April 21, 2010
Orange County Noir
Gary Phillips (Editor), T. Jefferson Parker (Foreword)
Akashic Books
Available 04/01/10 in Paperback
Orange County, California, brings to mind the endless summer of sand and surf, McMansion housing tracts, a conservative stronghold, and tony shopping centers. It’s a place where pilates classes are run like boot camps, real estate values are discussed at your weekly colonic, and ice cream parlors on Main Street, USA, exist side-by-side with pho shops and taquerias. Orange County Noir pulls back the veil to reveal what lurks behind the curtain.
Features brand-new stories by: Susan Straight, Robert S. Levinson, Rob Roberge, Nathan Walpow, Barbara DeMarco-Barrett, Dan Duling, Mary Castillo, Lawrence Maddox, Dick Lochte, Robert Ward, Gary Phillips, Gordon McAlpine, Martin J. Smith, and Patricia McFall.
Editor Gary Phillips is the author of many novels and short stories. He lives in Southern California.
March 28, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lynda McWhirter
Director, Marketing & Promotion
office: (913) 322-0520 ext. 103
mobile: (936) 581 4287
LyndaM@MidMerc.com
FINALLY! A SUSPENSE/ESPIONAGE NOVEL WITH AFRICAN-AMERICAN MAIN CHARACTERS.
(Kansas City, MO, March, 2010)
THREE LIVES
At the core of Joe Washington’s debut novel, Three Lives, is Nicholas Gambit, a young African American hero in training that hails from the center of the nation.
Like a lot of mid westerners, Gambit can’t help but to be genuine, evident even when he’s in the process of dismantling a team of well trained “people killers”. This quality draws readers ever closer to him, leaving them invested in his survival and desperate to see him flourish. Without pandering, Washington’s main character is extremely likeable, transporting readers into his adventures rather than merely witnessing them.
Though the story takes the reader all over the world and has shown remarkable promise with people from all backgrounds, this book will hold special interest for people of color. Except for Mosley and the Alex Cross novels by Patterson, we seldom see black characters in today’s literary marketplace, both male and female, portrayed with such strength, diversity and legitimacy.
For readers of any ethnic background however, Three Lives delivers a host of attributes that will surprise and move: action that literally causes one to grip the pages of the book a little tighter; Joe’s clear understanding and familiarity with issues related to combat and international espionage; and most importantly, characters that ring true because of their humanity — flaws and all.
Throughout the development process, we have endeavored to find legitimate comparison titles. The outcome of our search was surprising. We simply could not find any. Three Lives could become the new standard for African American fiction, especially in a genre that has been virtually untouched by black authors.
THREE LIVES
Joe Washington
Publisher: Midnight Mercury
Price: Paperback $12.99 ISBN: 9780615279930
Hardcover $22.95 ISBN: 9780982417409
EBook $7.99 ISBN: 9780982417416
Availability Date: 4/30/2010
Publication Date: 5/15/2010
Pages: 357 Trim: 5.5/8.5
Subject Category: Fiction/Suspense
Distribution Website: www.midmerc.com
Distribution: Book Hub, Inc., Wholesalers: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Bookazine
Description: For most of us, one life is enough. Imagine having three. Nicholas Gambit did. One man, three very different reasons for being. Almost graduated from University and soon to leave a Kansas City ghetto he can’t wait to get away from, Nicholas is drawn into a conflict he wants no part of. His world crashing down around him, surrounded by violence, he learns he has some very special talents. Even with those talents, he finds he can’t protect everyone and when the nightmare is finally over, he is consumed. He is devoid of purpose, inconsolable, lost.
Upon observing how Nicholas conducts himself, and what he is capable of, agent John Wilkes devises a new purpose for him. He soon invites his protégé to enlist in a program few know exists. Too emotionally drained to see that it is a mistake, Nicholas allows himself to be secreted away into a life that he thinks will give his existence meaning and pit him against those who place themselves above the law. Instead, he finds himself at war with his own principles — fearful he will become the enemy he has sworn to fight.
In the course of the transformation from artless college student to inconceivably skilled government operative, Nicholas finds love where it is forbidden, is made into a cold blooded murderer, and ultimately seeks out redemption by allowing another a chance to rediscover her own humanity.
Marketing Strategies:
• Marketing will include 10 city author tour (coast to coast with heavy emphasis on the Midwest), trade and consumer advertising, mailings, trade show-BEA, online promotion
• $15,000 marketing budget over course of first year title is in print
• Publicity team promotes book on websites that cater to readers that read Ludlum, Clancy and Patterson novels and author interviews and television during tour
• Staged marketing approach. Local, then national and international. Target African Americans, the military, college age readers, adventure readers and general readers of fiction in bookstores, libraries, book clubs and discount stores
• Amazon, Borders, Barnes and Noble, all AALBC properties, Blackexpressions.com and military distributor’s Bestseller lists.
• Midmerc.com advertisement and promotions on search engines
BIOGRAPHY
After serving in the military, Joe distinguished himself in the private sector, working with detective and contract security firms throughout the United States. His new company, MidMerc L.L.C. offers unique perspectives on many fields: Real Estate; Holistic Healthcare, and of course – publishing.
Joe has long held a passion for literature and the arts, writing media scripts and freelancing for corporate firms as well as performing in advertising campaigns, television and print.
Reader Comments:
On my last deployment, I took the book to Iraq with me. After arriving, a friend asked me to read it so I told him he could borrow it. It took me five months to get it back and by that point, every Marine on the base had read it except for me! When I finally did get a chance to read it, I understood why it been in such high demand. Three Lives is a great, fun and unique book. I DARE you not to get sucked into it.
- Carl Orrell, Iraq War Vet and Purple Heart Recipient
Although I don’t find myself reading a lot of books in this genre, I have to admit . . . this book drew me in from page one and kept me caught up in the action until the very end. I loved it and I can’t wait to see what comes out of Mr. Washington’s brain (pen) next.
- Sandra Moran, Professor of Anthropology and Freelance Writer
March 21, 2010
Riverhead Hardcover
Available 03/23/10 in Hardcover
The Walter Mosley and his new hero, Leonid McGill, are back in the new New York Times-bestselling mystery series that’s already being hailed as a classic of contemporary noir.
Leonid McGill-the protagonist introduced in The Long Fall, the book that returned Walter Mosley to bestseller lists nationwide -is still fighting to stick to his reformed ways while the world around him pulls him in every other direction. He has split up with his girlfriend, Aura, because his new self won’t let him leave his wife-but then Aura’s new boyfriend starts angling to get Leonid kicked out of his prime, top-of-the-skyscraper office space. Meanwhile, one of his sons seems to have found true love-but the girl has a shady past that’s all of sudden threatening the whole McGill family-and his other son, the charming rogue Twilliam, is doing nothing but enabling the crisis.
Most ominously of all, Alfonse Rinaldo, the mysterious power-behind- the-throne at City Hall, the fixer who seems to control every little thing that happens in New York City, has a problem that even he can’t fix- and he’s come to Leonid for help. It seems a young woman has disappeared, leaving murder in her wake, and it means everything to Rinaldo to track her down. But he won’t tell McGill his motives, which doesn’t quite square with the new company policy- but turning down Rinaldo is almost impossible to even contemplate.
Known to Evil delivers on all the promise of the characters and story lines introduced in The Long Fall, and then some. It careens fast and deep into gritty, glittery contemporary Manhattan, making the city pulse in a whole new way, and it firmly establishes Leonid McGill as one of the mystery world’s most iconic, charismatic leading men.
March 14, 2010
The bestselling mysteries featuring African American characters or by African Americans for 2010 (as of 3/1/2010).
- Diary of a Stalker (Urban Renaissance) by Electa Rome Parks
(Urban Trade Paper, 01/01/10, Paperback)
| Never judge a book by its cover. . . Xavier Preston is tall, dark, and handsome, and the problem is that he knows it. He’s a bestselling author who is accustomed to adoring female fans, both young and old, flirting with him, throwing themselves shamelessly at him, and trying to get between more than the covers of his novels. He has always been more than willing to accommodate their needs and desires; however, his womanizing days have finally ended. He’s engaged to a beautiful woman, Kendall, and he’s decided to walk the straight and narrow. Or has he? From outside appearances, the very stunning Pilar has it all: a great career, a beautiful home, and a trust fund that keeps her financially secure; however, looks can be deceiving. All that glitters isn’t necessarily gold. Pilar is searching for her perfect soulmate, and she thinks she has found him in Xavier. She believes in going after what she wants with a vengeance . . . and she wants Xavier. That is not negotiable. She will have him, even if it kills him. When Xavier meets his fanatical fan, Pilar, he gets much more than he bargained for. What starts out as an erotic one-night stand quickly spirals out of control into a dangerous game of obsession and pain with both parties playing to win. Think you know what goes on behind the literary scene? Think again. |
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- From Cape Town with Love: A Tennyson Hardwick Novel by Blair Underwood
(Atria, 05/18/10, Hardcover)
- Exorsistah: X Returns by Claudia Mair Burney
(Pocket Star, 09/28/10, Mass Market Paperback)
| SHE’S GOT THE LORD ON HER SIDE AND AN ANGEL BEHIND HER. DON’T CROSS X. Now that Emme Vaughn is finally eighteen, she’s ready to strut her devil-whooping diva boots into Saint Dymphna’s Psychiatric Hospital and spring her mama out. Only problem is a lady named Jane Doe beat her to it…two years ago. Jane is as mysterious as her name, but she holds the key to saving Emme’s mama and revealing exactly how Emme got into this evil-fighting business — if Emme can find her. To complicate matters, hottie Francis wants her to be his girlfriend, but Emme’s not about to come between her man and God’s plan. No, the Exorsistah is on a mission that even a scary three-headed demon can’t stop (and the Lord knows it is trying). With a lot of prayer, a couple of archangels, and the help of some new soul-friends, X is armed for battle against a malicious force that will do anything to destroy her. But when she needs His Word the most, will she know where to find it? |
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- The New Slavery System by Joseph Etute
(AuthorHouse, 01/26/10, Paperback)
| Every day hundreds of African migrants cross the Atlantic Ocean to the Canary Islands in search of the so-called ‘better life’. Thousands more are crossing into Malta and Italy, while a lot more attempt to make the journey through the Desert of Sahara. This journey that is no more no less than a New Slavery System is taking the lives of Africans at a much faster rate than even the old chain-bounded slavery system. It is quite unfortunate, totally shameful and disgraceful that a continent like Africa, so richly endowed with both human and natural resources, has now become the parasites of the 21st century. It is indeed a curse on the continent that African youth now prefer to pay into foreign slavery, rather than living in freedom and dignity. The time is now for us to seek atonement; the time is now for us to regain back ourselves and come back to our senses; the time is now for us to shine the light of knowledge into the shadows and darkness of ignorance; the time is now to stand-up as free Africans rather than been enslaved by foreign currencies. It is time for a change! It is time to write history once again as we break the chains and shackles of this new slavery system – which is the whole essence of this book. |
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- Dreadlock Jones and the Missing Treasures by Kami Kinard
(Putnam Juvenile, 01/06/11, Hardcover)
- Three Lives by Joe Washington
(MidMerc L.L.C/Midnight Mercury, 02/15/10, Paperback)
| For most of us, one life is enough. Imagine having three. Nicholas Gambit did. One man, three very different reasons for being. Almost graduated from University and soon to leave a Kansas City ghetto he can t wait to get away from, Nicholas is drawn into a conflict he wants no part of. His world crashing down around him, surrounded by violence, he learns he has some very special talents. Even with those talents, he finds he can t protect everyone and when the nightmare is finally over, he is consumed. He is devoid of purpose, inconsolable, lost. Upon observing how Nicholas conducts himself, and what he is capable of, agent John Wilkes devises a new purpose for him. He soon invites his protege to enlist in a program few know exists. Too emotionally drained to see that it is a mistake, Nicholas allows himself to be secreted away into a life that he thinks will give his existence meaning and pit him against those who place themselves above the law. Instead, he finds himself at war with his own principles fearful he will become the enemy he has sworn to fight. In the course of the transformation from artless college student to inconceivably skilled government operative, Nicholas finds love where it is forbidden, is made into a cold blooded murderer, and ultimately seeks out redemption by allowing another a chance to rediscover her own humanity. |
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- Tre Pound by Jordan Belcher
(Art Official Media LLC, 04/19/10, Paperback)
| The murder of an esteemed drug dealer has Levour “Tre Pound” King fighting for his life, not just in court, where he s facing life without parole, but in the unforgiving streets, where his enemies prefer to give him the death penalty. Tre Pound comes from a family of well-known hustlers, he s a hood star . Woman are his playthings; even a secret affair with his homeboy s little sister doesn’t satisfy him. He is 21 years old and believes the city belongs to the Kings. Tre Pound has swagger and the money of a businessman, he roams throughout the ghetto untouched — and in his pastime, he robs drug dealers. Not once has he used a mask. He wants his victims to know it was him. Tre Pound s exploits affect his 15-year-old cousin, Camille King. Camille hates that Tre Pound runs off all her boyfriends and fears she ll always be alone. Will she ever find love? Will Tre Pound end up behind bars or gunned down? Or will the unthinkable happen? Cross into the perilous streets of Kansas City, Missouri, and find out …… |
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- Obsessive/Obsession by Toye Brown
(Outskirts Press, 03/02/10, Paperback)
| Fixation…greed…AnticipationWho is trying to bring the family down and at what cost? The Lofton sisters had it all, money, success, and happiness. Now someone wanted a part of it. Follow the lives of the four sisters as they unite to unravel the mystery of who is stalking them. The romance and intrigue the sisters endure is captivating. The suspense will keep you on the edge of your seat; the humor will have you laughing out loud…. |
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- God Don’t Play by Mary Monroe
(Dafina, 04/01/10, Paperback)
| From Mary Monroe, beloved author of God Don’t Like Ugly and God Still Don’t Like Ugly, comes the entwined stories of two lifelong friends, their secrets and lies, and a new challenge that could destroy their relationship once and for all… With a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter, and a lovely house to come home to every night, forty-five-year-old Annette Goode finally has it all. Heaven knows she paid her dues–from a childhood filled with abuse to a rocky start as an adult. Annette’s friend Rhoda knows too, for Rhoda has been both her savior and her greatest fear. Their erratic relationship has survived some serious bumps in the road. But now that things are good, someone apparently thinks they’re a little too good… When Annette receives an anonymous–and menacing–birthday gift, it’s just the beginning of a slew of hostile letters, vicious phone calls, and vile packages from a female who is obviously disguising her voice. Gaining comfort from the support of Rhoda and Rhoda’s teenage daughter, Jade, Annette hopes that somehow the problem will go away. But when the threats extend to her little daughter, Annette realizes the situation is dire. And she’s right, for soon her tormentor reveals exactly what she wants–and how it could destroy everything Annette has built… |
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February 8, 2010
Dafina
Available 04/01/10 in Paperback
From Mary Monroe, beloved author of God Don’t Like Ugly and God Still Don’t Like Ugly, comes the entwined stories of two lifelong friends, their secrets and lies, and a new challenge that could destroy their relationship once and for all…
With a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter, and a lovely house to come home to every night, forty-five-year-old Annette Goode finally has it all. Heaven knows she paid her dues–from a childhood filled with abuse to a rocky start as an adult. Annette’s friend Rhoda knows too, for Rhoda has been both her savior and her greatest fear. Their erratic relationship has survived some serious bumps in the road. But now that things are good, someone apparently thinks they’re a little too good…
When Annette receives an anonymous–and menacing–birthday gift, it’s just the beginning of a slew of hostile letters, vicious phone calls, and vile packages from a female who is obviously disguising her voice. Gaining comfort from the support of Rhoda and Rhoda’s teenage daughter, Jade, Annette hopes that somehow the problem will go away. But when the threats extend to her little daughter, Annette realizes the situation is dire. And she’s right, for soon her tormentor reveals exactly what she wants–and how it could destroy everything Annette has built…
January 11, 2010
Deep Deception (Urban Renaissance)
by Tina Brooks McKinney
Urban Books
Available 11/01/09 in Paperback
Death has a way of exposing secrets better left untold, and no one knows this better than sisters Elena and Adora Perez. They are about to find out that things aren’t always as they seem.
Elena takes a bite of forbidden fruit when she becomes romantically involved with her boss. The one-night fling leaves her pregnant with another man’s child and headed straight to divorce court.
Adora can identify with her sister as she, too, harbors a secret love that goes against their strict upbringing. After the sudden death of their mother, Adora enlists the help of her lover to unravel a decade’s worth of deceit.
Armed with letters written by their father, the sisters soon find out that deception runs deep, and their time here in America has been based on a lie. The man they once respected has become a symbol of fear with a hidden agenda, and he has no intentions of releasing them from a contract they didn’t sign.
Deep Deception demonstrates how greed and the love of money can twist perception. As the mystery unfolds, readers will be shocked by the consequences of these vices.
December 30, 2009
The Morning Show Murders: A Novel
by Al Roker
Delacorte Press
Available 11/24/09 in Hardcover
Nobody can dish morning TV like Al Roker, who’s seen every side of a business that looks good on camera — even when sharks are circling inside the gleaming glass Manhattan media headquarters. Treachery abounds in Roker’s riotously thrilling debut novel — at once an ingenious murder mystery and a delicious behind-the-scenes look at network TV. As fact and fiction collide and the backbiting ignites, The Morning Show Murders will make you wonder: How much of this stuff is real?
Network TV can be murder. Just ask Billy Blessing, famous for his smile, charm, and ability to survive the shark tank that is high-stakes morning TV. But though Billy has outlived his fair share of prima-donnas, his cooking segment on Wake Up America! is a staple of the American diet, and his Manhattan bistro is a mega-success, his career has just taken a very dangerous turn: His show’s perky cohost, Gin McCauley, has launched into some brass-knuckles contract negotiations. A visiting Mossad agent is about to tell all on the air. And then the network’s head honcho is murdered in his luxury apartment, and an ambitious D.A. decides that Billy is to blame.
Forensics show that Gerry Gallagher was poisoned and that the fatal coq au vin came from Billy’s restaurant. Gerry had an impressive list of women in his black book — and a news assignment in Afghanistan had plunged the TV exec into the heart of a violent international secret. Now unsavory characters are coming out of the woodwork, and another murder strikes the show’s inner circle. Billy knows that someone’s trying to frame him. He also knows that a ruthless international assassin has just arrived in New York City. And suddenly, for the most trusted guy on TV the ultimate career move is not about ratings. It’s about staying alive — and stopping the next murder from becoming tomorrow’s breaking news.
December 5, 2009
Atria
Available 9/22/09
From award-winning, national bestselling author Tracy Price-Thompson comes a sexy, thrilling new novel featuring a working woman whose obsessive clients are determined to get her all to themselves.
Bertha Sampson is a sensuous but severely disfigured woman who turns to selling phone sex in order to satisfy some of her most erotic fantasies. Blessed with a silky voice, a kinky wit, and the ability to construct erotic portraits through words, she lulls men into her fantasies and builds a colorful clientele base as a phone sex worker. Bertha’s distinctive voice allows her to escape the bonds of her physical limitations. But intimate attachments can be formed in many ways, even through a phone line, and to her horror anonymous sex is not always anonymous. Her sumptuous voice and phone skills are so captivating that two of her clients become obsessed with meeting her in the flesh. They both relentlessly track her down — one seeking her love, the other seeking her life.
August 29, 2009
Goldman House Publishing
Available 11/01/09
Waverly Sloan is a down-on-his-luck lawyer. But just when he’s about to hit rock bottom, he stumbles upon a business with the potential to solve all of his problems. In Waverly’s new line of work, he comes to the aid of people in desperate need of cash. But there’s a catch. His clients must be terminally ill and willing to sign over rights to their life insurance policies before they can collect a dime. Waverly then finds investors eager to advance them thousands of dollars — including a hefty broker’s fee for himself — in exchange for a significant return on their investment once the clients take their last breath. The stakes get higher when Waverly brokers the policy of the cancer-stricken wife of Lawrence Erickson, a high-powered lawyer who’s bucking to become the next U.S. Attorney General. When Waverly’s clients start dying sooner than they should, both Waverly and Erickson — who has some skeletons of his own to hide — are unwittingly drawn into a perilous web of greed, blackmail and murder.
June 13, 2009
Black Water Rising: A Novel
by Attica Locke
Harper
Available 06/01/09
Writing in the tradition of Dennis Lehane and Greg Iles, Attica Locke, a powerful new voice in American fiction, delivers a brilliant debut thriller that readers will not soon forget.
Jay Porter is hardly the lawyer he set out to be. His most promising client is a low-rent call girl and he runs his fledgling law practice out of a dingy strip mall. But he’s long since made peace with not living the American Dream and carefully tucked away his darkest sins: the guns, the FBI file, the trial that nearly destroyed him. Houston, Texas, 1981. It is here that Jay believes he can make a fresh start. That is, until the night in a boat out on the bayou when he impulsively saves a woman from drowning — and opens a Pandora’s box. Her secrets put Jay in danger, ensnaring him in a murder investigation that could cost him his practice, his family, and even his life. But before he can get to the bottom of a tangled mystery that reaches into the upper echelons of Houston’s corporate power brokers, Jay must confront the demons of his past. With pacing that captures the reader from the first scene through an exhilarating climax, Black Water Rising marks the arrival of an electrifying new talent.
