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PUBLISHING NEWS
Mickey Mikkelson | |
| | Sandy Malone, Author and former TLC Reality Star, Rolls Out Splashy New Beach-Read Covers
for the Gem of the Golden Isles Series
Have you heard about Sandy Malone’s fiction series based on Jekyll Island? The former wedding planner’s critically acclaimed series based on Jekyll Island, Georgia, is being relaunched Labor Day weekend, complete with dazzling new covers and a new publishing format that her readers will love.
The new look of the ‘Gem of the Golden Isles’ series will continue for ‘Under the Oaks,’ a crossover series, that will be released in 2027.
In her first series, Sandy has taken all of the crazy that she saw planning more than 500 real weddings and fictionalised it to protect her guilty clients in a romantic comedy series about falling in love with a law enforcement officer. There is a mystery to unravel in every book, almost as if there’s a dark cloud over the main character. |
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Twenty-nine-year-old destination wedding planner Tally Davis lost her home, her job, and her boyfriend in one fell swoop when Hurricane Maria hit Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, as a Category 5 storm. After she’s finally evacuated, she goes home to Jekyll Island, Georgia, to start over. There’s no wedding planning company on the island, so Tally launches Jekyll Weddings and immediately starts booking clients. But not everyone is happy that Tally is home or wants her to succeed. She’s unknowingly kicked a hornet’s nest by reconnecting with a childhood friend. Will a 10-year-old grudge ruin her first big wedding on Jekyll Island?
https://bit.ly/SandyMalonemystery
Good Book Series | Summer Reads, Beach Books & Mysteries—Sandy Malone Books
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About The Series:
   
When a young Caribbean wedding planner loses her home and job in Hurricane Maria, she tries to start over where she grew up on Jekyll Island, the gem of Georgia’s Golden Isles. While she’s trying to making her wedding planning company work, she falls in love with a state trooper who may have been ‘the one that got away.’ But her return to Jekyll unknowingly kicks a hornet’s nest and there are people who don’t want her to stay and be a success. It will take more than good event planning skills to overcome the evil that’s headed her way.
‘Treasure on Jekyll,’ Gem of the Golden Isles Series Book Three, won a 2025 International Impact Book Award for Women’s Fiction—Mystery/Suspense.
Check out some of the reviews of the Gem of the Golden Isles Series:
‘Sandy Malone is to Jekyll Island what Elin Hilderbrand is to Nantucket! … If you’re a fan of Elin Hilderbrand, you will definitely enjoy this series!’—BellasMom on Amazon
‘This cleverly written, warm-hearted story paints a picture of a woman who took a decidedly different path in life. Tally’s uplifting self-discovery is perfect for a beach vacation reader, or for anyone who wants to get lost in a good story. Stay tuned for the next two!’—Pamela Bauer Mueller, award-winning author of Splendid Isolation.
‘An enthralling, emotional, and heartfelt romance novel, author Sandy Malone’s ‘Escape to Jekyll Island’ is a must-read and a great entry into the Gem of the Golden Isles series. The Author does a great job of highlighting the impact hurricanes have on communities, while bringing heart and light-heartedness through dynamic dialogue and fun story development that will keep the reader engaged and eager for the next chapter of this franchise.’—Anthony Avina Top Reviewer for Book Sirens.
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About Sandy:
Sandy and her husband, Bill, planned more than 500 destination weddings in 11 years in the Caribbean before Hurricane Maria. They saw the kind of crazy that nice families don’t talk about after the wedding weekend.
Now she’s released a fictional series about a wedding planner who has to start over on another island after a storm, using all the real crazy they saw at clients’ weddings. Don’t worry, it’s fictionalised to protect the guilty!
Sandy is an established expert on destination weddings and has authored hundreds of articles published on revered wedding sites such as BRIDES, WeddingWire, and the HuffPost’s Wedding page. She also had a podcast for several years called ‘Wedding Reality Check with Sandy Malone.’
Sandy wrote a DIY wedding planning guide called ‘How to Plan Your Own Destination Wedding: Tips from An Experienced Professional’ published by Skyhorse Publishing in 2016. She also ghostwrote two other books for well-known reality TV stars (including a Housewife).
Sandy and Bill starred in TLC’s reality TV show ‘Wedding Island’ about their business on Vieques, Puerto Rico.
After she got a degree in journalism at THE Ohio State University, Sandy began her career Campaigns & Elections Magazine and rose to Managing Editor. Sandy went on to write the Politics. Net column for the Wall Street Journal. Most recently Sandy was Editor-in-Chief of Blue Lives Matter/The Police Tribune. She and her husband (a retired SWAT commander) live on Jekyll Island, Georgia, with their coonhound, Sherlock. They are both native Washingtonians.
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| | The Fractured Veil
Book Three of the Callum Walker series
The saga continues in this relaunch of the critically acclaimed fantasy by J.M. Shaw complete with new content and a new cover!
The book is available worldwide in print and digital formats by Maverick First Press |
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Some worlds break quietly. Others shatter everything.
Callum Walker has survived betrayal, prophecy, and supernatural war—but survival is becoming harder with every secret uncovered.
Now hunted by forces far beyond mortal understanding, Callum finds himself accused of crimes he did not commit and pursued by divine powers that judge without mercy.
The veil separating realities is beginning to fracture.
Ancient enemies are awakening.
Old alliances are collapsing.
And the closer Callum gets to the truth, the more dangerous his existence becomes.
https://bit.ly/Fracturedveil
J. M. Shaw —Author of The Callum Walker Series
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|  | Callum Walker never asked for power—and he certainly never asked for destiny.
Born with arcane abilities he barely understands, Callum is drawn into a secret magical world of monsters, ancient factions, and uneasy alliances. As his uncontrolled power grows, it attracts the attention of two ruthless brothers locked in a centuries-old war—one a sorcerer, the other a necromancer.
When an ancient prophecy names Callum as the one destined to end the bloodshed, he becomes both weapon and target. Hunted by enemies who want him dead and allies who want to use him, Callum must decide whether he can master his gifts—or be consumed by them.
The Ascension is a dark fantasy novel featuring reluctant heroes, deadly prophecy, moral tension, and a war that refuses to stay buried.
https://bit.ly/ascensionrelaunch
In a realm where magic, monsters, and betrayal shape the fate of nations, one man must confront the forces gathering against him.
Callum Walker survived the trials that would have destroyed most warriors—but survival was only the beginning. As ancient powers awaken and rival factions close in, the fragile balance holding the world together begins to fracture.
A dark queen rises. Powerful forces gather. Armies move in the shadows.
Callum and his allies must navigate dangerous alliances, primeval forces, and the growing realization that the war for the future of their world has already begun.
But some battles cannot be won with steel alone.
And the greatest threat may come from powers no one fully understands.
#The Convergence continues the Callum Walker saga with high-stakes adventure, sweeping fantasy worldbuilding, and a hero forced to face the cost of destiny.
https://bit.ly/Convergencerelaunch |
| J. M. Shaw is a Canadian author of fantasy fiction who lives in Alberta with her husband and two young children. She’s been writing since childhood, building worlds from raw imagination and quiet observation, but it took years before she found the courage to share them. For Shaw, storytelling has always been more than a passion. It’s a compass. A sanctuary. A way to make sense of the chaos.
In 2019, Shaw was diagnosed with autism and ADHD, a turning point that brought clarity to a lifetime of feeling ‘too much’ or ‘too different.’ Her intense focus, emotional depth, and ability to live inside fictional worlds became not flaws but the superpowers of a neurodivergent mind. These qualities shape her stories, infusing them with realism, heart, and meaning, and giving her the courage to finally share her creative works. Her worlds may be fantastical, but her characters—flawed, searching, and deeply human—resonate on a personal level.
When she’s not writing, Shaw enjoys connecting with nature, curling up with a good book, and dreaming up new worlds. She also finds joy in encouraging young writers to pursue their own passions.
For more information: www.jmshawauthor.com |  |
|  | Two Extraordinary New Releases from Alison McBain: Science Fiction Adventures and a Moving Story of Love, Loss, and Hope
Having already lost her daughter once, has Isla lost the most important piece of her identity as well? |
| Cancer is an ugly word. Even though several years have passed, Isla’s never gotten over the death of her eleven-year-old daughter, Rory. The resulting grief killed her marriage and her teaching career at the same time, and for a while she thought the pain would kill her also.
But Isla has found a new hope to keep her going. She’s no longer alone. Because Rory has returned.
Despite wanting to be grateful for her daughter’s ghostly presence, Isla still feels a heavy weight of grief. Rory’s spirit will never grow older. She’ll never be able to play with other children or go to school or experience any of the normal things that Isla once hoped for her. Time can never reverse, but maybe returning to their roots is the only way to move forward again. Isla packs up the contents of their NYC apartment and drives across the Canadian border with her daughter riding shotgun. Their destination: Alberta, the province where she was born. Starting over in Harmony Lake feels like the first important step to facing what the future can hold—for both of them.
https://www.amazon.com/Between-North-Prior-Alison-McBain/dp/194912228X/
Received 3rd place in the 46th annual 3-Day Novel Contest:
(https://www.3daynovel.com/2025/03/12/winner-of-the-47-annual-3-day-novel-contest/) | |
| | Journey Beyond the Stars with Diving into Nebulae
Take a deep dive into the realms of imaginative science fiction, including eight brand-new stories by award-winning author Alison McBain. Diving into Nebulae brings you over two dozen of McBain’s most popular SF stories, including her award-winning and nominated shorts ‘Pillar of Salt,’ ‘What Are Friends For?’ and ‘Asylum.’
So, grab your mitt to play some baseball in space, punch your ticket for the first travelling circus at the Milky Way station, and prepare to delve into a future that’s sometimes dark, sometimes hopeful, but always full of adventure!
https://www.amazon.com/Diving-into-Nebulae-Alison-McBain/dp/1949122271/ |
| Praise for Alison McBain:
‘The tone and style of the novel reminded me somewhat of Matthew Hughes magnum opus, What the Wind Brings. Both are historical novels on the literary end of the spectrum, both are sympathetic portrayals of flawed individuals responding to the conflicting worldviews of the ‘other’, and both revolve around issues of slavery, colonialism, and leadership. I highly recommend them both.’—The Ottawa Book of reviews
‘To say this is a rollercoaster of a book is an understatement. The book takes history and turns it on its head, but does so beautifully and it is crystal clear that Alison McBain is not only a talented writer, but also has a great imagination when it comes to building an alternate world with aspects of history thrown in.... It is a wild ride, and one that will linger in the mind for a long while after putting it down! – InD’tale Magazine
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Author Versus AI
Alison McBain took on the influence of AI in the book industry by meeting the technology head-on!!!
Alison McBain is the author behind Author Versus AI. Starting on Global Book Day on April 23, 2024, she wrote a book a week for 34 weeks. Her mission was to show that one author can oppose AI and create novels almost as fast but much, much better than AI programs. She answered the question now being posed by creators everywhere: Will AI replace me?
The answer is an emphatic NO.
Artificial intelligence (AI), in its broadest sense, is a field of research in computer science that develops and studies methods and software that enable machines to perceive their environment and use learning to maximize their chances of achieving defined goals. Currently, there are a number of programs using AI software to augment or replace human creativity, give her vampires, or even that young lovey-dovey stuff with all the twists and turns!
**Alison McBain’s mission is to prove that writing can be done quickly, efficiently, and better with human instinct, emotion, and passion**
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| About Alison McBain:
Alison McBain’s human-created novels are the recipients of over 13 awards, including the Foreword INDIES. Her latest novella Dual took home 3 rd. place in the 3-Day Novel Contest. When not writing for herself, she’s a ghostwriter who has penned over two dozen books for clients, as well as an award-winning editor who has worked with both celebrity and NY Times-bestselling authors. In 2024, she pursued a project called ‘Author Versus AI,’ where she wrote a book a week, using NO AI at all (34 books total). When not writing, Ms. McBain is the associate editor for the magazine Scribes MICRO and draws all over the walls of her house with the enthusiastic help of her kids. She lives in Alberta, Canada. |  |
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- Hall of Fame Author Matt Hughes unleashes a Gripping New Thriller Featuring a Rogue Army Ranger
One More Kill is a suspense novel that grew out of a short story that won the Crime Writers of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award for best crime story of the year.
The book is now available in print and eBook format in North America
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| He was a trained killer, an orphaned kid who rose from raw recruit to the rank of major in the US Army Rangers. He was looking forward to retiring at the end of a thirty-year hitch, but when he developed a low-grade form of leukaemia, the Army pushed him out and left him feeling alone and useless until a fluke encounter with a rogue doctor tipped him into a new hobby: killing those who had done great harm and gotten away with it.
But then a police detective started to dig into his operations, while a vicious old enemy resurfaced with a scheme to draw the Ranger into a web of contract killing and gun running. Pushed too far, the Ranger will solve his problems with bombs, bullets, and his own bare hands. Based on a short story that won the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence.
eBook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H9W572Q2
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/One-More-Kill-Vigilante-Assassination/dp/1927880564 |  |
| | About Matt:
Matt Hughes is a Canadian author, he writes crime fiction, fantasy, and space opera. He has sold 24 novels to publishers large and small in the US, Canada, UK, France, and Italy, as well as more than 100 works of short fiction to professional markets.
His magnum opus is What the Wind Brings, a historical novel with magical realism elements. It was the first Canadian work to win the international Endeavour Award. He waited more than forty years to write the novel, and spent a year composing several drafts, made possible by a $25,000 grant from the Canada Council for the Arts.
His short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Blue Murder, Pulp Literature, Storyteller, Asimov’s, Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, Postscripts, Interzone, Amazing, Unfit, and several anthologies edited by Gardner Dozois and George R.R. Martin, including the bestseller, Rogues.
He has won the Crime Writers of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award, the Endeavour Award, and the Global Book Award in the dark fantasy category. His works have been short-listed for the Aurora, Locus, Nebula, Philip K Dick, A.E. Van Vogt, Neffy, Alberta Book Publishing, High Plains, and Endeavour Awards.
Many of his speculative fiction works are crime stories in a science-fiction or fantasy setting. He has called himself, ‘a crime writer trapped in a speculative fiction author’s career.’
In 2020, he was inducted into the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association’s Hall of Fame.
His Wikipedia page has more information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Hughes_(writer) |  |
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October 2026
Rake Ozenna Returns
in
OPERATION ICEBREAKER
One lie ignites the Arctic. One man can stop the war.
ISBN 9781448320417
FRONT FLAP:
It was meant to be a routine friendship visit. It became a bloodbath
Special Forces veteran Major Rake Ozenna lands at America’s remote Arctic base in Greenland with a mission to build trust between allied communities on the frontline of a changing world.
Instead, violence erupts, leaving Rake with a loss he cannot walk away from.
The devastating attack is quickly blamed on Inuit extremists. Rake knows it’s a lie. He saw the killers and vows to bring them to justice.
Then things take a sinister political twist.
Rake finds himself on the run, not from the enemy, but his own side. Someone deep inside the Pentagon is determined to stop him and turn the base attack into something far bigger.
As global tensions harden and treaties fracture, Rake must expose the truth before war is ignited at the top of the world, pitting America against its closest allies.
BACK FLAP:
Humphrey Hawksley is a foreign correspondent turned thriller writer whose work sits on the fault lines of global conflict. With the BBC, he covered upheaval across the world with news reports and award-winning documentaries.
He first brought that experience into fiction with the bestselling Future History series, Dragon Strike, Dragon Fire and The Third World War, anticipating rising global tensions long before today’s headlines.
His Rake Ozenna thrillers carry that same authority, placing readers inside unfolding conflicts where power is contested and truth is obscured. From the Arctic to Asia, his fiction is grounded in the realities of a world he has spent a lifetime reporting. |
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