Authors On Tour – Live!

María Dueñas reads from and discusses the new paperback edition of her debut novel The Time In Between, an inspiring international bestseller. The story of a seemingly ordinary woman who uses her talent and courage to transform herself first into a prestigious couturier and then into an undercover agent for the Allies during World War II, The Time In Between is one of those rare, richly textured novels that enthrall down to the last page. María Dueñas reminds us how it feels to be swept away by a masterful storyteller. ($16.00) Atria ISBN #9781451616897. You can visit María Dueñas’s official web site as well. Listen to Authors On Tour – Live! podcasts anywhere – Download our FREE apps for iPhone or Android!

Amor Towles reads from and discusses the new paperback edition of his bestselling debut novel The Rules of Civility, a story of 1938 New York City and a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike. ($16.00) Viking ISBN #9780143121169. You can visit Amor Towles’s official web site as well. Listen to Authors On Tour – Live! podcasts anywhere – Download our FREE apps for iPhone or Android!

David Freed owns a small plane and was a specialist in both law enforcement and military affairs. During an eighteen-year reporting career as an investigative journalist for the Los Angeles Times, he was an individual finalist for the Pulitzer Prize’s gold medal for Public Service, the highest award in American journalism, and later shared a Pulitzer Prize for the newspaper’s coverage of the 1992 Rodney King riots. He reported from the Middle East during Operation Desert Storm, and holds an active security clearance from the US Department of Defense. Freed reads from and discusses his debut thriller Flat Spin. Transcending worlds of murder, aviation and international counter-terrorism, Flat Spin resonates with a veracity that only an author who knows his subject first hand can deliver. ($29.00) Permanent Press ISBN #9781579622725. You can visit David Freed’s official web site as well. Listen to Authors On Tour – Live! podcasts anywhere – Download our FREE apps for iPhone or Android!

Throughout American history, black women have evoked strong reaction from American media and have been imaged in ways that draw on the deep-seated stereotypes. In Iconic, Lakesia Johnson shows how truly revolutionary black women have not only controlled their own image despite such negative characterizations but done so for a greater good. Focusing on women from Sojourner Truth to Pam Grier and Alice Walker to Michelle Obama, Iconic shows how these icons continue to work to combat social justice and American racial prejudice. Baylor University Press, $22.95, August 15, 2012, ISBN #: 9781602586444

The real story of Santa Claus, and why he became a saint. Religious historian Adam English looks beyond the legends and lore of our red-suit-wearing, toy-making, Coke-drinking Santa Claus to tell the story of the real Saint Nicholas – a fourth-century bishop in modern-day Turkey. With prose as enjoyable as it is informative, he shows why the life—and death—of Nicholas of Myra so radically influenced the formation of Western history and Christian thought, and did so in ways many have never realized. Baylor University Press, $24.95, November 1, 2012, ISBN #: 9781602586345

Healing the Sacred Divide explores the dynamic interplay of two crucial pairs of opposites—masculinity/femininity and psychology/religion—to describe several ways of thinking about God that express deep divisions in our own core and contribute to the dysfunction of our culture. Then it brings forward an emerging way of thinking that may better serve our most urgent personal and social needs—one that helps us discover how to bridge differences and integrate the “other” in ourselves, our personal relationships, and our world at large. Larson Publications, $18.95, July 30, 2012, ISBN # 978-1-936012-60-2

A pioneering work in the study of race and culture, Marcia Dawkins reveals that everyone passes – not just racial minorities – and that passing has been occurring for millennia. Clearly Invisible retells contemporary expressions and historically significant occurrences of individuals called passers. Along the way, Dawkins traces passing’s legal, political, and literary manifestations, questioning whether passing can be a form of empowerment (even while implying secrecy) and suggesting that passing could be one of the first expressions of multiracial identity in the U.S. as it seeks its own social standing. Baylor University Press, $29.95, August 1, 2012, ISBN #: 9781602583122

A spot-on parody of all the sh*t girls find themselves saying! From the creators of the internet sensation Sh*t Girls Say comes a book that is both hilariously quotable and irresistibly stylish.

Since 2008, Maggie, Tessa, and Brenna have posted more than 250 works of short fiction to their website merryfates.com. Their goal was simple: create a space for experimentation and improvisation in their writing—all in public and without a backspace key. In that spirit, The Curiosities includes the stories and each author’s comments, critiques, and kudos in the margins. Think of it as a guided tour of the creative processes of three acclaimed authors. Carolrhoda Lab, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, $17.95, October 2012, ISBN #: 978-0-7613-7527-2

The Bathroom Reader turns 25! Uncle John is celebrating this historic milestone with his biggest all-new edition ever. This behemoth of a book is overflowing with incredible stories, surprising facts, weird news, little-known origins, fun wordplay, and more! Portable Press, $19.95, November 2012, ISBN #: 978-1-60710-562-6

The Serpent’s Bite is an action-packed thriller that reveals a dysfunctional family taking a family reunion excursion in Yellowstone Park that lurks with danger and death at every turn. Media Connect, $21.95, September 2012, ISBN#: 978-159006-044-5.

Essense is pleased to share an incredible new uplifting and empowering voice with its 7.5 million readers and book lovers everywhere. In the tradition of Iyanla Vanzant’s blockbuster 1993 book Acts of Faith: Daily Meditations for People of Color, Essense is pleased to collaborate with powerhouse musician Ledisi for a soulful and enlightening collection of the singer’s inspiring meditations, quotes, and anecdotes charting her astonishing transformation as a woman and an artist. Ledisi, who has been described as having a mix of Tina Turner’s energy, Nina Simone’s brilliance, and Ella Fitzgerald’s range, is a multiple Grammy nominee who has quickly connected with Essense readers because of her authenticity and tenacity to strive for success on her own terms.

Anthony Swofford, author of the bestselling memoir Jarhead, reads from and discusses his new book Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails: A Memoir. Following the success of Jarhead, Swofford assumed he had exorcised his military demons – but as every veteran knows, that isn’t exactly how it works. In these searing, courageous pages, Swofford struggles to make sense of what his military service meant, and to decide – after nearly ending it – what his life can and should become. ($26.99) Twelve ISBN #9781455506736. Listen to Authors On Tour – Live! podcasts anywhere – Download our FREE apps for iPhone or Android!

As a medical examiner, Samantha Owens knows her job is to make a certain sense of death with crisp methodology and precision instruments. But the day the Tennessee floods took her husband and children, the light vanished from Sam’s life. She’s pulled into a suffocating grief no amount of workaholic ardor can penetrate—until she receives a peculiar call from Washington, D.C. Harlequin MIRA, April 2012, ISBN: 978-0778313205

An epic historical romance and fantasy! Book Two in the internationally acclaimed The Legacy Trilogy from Cayla Kluver. Bound to a man she cannot love, Queen Alera of Hytanica must forget Narian, the young man who holds her heart. For Narian is destined to conquer Hytanica at the behest of his master, the powerful magic user known as the Overlord. Harlequin TEEN, February 2012, ISBN: 978-0373210435