Category Archives: Book Spotlight

Book Excerpt

Pohoi had seconds to react. … She rolled to her left, missing within a twig’s length another mounted Texan who waved a long rifle, his tan horse charging toward Father Big Elk. “Father, behind you!” she hollered, now up and crawling on her knees, cheering. But her cheer soon vanished when a shot whizzed past her and toward her father. He ducked. Pohoi prepared to run to him when, for no reason, the charging horse wheeled around and bore down upon her. But Father Big Elk dashed after the mounted attacker, the muscles in his legs bulged to bursting, his face twisted with hate, his chest heaved. He steadied his hand, pulled back, threw his knife. Pohoi saw nothing else. She turned and sped like a jackrabbit into the bushes and toward Cougar Trail. A second shot fired behind her. She halted. The sound of galloping hooves faded into the distance, up and onto the Llano Estacado, her peoples’ home, the Comancheria. A chill wafted over her. She turned and ran back to her father at a lope, panic sickening her. But when she reached the site where the rider had charged and had fired his rifle, she came to a stunned standstill; the Tejanos were gone, and they’d taken her mother. All that remained to prove there’d been an attack was the disturbed dirt, her buckskin pouch of smashed yucca roots, and her father, facedown on the ground.

How To Purchase:

Pohoi and Comanche Spirit Power  is available through our bookstore.

About the Author:

A bit of a nomad, Native Texan, J. L. Chalfant has lived in Texas, New Mexico, California, Arizona, Wyoming, and now lives in Arkansas. Her adventures called for training in outdoor skills, visual arts, creative writing, and a master’s degree in special education. Today, she enjoys the writing life. Her background, and her studies in Native American, Celtic and middle-eastern cultures and histories fuel her stories. Her next work centers around a Celtic Curse and three Spirit Shades who bring their ancient battles into the present, and into the lives of three unusual people and their humorous and outrageous community.

Book Excerpt

One night there was a loud banging on our front door. Tom grabbed his rifle and ran to see what was wrong. When he opened the door, he saw a neighbor and behind him was a cross burning in our front yard.

Tom raced out and used the butt of his rifle to knock the cross over.

“god damn it, I’m sorry we didn’t kill all of them.”

It’s a wonder he didn’t catch his night shirt on fire. The neighbor who had sounded the alarm went back across the street and returned with a bucket of water. We always kept a bucket of water in the house at night, in case a spark from the fire place got loose. Tom grabbed it and that finished extinguishing the fire. The neighbor, whose name I have forgotten, offered to help Tom move the charred cross out of the street.

“NO”, Tom said quite loudly.

“I am going to leave it there for everyone to see whether they want to or not.”

Despite the commotion Tom had noticed that none of the other neighbors had come out to see what was going on, or to help. No one had even lighted a candle. Tom was as angry about that, as he was about the burning cross. He decided right then that we were moving to a different house farther away from the Capitol building.

……. “Why did they do such a thing to you? You ain’t colored.” Mrs. Hughes asked.

“Because today we are going to debate and vote on whether or not we will give black men the right to vote. It was a warning that it shouldn’t pass.” Tom explained.

“I thought the Southern states had to give colored men the right to vote before they could be allowed to rejoin the United States.” I said.

“Yes, that’s right”, replied Tom. “But some folks don’t care if Arkansas is readmitted to the Union.”

How To Purchase:

Both books in the Miss Mary Margaret series are available through our bookstore.

About the Author:

Mary Frances Hodges wrote her first story, at age seven, on the front and back of a 3 x 5 index card. Then she wrote several poems her mother thought she had copied from books for which she got a long lecture about cheating. So she quit writing until she was about 40 years old when she gave herself permission to write. She taught college level writing from research for about 20 years. While teaching research, she discovered several true events that were just too good not to tell.  At age 78, she is recovering from a mild stroke and spends most days watching TV, playing computer solitaire, and thinking about her next book, all while having a cat in her lap.

Book Excerpt

I walked out of that office with my suspicion affirmed, with the first hope of conclusion since my brother’s unexplained death years earlier. This revelation gave me the confidence to persist in my search for answers.

Years of investigation would uncover falsified paperwork, nonstandard procedures, frightening ignorance of State Law and many conspicuous coincidences. Dangerous negligence would range from a lazy doctor to an apathetic State Prosecutor. A suspect would run across America while the heat died down—cooled by an accomplice in local law-enforcement.

There were no reliable narrators so I found a voice. Today, justice is delayed by one missing piece. There is warmth, still, in this chilling account. More than a tragedy, this story offers hope that wounds can close.

The Buzz

The book is very informative,thought provoking concerning the neglect we so often experience from our authoritative leaders ,officials in charge of our communities,our safety,our very lives.It’s a sad era we live in. 5 -Star review by Margaret Swaffar, Amazon

Coming from a small town in Arkansas I know only to well the injustices that occur in small communities! It happens more than people like to admit. It its hard to say I enjoyed the book because it was such a tragic story. But yes, the book was very well written and the story was very wonderfully told. I am sorry there was no closure to this tragedy and the murderess is allowed to roam free. Hopefully justice will prevail someday! 5 -Star review by Karla Pitts, Amazon

If you like true crime stories, you’ll certainly love this one. Tonya York did a wonderful job of profiling the characters, describing and explaining each story line, and raising my blood pressure. It’s definitely a mesmerizing and unbelievable story! 5 -Star review by tjh, Amazon

How To Purchase:

Antifreeze Cookbook is available at:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About the Author:

Tonya York is a writer, published author, business woman, want to be artist, lover of the Dallas Cowboys and mashed potatoes. Passionate seeker of God, new challenges and loves the quiet solitude of reading on a beach. SURVIVOR.

Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Book Excerpt

Her home had been tossed. This wasn’t like the other break-ins she had been to lately. Furniture was moved from where it usually sat. Cushions pulled off the sofa and chairs, tables uprooted. Naomi didn’t need a light to know that her usually comfortable home was in a state of utter disarray. She tried to pick her way quietly toward the bedrooms when she heard rustling in the kitchen again. She was trained for combat, but she could usually see her aggressors. Going into this battle blind was new to her and left her just a little uneasy. Her breath came in shallow gasps. She tried to control her breathing even as she felt her pulse start to spike. Pausing by where her end table usually sat, she took a moment to center herself and regain control.

Her eyes were now accustomed to the darkness. She looked around for anything she could use as a weapon. Naomi was confident in her martial arts abilities, but if the intruder was a man who was much bigger than she was, she’d want any advantage she could get. All of her weapons were in her room, and she didn’t think she could get there without the intruder seeing her. There was nothing lying on the floor that looked useful. She was considering taking a leg off a chair when she felt breath on her neck. She jumped and whirled around, ready to strike.

The Buzz

Staci Troilo is an excellent writer who is adept at creating multi-faceted characters that find themselves tangled in complicated situations. She writes a mystery that is interesting and compelling and keeps the reader guessing and scratching their heads, all the while carrying them to the end where she wraps it all up into a nice, neat bow. Mystery Heir, the fifth of the Mystery, Ink. books, follows Naomi Dotson – one of two in the series to do so. Each book follows one particular sleuth in a cursed town and stands on its own. A clean, suitable book for all ages. 5 -Star review by Arkansas Book Reviewer, Goodreads

Mystery Ink, Mystery heir is a fast paced mystery that i couldn’t put down. All the characters have such depth and are very easy to relate to, especially Naomi and Penelope Dotson. Staci Troilo captures the Dotson twin’s emotional side while allowing them to use their internal strengths and martial arts training to solve the murder of Joe Harbaugh. Her plot twists keep the reader engaged and guessing until the end. This is a must read for everyone who appreciates a good mystery. 5 -Star review by Icoachgirls, Amazon

Purchase the Book

You can purchase Mystery, Ink: Mystery Heir, Book 5 in the series through our bookstore.

About the Author:

Whether family bonds or romantic entanglements, Staci writes about love that engages readers from page one of her novels and short stories. Her fiction combines dark, dangerous heroes and strong, capable heroines woven together into a contemporary tapestry of tantalizing romance and compassionate relationships. Compelling villains and gripping mysteries feature ordinary characters conquering the odds in extraordinary situations. Staci married her high school sweetheart and they left their hometown and now live in Arkansas with their son, daughter, and two yellow Labradors.

Facebook  | Twitter  | Goodreads | Her Blog

Book Excerpt:

Some cats are born on Earth and never know who they really are. Others are sent. They are undercover for their years on Earth. They know who they are. They know that they are not from Earth at all. And they are part of a bigger plan.

When Kimba and Hiro were just tiny babies, only a day or two old, a human found them abandoned in a box. He brought them home.He and his wife fed them from bottles and made a nest for them in a large, white bathtub. The humans became Mama and Daddy tothe kittens, and the sisters became part of a family that included two human children: Mindy and Leia. There were also three more cats
in the house: the pure-black sisters Miss Fatty Cat and Slinky, as well as the war-torn, outdoor, wild cat, Buddy. Guarding them all was
The Big Black Beast, who barked and nipped and followed Mama around.

When Kimba and Hiro were still just gangly kittens, they discovered that they were being watched by aliens. But more shocking, they learned that they are aliens too! Through the large mirror in their bathroom nursery, Regalus (their alien cat contact) communicated
with them. The sisters learned that all cats are really from another planet. It is the job of a house cat to cohabitate with humans and
report back on their actions to the Cats in the Mirror. These reports from cats on Earth to cats in space go on all over the world.

As Kimba and Hiro talked with Regalus through the bathroom mirror, he told them about their heritage of freedom and independence from humans. He gave them a series of missions to complete. The first simply involved rubbing their fur on the humans so that the agents could track them throughout the city using mirrors located all over town. Hiro lost interest in the missions, but Kimba loved them. She was excited to be a part of something big and important. It gave her a sense of adventure and freedom. But once she escaped the house to explore outside, she discovered that the world is a big and sometimes scary place.

Then Kimba was enlisted to steal the password to Mama’s Facebook page and use it to help coordinate a worldwide cat invasion. Feeling guilty, and knowing that she should be faithful and loyal to her cat heritage, Kimba obediently began the mission. But, in the end, she could not follow through. Her love for her human family, and her fears for their safety in a world run by alien cats, won out. She failed
to complete the assignment.

After that, Kimba and Hiro agreed to stop all communications with the Cats in the Mirror to keep their humans safe. But the sisters’ destiny is too large for them to remain cut off from their feline family forever.

The Buzz:

When I finished reading and reviewing Why Kimba Saved the World, I couldn’t imagine Meg Dendler surpassing that story or the personification of the animals in her first book in the Cats in the Mirror Series. I. Was. Wrong! Once again, Dendler has developed the cats and one dog in her story to be exactly as we see them day-to-day, those of us who are cat and dog lovers. Personally, I own a black-and-white tuxedo girl, and with each page turn she leaps out at me as Hiro does this or that. Dendler possesses a talent for character development. As before, Vacation Hiro does not lack for action, dialogue and enough suspense to keep any reader engaged. When I say “any reader,” this is a book not just for the middle reader, but also for animal lovers, those who love to read about animals, grandparents and parents to read to those younger than middle readers, and anyone who loves a touch of fantasy. Included in Vacation Hiro are illustrations (created by the author’s daughter) and images of Hiro, Kimba and another cat character in the book. They add a great deal to the book’s appeal. 5-star Review, Sherry, Goodreads

In Vacation Hiro our main character, Hiro, is thrown when the family packs up and leaves without returning that night… she misses her daddy and is worried how he will sleep without her curled up next to him. She is thrown into even more turmoil when she begins talking to the forbidden cats in the mirror in her parent’s bathroom and learns of her complicated background. She brings her sister Kimba into the exploration and mystery and encounters a whole new world. I enjoyed following the parents and children to their family trip and reading how there were cats monitoring the family movements so that the two kittens, Kimba and Hiro, had the opportunity to learn and understand why they were so important to the space cats. 4-star Review, The Styling Librarian, Goodreads  


Purchase the book:

All the books in the Cats in the Mirror series, including Vacation Hiro can be purchased through our bookstore.

About the Author:

Meg Welch Dendler is the award-winning author of over 100 articles in newspapers, magazines, and on web sites. She has interviewed interesting people from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Sylvester Stallone to the Archbishop of Capetown. Now alien cats and ghosts run her world. Her Moonbeam Children’s Book Award winning debut novel, “Why Kimba Saved The World,” was followed by the sequel, “Vacation Hiro,” in November of 2013, and her paranormal-style adult book “At The Corner of Magnetic and Main”–set in her very haunted city of Eureka Springs–is due out in 2015.

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Book Excerpt

The men moved in to finish the job of lowering the coffin into the ground and replacing the dirt.

“Are you sure we have to meet today?” Caroline asked as she and KC stepped away to give the gravediggers room to work. “Reading Uncle Angus’s will so soon after his funeral seems so…I don’t know…ghoulish.”

KC nodded. “That was his request, but it doesn’t have to be right this second. Take a break, go home and get some rest. You can come to my office later this afternoon if that works better for you.”

She shook her head. “No, let’s just get it done.”

“Okay then. I’ll meet you at the office.”

KC turned, her leather-tooled cowboy boots grinding in the loose gravel near the grave site, her long skirt whipping around her ankles as she marched toward her battered truck.

After blowing one last kiss toward the grave of her late great-uncle who’d welcomed her with open arms, Caroline left the cemetery. The entire Montgomery clan stood in a cluster in the parking lot. She returned their waves as she drove past. Her stomach clenched when Travis Montgomery removed his hat and dipped his head toward her.

The Buzz

I enjoyed this book so much. Cynthia D’Alba has woven a wonderful story about two characters that are meant to be together. Travis is one of the sexiest cowboys out there and very family oriented. Caroline is strong and prides herself on standing on her own two feet and not leaning on anyone. She will do anything to make dying a Grandmother happy and comes up with a outlandish scheme. That just might backfire on her. I loved everyone of the secondary characters and I can’t wait for the next book in this series. 4.5-Star Review, Lori Meehan, Goodreads

Purchase the Book:

All the books in the Texas Montgomery Mavericks series, including Texas Tango can be purchased through our bookstore.

About the Author:

Cynthia D’Alba was born and raised in a small Arkansas town. After being gone for a number of years, she’s thrilled to be making her home back in Arkansas living in a vine-covered cottage on the banks of an eight-thousand acre lake. When she’s not reading or writing or plotting, she’s doorman for her two dogs, cook, housekeeper and chief bottle washer for her husband and slave to a noisy, messy parrot. She loves to chat online with friends and fans.

Twitter | Goodreads | Facebook | Website

email her at cynthia@cynthiadalba.com

To send her snail mail, write to:

Cynthia D’Alba

PO Box 2116

Hot Springs, AR 71914