloody trail of victims - from a world-famous movie star to a squad of Royal Canadian Mounties - as he races for the border. Their only hope is to have each other's back like they once had each other's heart.

Fourteen-year-old Brynn McAwber discovers a terrible truth about herself and her family and must undergo a perilous quest to another world, to save a friend and redeem her soul.Unusual things have been happening to Brynn McAwber. A strange little man keeps showing up at her door. She's being watched by a mysterious woman with a sword strapped to her back. And her body keeps…disappearing.When Brynn discovers the terrible truth about herself and her family, she embarks on a perilous quest, which takes her far from Indiana, far from the world she knows, into the Land of Annwfyn, home of brownies and bwbachods, xanas and zephyrs, goblins and gods.This is the story of a girl who finds out she's supposed to be the villain, but decides to be the hero anyway.

"… a well-crafted, enjoyable and intriguing mystery that, for better or worse, is a little heavy on the protagonist's breast-level view of the world." -IndieReaderIt's easy to be a nobody when you've got nothing to lose, but with his life and potential redemption on the line, can Monk be a somebody people will remember?A dead man's money is just waiting to be had. A band of fools and a nobody named Monk Buttman unwittingly find themselves caught in a web of murder and revenge between two unseen factions using them as bait. After a good day ends in murder, Monk is tasked with finding the killer. Why him? He's a nobody! Stuck between powerful forces he can neither control or understand, Monk must survive both the fools and those pulling the strings while also dealing with the affections of two very different women, the troubled Agnes and the disaffected Judith, not to mention the irritation of his erstwhile partner, Mr. Jones. A beating forces Monk to question his own motives and to confront the past that led him to hide in LA. With love and life on the line, Monk must use his wits and guile for all of them to survive.

"A promising start to an epic, mythical adventure, with great characters and solid world building." –Rosemary's Books BrisbaneAlaezdar thought he had found a perfect home in a small farming community of Valewood. Here he hoped he could bury his past and hide from his mercenary guild that has a death price on his head. His hopes are shattered when an evil sorceress, a wizard, and his goblin-like bloodthirsty followers raid the village and kidnap a teenage girl and take her deep into the goblin tribes forest for a sacrifice. During the raid, the villagers see Alaezdar’s skills with his magic sword, Bloodseeker.In desperation to save the girl, the villagers convince Alaezdar to attempt a rescue so dangerous that they will all most likely die. Before the ordeal is over, he will also learn much more about his role in an ancient elven prophecy where he is the catalyst to the realm’s destruction, and where his death is imminent if he is to turn the prophecy around.

Amazon #1 Best Seller Vocational GuidanceAmazon #1 Best Seller Job ResumesAmazon #1 Best Seller Career GuidesCDI's 2020 Career Innovator Award WinnerThe first all-in-one book of its kind, YouMap®: Find Yourself. Blaze Your Path. Show the World! provides you with a real-world tested step-by-step process to achieve career clarity and execute a winning job search.Kristin Sherry's proven career coaching process is placed in your hands along with the expertise of career services professionals Patricia Edwards, Kerri Twigg, Kamara Toffolo, Lisa Jones, and Donna Serdula, author of LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies.Discover the four pillars of career satisfaction, determine your next best career move, and confidently explain your value in your networking conversations, cover letters, resume, LinkedIn profile, and job interviews!

"Vance has masterfully captured an exciting moment in English history, filled with dark political intrigue and radiantly salacious liaisons." -Michael Hartnett, author of The Blue RatThe King's Favorite is a mystery thriller set during one of the most spirited, scandalous, and memorable periods in English history-the Restoration-when the son of an executed king brought monarchy back to England after the repressive years of the Commonwealth. Following the coronation of Charles II came a reopening of the theaters, with the first women performing on the English public stage. What follows is a devastating London plague and fire, a monarch who openly indulged his sexual proclivities, a series of plots against the crown, and the first true collection of female celebrities-as actresses, mistresses, and even orange girls.

"A fast-paced, heart-wrenching story, both fascinating and horrific." -Margriet Ruurs, award-winning author, Emma's EggsAs the Lotus Blooms is the fast-moving sequel to Logan's first novel, Finding Lien. The story follows Lien, traumatized from her ordeal as a victim of child trafficking in a Cambodian brothel, on her journey of recovery.Despite her recurring bouts of PTSD, this courageous young woman signs on with an NGO, to work with a team to prevent trafficking and rescue victims. It is a dangerous mission for all, especially Lien, whose wounds are deep and emotional stability in question.