Shadow Notes Laurel Peterson (best reads TXT) 📖

figures with something to hide, and enduring childhood friendships. This is a story which grows more compelling page by page.” — Edith Maxwell, Agatha-nominated author of the Quaker Midwife Mysteries and the Local Foods Mysteries

“Each discovery is linked to the next until an edifice of lies and deception crumbles, leaving nothing for the villains to hide behind. Tightly plotted with satisfying twists, the story ends with an unexpected revelation.” — Susan Oleksiw, author, Mellingham Mysteries

Preview the first four chapters for free at

www.barkingrainpress.org

Never Again

by Heather Starsong

Print ISBN: 978-1-941295-26-7

eBook ISBN: 978-1-941295-27-4

Struck by lightning on her annual birthday hike to a favorite mountain meadow in Colorado, 80-year-old Clara Norwood closes her eyes, expecting to die. Instead, she wakes up on an Elirian spaceship. When she is returned to Earth, however, Clara realizes that the Elirians did more than simply heal her injuries. They also reversed all the ravages of aging, and she is once again a beautiful young woman.

At first Clara rejoices in her newfound strength and energy, but before long her 80-year-old spirit begins to feel at odds with her youthful body. She is uncomfortable with the all the electronic gadgets of the 21st century and dreads the prospect of outliving her friends and family. She is also mystified by the unexpected attention she receives from men who are younger than her own adult children — and completely unprepared for the new realities of modern dating and romance.

Faced with the prospect of living her life all over again in another era, Clara wonders if the Elirians would be able to return her to her old body—and what her choice would be if they could…

“Original, deftly crafted, absorbingly entertaining from beginning to end, Heather Starsong’s Never Again is a compelling read and clearly establishes this author as an impressively talented storyteller who will leave her readers looking eagerly toward her next novel. Very highly recommended for community library Science Fiction collections.” — Midwest Book Review

“A delightful, thought-provoking, and mesmerizing tale. From its opening in the beauty of the mountains to its final page, this fresh and remarkable story engages with a new perspective on extra-terrestrial beings, cross-generational relationships, the tenderness of aging, the lure of beauty, the folding of time, and the essence of love. I see life through a different lens now.” — Cedar Barstow, author, Right Use of Power: The Heart of Ethics

“Treat yourself to a vision of a new world. Never Again is one of those rare books that is both magical and wise. As well as delighting you, it will teach you unexpected lessons about youth and old age. In fact, it will stand many of your unquestioned ideas upside-down and cause you to look at aging in new ways. ” — Sam Keen, author, Fire in the Belly

“I read the book in one session and reread it the following day. The full life experience — and beyond — is captured within these pages. Read it once and like myself, you may read it again to arrive at a new perspective on your view of the world, love, getting older… and beyond.” — P.S. Gifford, author, Curiously Twisted Tales

“Never Again is not your ordinary alien abduction novel. It is a touching story of self-discovery and second chances. Ms. Starsong crafts a tale of what it might really be like to have a second chance at life and love, and how it may not be what you might expect. It is science fiction that even non-science fiction fans will enjoy.” — Steve Bellinger, author, The Chronocar

Preview the first four chapters for free at

www.barkingrainpress.org

Padre: The Narrowing Path

by Jennifer Leeper

Print ISBN: 978-1-941295-09-0

eBook ISBN: 978-1-941295-10-6

Russell Capshaw is a successful New York advertising executive who tries to stave off his mid-life crisis with an extended drug binge in the Far East. After treatment in a detox facility in Dublin, Ireland, he pays a visit to his estranged uncle, who has recently experienced a spiritual reversion to Catholicism—a faith that Russell himself left behind in childhood. Caught up in the spell of his uncle’s quiet devotion and the lush Irish landscape, Russell finds himself drawn to a new and very different life.

After joining the priesthood and taking the name Father John, he is sent to serve the parish of the Raramuri tribe in the canyons of the Sierra Madre in Mexico. There he learns that the tribesmen are being kidnapped by the local narcotrafficantes as forced labor for their drug fields.

As the Raramuri leaders carry out raids on the drug camps to rescue their enslaved people, Father John strives to keep from getting involved by focusing on restoring the parish church and ministering to the people. But as the violence escalates, the lines between spiritual and worldly matters are stretched to the breaking point in a final, bloody showdown between the villagers and the narcotrafficantes.

“A perfect blend of fast-paced action and thoughtful introspection. From the very beginning, Leeper’s voice captivated me. This is a tale that spans the cultures of the globe and the intricacies of the human heart." — Val Muller, author, The Scarred Letter

“Jennifer Leeper transports the reader from the failings, temptations, and sin that we all experience, to the joy of new life. Russell is the uncommon man turned priest, one who prays and saves not in the comfortable and secure pews of Ireland, but in the rough-edged, harsh and cruel Sierra Madre canyons where the Raramuri tribe attempts to survive amidst the challenges of an unforgiving environment of history, poverty and violence wedded to criminality and terror. Highly recommended.” — CatholicFiction.net

Preview the first four chapters for free at

www.barkingrainpress.org

Requiem in Red

Cressa Carraway Musical Mysteries, Book 2

by Kaye George

Print ISBN: 978-1-941295-43-4

eBook ISBN: 978-1-941295-44-1

Aspiring conductor and amateur sleuth Cressa Carraway returns for a second installment of music and murder in this fast-paced mystery from author