‘The King’s Mistress’ is the new historical romance novel by Clyve Rose. Photo: Amazon
Clyve Rose has been writing historical romance fiction for the best part of two decades and also works in the fantasy and speculative fiction genres. She also writes literary novels under an alternative pen name. One of her novels was longlisted for a 2010 Hachette Award for Fiction while her paranormal short story, The One Below, is a Sexy Scribbles award-winning piece. Her novel “Always a Princess” is a winner in the Spring 2022 BookFest Awards. She is a sought-after expert on historical romance writing, and is a speaker on the topic. Her writing is carefully researched and delivers imaginative historical settings along with happily-ever-after endings that keep readers begging for more. The highly anticipated sequel, “The King’s Mistress,” is her latest novel; it was released January 24 and is available from Boroughs Publishing Group. (Clyve Rose, 2023)
In “The King’s Mistress,”– readers follow Lady Lydia Clifton as she flees England, disguised as the mistress to the Romany King. She is escaping a forced marriage and the brutality of her father. Will she make it to France and into the care of her oldest brother? Or will fate get in the way when she meets up with the real Romany King? King Valkin Brishen is fully aware that lies can bring harm to his people, yet when his men find a lovely English maid on the run who claims to be his mistress, he is more than curious over exactly why this English rose is fleeing with such haste.
“Fans can look forward to a twisting tale filled with subterfuge and passion. I hope they enjoy reading The King’s Mistress as much as I enjoyed writing it.”- Clyve Rose
‘The Cabin at the End of the World’ is the inspiration for the new M. Night Shyamalan movie Knock at the Cabin, now in theaters. Photo: Amazon
Paul Tremblay is the author of the Bram Stoker Award and Locus Award winning “The Cabin at the End of the World,” winner of the British Fantasy Award “Disappearance at Devil’s Rock,” and Bram Stoker Award/Massachusetts Book Award winning “A Head Full of Ghosts.” He is also the author of the novels “The Little Sleep,” “No Sleep till Wonderland,” “Swallowing a Donkey’s Eye,” and “Floating Boy and the Girl Who Couldn’t Fly” (co-written with Stephen Graham Jones). His essays and short fiction have appeared in the Los Angeles Times and numerous “year’s best” anthologies. He is the co-editor of four anthologies including “Creatures: Thirty Years of Monster Stories” (with John Langan). “The Cabin at the End of the World” is a terrifying twist to the home invasion novel and the
inspiration for the upcoming major motion picture from Universal Pictures. Knock at the Cabin is an apocalyptic psychological horror movie written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan starring Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki-Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, and Rupert Grint. (Amazon, 2023)
“The Cabin at the End of the World: A Novel”– Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road. One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen, but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault.” Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.” Thus begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined. “The Cabin at the End of the World” is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.
The Last Deal opens in theaters Friday February 3 and digital Tuesday February 7, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.
Sala Baker, known to Lord of the Rings fans as Sauron, stars in the non-stop action thrill ride The Last Deal, coming to theaters February 3 and digital February 7. (The Last Deal, 2023)
A captivating profusion of Heat and Savages, The Last Deal nabbed Best Director at the Boston Film Festival, and later, the Jury Prize for Best Performance at the San Antonio Film Festival.
Black market marijuana dealer Vince is living the high life in Los Angeles, but everything changes when new laws pass making cannabis legal. With limited dispensary licenses available, Vince may be squeezed out of the business. He is desperate to make one final score, but borrows money from the wrong people.
Directed by Jonathan Salemi, and also starring Anthony Molinari (Tenet), Mister Fitzgerald (“F.B.I.”), Jeffri Lauren (Inside & Out), Mike Ferguson (Ebola Rex), Conner Floyd (“The Young & The Restless”), and Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), The Last Deal is a Scatena & Rosner Films release.
Rated R for some strong violence, drug content, language throughout, brief sexuality, and nudity.
‘Sarcaun: The Journey’ by Simone Voltaire. Photo: Amazon
Simone Voltaire is a first-time author who has always loved reading a variety of genres including the classics, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery books. The creativity and captivating imagination that she enjoyed reading inspired her to put her own imagination into words to share with others. Her father, Arnauld Voltaire, who himself wrote plays and stories, is the one who encouraged her to pursue her goal of writing. She first started by writing short stories that she shared with friends and family but eventually decided to set a goal of writing a book. She wrote “Sarcaun: The Journey” in a span of a few years; it is an integration of many short stories and adventures that she had written that entailed the world of Sarcaun when she first started writing. The book has been positively reviewed by Sarah Poulette from US Review of Books. She is currently working on completing book two of “Sarcaun.” (Simone Voltaire, 2023)
“Sarcaun: The Journey” – For millions of years, gifted Gens lived on earth, until they decided to leave to protect their kind from humans. Thousands of years later, Princess Norellyia is sent from Sarcaun on a trip to earth in order to change her attitude. While living with a family on earth, she discovers a secret about the daughter, Melanie. She intervenes and ends up rescuing Melanie from trouble. In the meantime, chaos ensues on the planet of Sarcaun as evil is unleashed through the portal created by her departure to earth. Norellyia finds herself on a journey that will change her life forever. Also available on Barnes & Noble.
Living In A Song will be out February 10, 2023. Photo: Google
American roots music has seen its fair share of beloved duos over the years—from The Monroe Brothers and Flatt & Scruggs to modern-day pairs like Milk Carton Kids and The War and Treaty—but few leave audiences as amazed as Grammy Award nominees Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley. Built on the interplay of Ickes’s Dobro and Hensley’s six-string guitar, the only thing outshining the virtuosity of this group’s instrumental performances is their singing and songwriting prowess. On February 10, Ickes and Hensley are set to release a new full-length album via Compass Records, Living In A Song. Featuring ten original tunes plus two timeless covers, and focusing on a classic country sound as heard in contemporaries like Chris Stapleton, Jamey Johnson, Sturgill Simpson, and Jason Isbell, Living In A Song is a love letter to a bygone Nashville and an in-depth look at the wonderful interplay between two masters of their craft. (Rob Ickes/Trey Hensley, 2023)
Ickes and Hensley shared a sneak peek of “Living In A Song,” the album’s title track which grew out of their experiences as touring musicians. According to Hensley, the song practically wrote itself after a long day on the road driving through Ohio. When Hensley digs into the lyrics there is no question that he has lived the story he is telling, lifted up even further when Ickes’ tenor harmony enters the chorus. Fans can check out “Living In A Song” and pre-order or pre-saveLiving In A Song ahead of its February 10 release.
Their brand new album Living In A Song clearly illustrates the breadth of the musical vision of Grammy Award nominees Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley and their depth as practitioners of their craft. It is no wonder that between them they are two of the most sought-after musicians in Nashville. Ickes co-founded the highly influential bluegrass group Blue Highway and has been an A-team Nashville session player and performing musician for decades, with credits including Vince Gill, Earl Scruggs, Merle Haggard, Alan Jackson, Reba McEntire, and Alison Krauss. Hensley, a three-time IBMA Guitar Player of the Year nominee, has been called “Nashville’s hottest young player” by Acoustic Guitar magazine and his soulful baritone vocals have received widespread notice as well. Influenced by repertoires as diverse as The Allman Brothers Band, Ray Charles, Merle Haggard, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, Hensley has shared stages with artists such as Johnny Cash, Steve Wariner, Peter Frampton, and Old Crow Medicine Show.
Living In A Song track list: Living In A Song Deeper Than A Dirt Road Backstreets Off Broadway Way Downtown I’ve Given All That I Can Take Moonshine Run Just Because I’m Working On A Building Is The World Still Turning Louisiana Woman I Thought I Saw A Carpenter Thanks
Catch Rob Ickes and Trey Hensley on tour (more dates to be announced soon): February 10 – Johnson City, TN – The Down Home February 16 – Knoxville, TN – Barley’s February 17 – Cartersville, GA – The Booth Museum’s Boots & Saddles Pre-Gala Party February 18 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic February 22 – Washington, DC – City Winery February 23 – Philadelphia, PA – City Winery February 26 – Portsmouth, NH – The Music Hall Lounge February2 7 – New York, NY – City Winery March 24 – Raleigh, NC – Private Event March 31 – Phoenix, AZ – MIM: Musical Instrument Museum April 1 – Tucson, AZ – Tucson Folk Festival May 11 – Athens, AL – Fiddlers Concert Series October 14 – Williamsburg, KY – River Stomp Bluegrass Festival
“Ruby’s Diner” is also available on audible. Check out some reviews for this title.
Tanya Hilson loves the joy of storytelling and writing. Her passion for writing started at a young age and has stayed with her throughout her life. Being dyslexic, she never thought in a million years that she would be writing screenplays, stage plays, or children’s books. She likes to write because it humbles her within, it is therapeutic, and sharing her stories with others brings her joy. A passionate humanitarian, she also runs a nonprofit organization called WeLiveOn2, which supports low-income families by teaching them computer literacy and job readiness skills, as well as helping those who have been previously incarcerated obtain employment. She has written several books, including “Back Porch Neighbors,” “Back Porch Secrets,” “Ruby’s Diner,” “Human Collateral,” “Shadow Eyes,” “Shadow Eyes 2,” “Where’s My Child,” “John’s Hidden Truth,’ and “My Cousin Sue.” She received an accolade for “Human Collateral” from Coverfly. For fans of urban fiction, there is “Ruby’s Diner,” the story of Ginger Garcia and her efforts to break free of her previous life. (Tanya Hilson, 2023)
“Never give up on a DREAM, for others cannot DREAM for you.” – Tanya Hilson
“Ruby’s Diner”– Desperate to break free from the shackles of sex trafficking and life on the streets, can Gigi find the willpower to leave her past behind, or will that monkey continue to ride her back?
Deceit, resentment, and revenge cast a long shadow over this Chicago diner. Homelessness and the misconceptions that come with it sit heavy on the shoulders of many, including one young lady, Ginger Garcia. Desperate to break free from life on the streets, she is embraced into the God-loving arms of Ms. Ruby and her dynamic group of diner employees. Each with their own share of misfortune, and triumphs, they come together to help lift Gigi up and provide her with a strong foundation from which she can work towards her dreams. But her strength and loyalty are tested when Gigi’s past catches up to her. Will Gigi move forward, or will Gigi slip back into life on the streets? “Ruby’s Diner” pushes its audience to look at their own perceptions of sex trafficking, homelessness, substance abuse, and the things that tie them together, life!
Silent Thunder is the new instrumental single by Omer B. Photo: Google
Omer B is an independent musician, guitarist, and amateur race driver. He frequently works together with other musicians and singers and always welcomes new collaborators. His music varies between rock, pop, blues, gospel, funk, and jazz. His new instrumental single is Silent Thunder. (Omer B, 2023)
Silent Thunder is dedicated to all those around us who are silent, but on the other hand, the most talented and influential. Omer B perfectly proves this statement through the use of graceful vocals accompanied by an impressive guitar solo. He has always been passionate about music since a young age and has gained many friends and idols who have inspired him such as Cory Wong and Yossi Fine, who has worked with David Bowie and others.
‘The House at the End of the World’ is the new suspense thriller from Dean Koontz. Photo: Amazon
My favorite suspense author is Dean Koontzand I am so excited that he has a new suspense thriller out. International bestselling author Dean Koontz was only a senior in college when he won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition. He has never stopped writing since. Koontz is the author of “The Big Dark Sky,” “Quicksilver,” “The Other Emily,” “Elsewhere,” “Devoted,” and seventy-nine New York Times bestsellers, fourteen of which were #1, including “One Door Away from Heaven,” “From the Corner of His Eye,” “Midnight,” “Cold Fire,” among others. He has been hailed by Rolling Stone as “America’s most popular suspense novelist,” and his books have been published in thirty-eight languages and have sold over five hundred million copies worldwide. In “The House at the End of the World,” soon no one on Earth will have a place to hide. It is the new novel about fears known and unknown by #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense. (Amazon, 2023)
“The House at the End of the World”– In retreat from a devastating loss and crushing injustice, Katie lives alone in a fortress like stone house on Jacob’s Ladder island. Once a rising star in the art world, she finds refuge in her painting. The neighboring island of Ringrock houses a secret: a government research facility. Now two agents have arrived on Jacob’s Ladder in search of someone―or something―they refuse to identify. Although an air of menace hangs over these men, an infinitely greater threat has arrived, one so strange even the island animals are in a state of high alarm. Katie soon finds herself in an epic and terrifying battle with a mysterious enemy. But Katie is not alone after all: a brave young girl appears out of the violent squall. As Katie and her companion struggle across a dark and eerie landscape, against them is an omnipresent terror that could bring about the end of the world.
Masqued Emotions is the debut album by Masque. Photo: Google
Masque is a gay singer/songwriter who began making songs in 2020. A student of classical piano since a young age, he has long written original compositions for the keyboard. Once he took the plunge into singing, he began writing songs as well, with several dozen songs currently under his belt. He typically performs in a signature ‘masque,’ using a variety of hats and wigs in his ensemble, and uses these outfits when vocally promoting lgbt+ rights on social media. (Masque, 2023)
‘Masqued Emotions’ is the debut album by Masque – an exploration of hope and struggles in the modern world through the use of rock, pop and alternative sounds.
‘Shadow Eyes’ is the first book in the Shadow Eyes series by Tanya Hilson. Photo: This That Production, used with permission.
***** Update *****
“Shadow Eyes” is also available on audible. Check out some reviews for this title.
Tanya Hilson loves the joy of storytelling and writing. Her passion for writing started at a young age and has stayed with her throughout her life. Being dyslexic, she never thought in a million years that she would be writing screenplays, stage plays, or children’s books. She likes to write because it humbles her within, it is therapeutic, and sharing her stories with others brings her joy. A passionate humanitarian, she also runs a nonprofit organization called WeLiveOn2, which supports low-income families by teaching them computer literacy and job readiness skills, as well as helping those who have been previously incarcerated obtain employment. She has written several books, including “Back Porch Neighbors,” “Back Porch Secrets,” “Ruby’s Diner,” “Human Collateral,” “Shadow Eyes,” “Shadow Eyes 2: Where’s My Child,” “John’s Hidden Truth,” and “My Cousin Sue.” She received an accolade for “Human Collateral” from Coverfly. The Shadow Eyes series includes “Shadow Eyes” and “Shadow Eyes 2: Where’s My Child” (Tanya Hilson, 2023)
“Never give up on a DREAM, for others cannot DREAM for you.” – Tanya Hilson
“Shadow Eyes”– A young detective and her partner must solve a murder case involving the Mayor of Los Angeles’ daughter, a high-profile actress. But when Heaven’s wild, newly divorced twin sister Nevaeh moves in with her, a world of sex, secrets, and deceit will be exposed to solving this case.
Detective Heaven Chambers wants to relax with a bath and a bottle of wine, but that is immediately interrupted by a phone call from her wild twin sister going through a tumultuous divorce. Heaven offers her sister a room; however, after hanging up and receiving another call about a high-profile case, she immediately regrets inviting her. Heaven and her partner, Detective Garrick, are put on the case as leads but quickly find out that this case will not be solved easily due to the victim’s hidden, dark, naughty secrets. Feeling the heat from the Chief of Police, the media, and the grieving Mayor, the Detectives search for witnesses as they stumble on missing evidence hidden by the Mayor himself. Heaven’s twin sister has secrets of her own that will infiltrate a world of sex, deceit, and murder. Will Heaven and Garrick open Pandora’s Box or will cheek’s be turned?
“Shadow Eyes 2: Where’s My Child” – When a cult escapee approaches private detectives Heaven and Garrick to find a long-lost missing child, they must keep romantic entanglements aside and infiltrate a prostitution ring run by ruthless extremists. Genre: Urban Crime Drama
After solving the case involving the murder of the actress Lauren Jenkins, Heaven and Garrick started a private investigation business and mutually agreed to keep their previous romantic relationship strictly professional. One morning, Brook Ambers, a well-known rich widower, enters their office. After some hesitation and skepticism, Brook begins to tell Heaven and Garrick about her heart-breaking childhood. Brook goes on to explain how she gave birth to a baby at the age of 13 that was taken straight from her womb at birth and how she did not know the gender of the child. Heaven and Garrick agree to the task of finding this child, who would now be an adult. While surveilling a polygamy compound, Garrick is shocked to see a former colleague, LAPD Detective Gwen Pratt, entering the premises. Unsure of why Detective Pratt is there, Heaven and Garrick both agree to go talk with her. When speaking with Detective Pratt, Heaven and Garrick are surprised to find out that Pratt was a runaway from the same extremist group when she was young. Heaven, Garrick, Pratt, and an FBI agent team up to infiltrate the compound by going undercover to bring down this extremist underground prostitution operation while reuniting Brook with her son.
Photo: This That Production, used with permission.
SA Examiner 