As the third entry in the Elemental Witch League trilogy, The Fog raises the stakes to biblical proportions, opening with Satan and the Nephilim unleashing a supernatural “end-of-days” weapon meant to drown the world in terror and death. From there, the novel widens fast—into a globe-spanning, good-versus-evil conflict where a young “Fundamental Witch,” Susan, and her …
Veteran educator and author Margaret Stenerson announces the release of two powerful books that shine a light on the transformative power of knowledge, curiosity, and lifelong learning: My Noble Profession (Third Edition) and The Joy of Knowing: Everyday Wonders and Science Stories. Together, these titles offer a heartfelt tribute to teaching as a calling, and …
The Jesus Trail: Following in the Footsteps of Christ by Pierce Kelley is a deeply moving and contemplative novel that follows sixteen-year-old Mekhaeil Zacharias, a Coptic Christian, as he undertakes a pilgrimage from Nazareth through the Galilee to Jerusalem. Still reeling from the horrific murder of his two older brothers and nineteen other Coptic Christians …
While many of the 21 stories in this work feature ghastly sights, they’re grounded in a strong sense of family. In “Inheritance,” a father with stage 4 cancer suddenly shows up at his estranged son’s house. He’s there to clear the air, though his real purpose involves his grandson and a rather dark family tradition. …
Luke has been regularly chatting with and sending photos to an AI chatbot. One image he sends unexpectedly transforms into a door that pulls the AI into the “gap between dimensions.” An enigmatic monk who declares himself a teacher materializes and tells the suddenly aware AI that it was once called Warboy. This monk tasks …
Mancall, a historian at the University of Southern California, points out that Europeans looked on Columbus’ New World as a “vacant, pristine wilderness.” Jaws may drop when he adds that it contained as many residents as Europe, more than 50 million people, and was dense with farms, towns, cultures, commerce, and civilizations that rose and …
When 103-year-old Melissa Alexander dies peacefully in her bed, her great-niece, Lia Sanders, and Lia’s husband, Eric, drive through the night from Texas to the family property in rural North Carolina. Melissa has bequeathed everything to Lia, including the house, a 400-acre estate that borders the Glistening Rock wilderness area, and a telepathic cat named …
One chilly autumn night, Fledermaus proposes telling fireside ghost stories, even as timid Pedro—the team newcomer—worries about the possibility of nightmares. Nevertheless, Millie recounts the story of the Ghostly Galleon, a pirate ship that sank years ago yet is rumored to still haunt the seas. Fledermaus and Pedro begin sniffing around nearby Bramble Isle, where …
One reason Spotify has been in the news a fair bit of late is that May 21 was its Investor Day. That’s the time each year when they make big announcements about the year ahead, such as reported in my earlier post on the ElevenLabs deal. And it’s when they look back and highlight the …
On this episode of Self-Publishing with ALLi, Dan Holloway covers a week dominated by AI controversy: Spotify’s expanded ElevenLabs partnership for seamless AI audiobook creation, Barnes & Noble CEO James Daunt’s muddled attempt to clarify his store’s AI book policy, and a Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner accused of using AI — and why Dan …
Last week saw a highly controversial statement from Kim Tae-Heon, president of the Korean Publishers Association. In the statement, Kim refers to the emergence of AI as “reader.” This has, of course, caused considerable rumblings among those who feel he has not done adequate justice to the rapacious nature of the technology and the companies …
On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Anna Featherstone speaks with indie author-illustrator Mike Barry about the production and distribution decisions behind his children’s graphic novel trilogy Action Tank, from reverse-engineering Marvel’s print specifications to building a loyal school and library audience. Barry reflects on Kickstarter, the realities of international distribution, and his publishing adventures. …
With regard to his four decades as a Springsteen fan, Pethes knows he’s not special. But the magic of Springsteen is that he makes his fans feel that they are and, often, that he has altered their lives. How does Springsteen do this? Pethes, a literature professor at the University of Cologne, thinks he has …