Beneath the Veil of Smoke and Ash (She Writes Press), by award-winning author Tammy Pasterick, is an exceptionally crafted novel about Pittsburgh, immigrants, and family.

 

Do you…work in the dental industry? Go to the dentist? Have teeth? If you answered, “Yes,” to any of those questions, you must read A Week of Warm Weather (Sparks Press) by Lee Bukowski.

If you remember the sixties or even heard stories about it from others, you’ll want to go along for the ride in SO HAPPY TOGETHER by Deborah K. Shepherd (She Writes Press).
 

This collection of twelve stories and a novella is a must-read.


 

What do you get when you combine the Wizard of Oz with Back to the Future? You get a delightfully nostalgic romp in Shine Until Tomorrow (Rare Bird Books, 2020) by Carla Malden.


 

Who is Luz and why does it matter? Debra Thomas’ debut novel Luz (She Writes Press) was an eye-opener for me.


 

In The Takeaway Men (Sparks Press), Meryl Ain sheds much-needed light on a topic rarely explored. What happened to the families that survived the Holocaust?

 

The sibling rivalry story in Sister Dear (Mira) by Hannah Mary McKinnon is as old as Cain and Abel. The difference is McKinnon throws a howitzer into the plot, turning this contemporary thriller unexpectedly inside out and upside down.