Fleet Angels Wins Silver in the Stars and Flag Military Book Awards

Fleet Angels author Barbara Marriott with her award-winning book
 — and check out the giant award hanging from the back!

We at Loose Leaves have plenty of reason to celebrate at the end of 2013. Our first book, The Fleet Angels of Lakehurst by Barbara Marriott, has been awarded the silver medal in nonfiction in the Stars and Flag Military Book Contest.

JK: Welcome to the blog, Barbara! Can you tell us a little more about the organization and the award?

BM: The Stars and Flag Military Book contest is one of the few national book contests strictly for military books. I heard about it from the Military Writers of American Society, an organization for military authors, publishers, and those interested in military books, of which I'm a member.

The Fleet Angels of Lakehurst won the silver medal in the nonfiction subject category. There are only two winners in each category, a gold and a silver. All other winners are designated Honorable Mention. The winners receive a gold or silver medal, a tee shirt, book stickers, and a publicity release, plus a write-up on amazon.com. Winners are announced nationally. 

JK: Congratulations! That's quite an achievement. What first inspired you to write about the Fleet Angels?

BM: My husband was a navy helicopter pilot, and while I was a young bride and mother, it was his first tour of duty. He was gone, deployed on naval ships, about 75% of the time. Since the squadron deployed detachments of one or two aircraft and crews there was a constant changeover in the men who were home at any given time. The squadron was always there to help wives whose husbands were deployed, and the wives, with husbands away, and in charge of homes and families, were very close. It was a family. We were there for each other through births, and, yes, death, fun, and happiness. 

Years later, as a Commander, my husband was ordered back to the Fleet Angels as the executive, then commanding officer, so I got to see the other side. Now it was up to me to be the one there for the wives as they faced deployments, family duties, and managing their households. Being the CO's wife I could cut through red tape, had the CO's ear, and had years of experience. 

There really is nothing new when it comes to hardships. Naval Air Station Lakehurst was in the boonies, a long runway, some buildings all surrounded by thick pine barrows, yet all of us young wives made our life-time friends there. The book was written not only to honor the men (and there were just men at the time) whose primary military mission was to SAVE LIVES, but in honor of the wives who took on life's challenges with determination and sometimes innovativeness. After 80+ years of life, I still believe the toughest job in the world is that of a Navy Wife. Not all succeed and there certainly isn't a lot of money or fame in doing the job.

When I attended a reunion at Lakehurst, put together by some of the younger officers who had retired, I decided to write the book. Their camaraderie was, as always, something to see, and it was still strong after years of not seeing each other. Stories flew. 

JK: How did you do the research for the book? Was it as much fun as it seems in the book?

BM: With the help of Dale Sokal, the organizer, we contacted the list of former Fleet Angels he had and I started gathering their stories. It was done mostly via email and I became part of the communications process. I was included in the comments flying back and forth between former shipmates, and their humor popped to the front immediately when they argued over issues like who really did fly Bob Hope and who delivered the most cookies in Vietnam. They gave each other a hard time, they relived the problems they faced, and they mourned dead shipmates. The contacts were with officers and enlisted sailors. Men who had not heard from each other got reconnected, and through it all, the sad and happy stories there was a sense of pride, in the squadron, in each other, within themselves. 

JK: Did you have a specific goal in getting these amazing stories to readers?

BM: Until The Fleet Angels of Lakehurst was published, Lakehurst was known only because the Hindenburg crashed there. I would like to think that now some people know that Lakehurst is the birthplace of two of the navy's finest historical squadrons... one of which, The Fleet Angels, is still saving lives at sea, at home, and around the world. The squadron is no longer at Lakehurst, NJ, its birth place. It is now based in Norfolk, VA.

The well-reviewed (seven five-stars on Amazon), award-winning Fleet Angels is available in softcover direct from Loose Leaves or from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or your favorite bookstore. It's also available for very little money in the most popular ebook venues: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

New Review for No Turning Back

With great fanfare at the end of its publication year, No Turning Back has just received a respectful, endorsing, review from Corina Martínez Chaudhry at The Latino Author. Some highlights:

The author captures the essence of Elisa's internal struggle and she gets into the character's head using great skill. In this realm, she takes the reader back to when Elisa was heavily involved within the [Communist] party and describes the struggles that took place. This includes the torture that occurred during her time in prison. It is very vivid in details and definitely an adult book.

The author excellently captures the internal head discussions of someone who is not sure what to do in this situation and she takes the reader through the many scenarios and emotions that can reveal themselves. In addition, the author gives the reader some insight into the sexual imbalance of Spanish culture (the church, the government, the population, etc.) and the internal and external struggles that women face from these type of patriarchal societies. 

What the author does splendidly is provide the reader with some great insight into the struggle by a people during the Franco government, and also takes a look at a slice of life from a female perspective. A job well done! 

The author is a good writer and the story is an interesting one. I would definitely pick up another one of this author's books. 

Click here to read the entire review. 

No Turning Back is available in soft cover at a discount direct from Loose Leaves, or from Amazon, Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookstore. It's also in the most popular ebook formats: Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Happy New Year from Loose Leaves Publishing!

Interview with Author D. S. Milan

D. S. Milan's A Year of Starless Nights has just been released and is already becoming a hit on Kindle! It has four spectacular reviews, three of them five-star! I asked her a few questions and she answered with admirable conciseness.

JK: How long have you been writing fiction? 

DSM: I'm embarrassed and proud at the same time, to say I've been writing fiction for far too long... however, now with my children grown, I can focus on it. I finally know what I want to do when I grow up! 

JK: No hurry! What inspired A Year of Starless Nights? 

DSM: Many things, but the concept was born after the birth of my own daughter. I thought about how so many cultures have no value for girl children. I just could not fathom not loving my tiny daughter completely and absolutely. Also, I had just returned from a trip to India, and I knew I had to include the juxtaposition of the serious and the silly that one encounters so often over there.

JK: That mixture is what makes A Year of Starless Nights so much fun to read. What kind of research did you do for the book? 

DSM: Actually, I was sitting in my neighborhood library when I thought up the first draft, so I did a lot of my research the old fashioned way, with books and printed articles. Of course my trip to India helped immensely. Ultimately, I did use the internet as well. 

JK: What attracted you to Loose Leaves? 

DSM: I saw that Loose Leaves was interested in YA, and women's fiction - I think my book qualifies for both. And then I noticed that they do not want 'gratuitous sex and violence' which is aligned with my own philosophy! Maybe a bit old-fashioned...but there it is. 

JK: We think of it as not having read a lot of things we would never pick up, anyway! Thank you for being here and congratulations on your amazing first book.

A Year of Starless Nights is available in Kindle, Nook, and Kobo and in softcover from Loose Leaves, at Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, or request it at your favorite bookstore or library. Visit D. S. Milan's website, too!

Debut of A Year of Starless Nights

Loose Leaves is pleased to announce our first YA title, A Year of Starless Nights by new author D. S. Milan. It's an important story that will entertain each reader as much as a Bollywood movie.

Shilpi is a spirited thirteen year old girl — too old to be a bride.

Her parents, unable to take care of her any longer, seek out an old man from a faraway village who agrees to be Shilpi's “husband.” She quickly learns that the real master of the house is not the husband, but his twisted grown daughter, who tries to use Shilpi as her personal slave.

Inspired by a female doctor and the romance of Bollywood, a bold Shilpi dares to demand the unthinkable: respect for herself and for all women.

This exciting novel leads the reader on one daring girl’s journey, combining the romantic dreams of every thirteen year old girl with the harsh and demeaning realities that face too many girls and young women who have no choice but to live in these oppressed societies.

The embroidered stars (done by our own cover designer, Megan Eichenlaub) on the cover are a nod to Shilpi's stint in an airless, lightless sweatshop where girls her age and younger must sew mirrors onto fabric or face the wrath of the Executioner. Learn more about the combination of serious issues with fun adventures in this novel in an interview with the author, soon to appear right here.

A Year of Starless Nights is available in Kindle, Nook, and Kobo and in softcover from Loose Leaves, at Amazon, and Barnes and Noble, or request it at your favorite bookstore or library.

New Interview and Cyber Monday

Don't miss this new interview with Diane Lefer and the Creative Athiest. You'll find out how Diane got into social activism and how her fiction fights foolishness. Best of all, there's a lot of illuminating discussion of The Fiery Alphabet.

And when you shop with Loose Leaves this Cyber Monday, you're sure to come away with great stories, award-winning authors, and hours of entertainment for a truly reasonable price. Go to our Books page to check out all the options. Remember: when you buy softcovers direct from us, it's cheaper than Amazon!

Update: A Year of Starless Nights hasn't officially debuted, but the author has already had her first interview!  A Year of Starless Nights shows how far a girl has to go to demand respect in rural India.

Interviews and Awards for Diane Lefer and Lidia Falcón - Please Vote!

Diane Lefer, author of our bestselling title, The Fiery Alphabet, has a thoroughly entertaining interview and excerpt from the novel now at Numéro Cinq.

She's also featured in an extensive interview about her other books and activism this month at Writer's Chronicle (text available only to subscribers).

Loose Leaves Publishing has officially nominated The Fiery Alphabet and No Turning Back for the prestigious PEN/Faulkner Award. Cross your fingers!

Meanwhile, No Turning Back is also up for a popularity award. Please help us out! It's very simple to go to Typographical Era, scroll to No Turning Back by Lidia Falcón, and vote with the press of a button until November 28. (One vote only per IP address.) We really appreciate your support!

Ebook Bargains

Two pieces of news our ebook readers are sure to love:

First, All Loose Leaves Publishing ebooks, for the foreseeable future, will be sold for the unmistakably reasonable price of $3.99 US (and exchange-rate comparable international prices) across all ebook platforms. Averaging 100,000 words each, that means you get the most exciting reads for a rate of .0000399 cents per word!

The Fleet Angels, our most highly rated book, for only $3.99!

No Turning Back, our Top Five Political Fiction Bestseller, at the low price of $3.99!

Our current bestseller, the highly regarded indie favorite, The Fiery Alphabet, just $3.99!

And, perfect for Halloween, our astonishing new thriller A Predatory Mind, for loose change, $3.99!

Second, Loose Leaves Publishing participates in the just-launched Kindle Matchbook program. So, for example, if you've purchased Fleet Angels in soft cover on Amazon and you'd like to take it with you on the go on your Kindle device, computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can do it for the even further discounted price of just $1.99, which is half what anyone else would pay. The bargain is mind-blowing. Exactly the same deal is already available for The Fiery Alphabet and A Predatory Mind. No Turning Back's Matchbook deal will go live soon.

Enjoy the cooler weather with great books at even better prices.

FREE Book Just in Time for Halloween

A book about notorious serial killer Henry Holmes seems only too appropriate for the scary season. Loose Leaves released the fictional version in A Predatory Mind. Now the author, Martin Hill Ortiz, has made his study of all the gory details available free for your ghoulish enjoyment.

He may have worn silly bowler hats and charmed all the ladies, but his intelligence was in the service of madness. Holmes committed ghastly acts of inconceivable cruelty. Let Martin Hill Ortiz take you through the cobwebbed corners of this twisted mind for free.

It's an informative way to spend "thriller night!"

Get it at Smashwords or at www.apredatorymind.com. Soon to appear on all the distribution channels.

A Predatory Mind is available in paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your favorite online bookstore, or direct from Loose Leaves Publishing (signed copies coming soon!). You can also get it for Kindle in any country, for Nook or for Kobo (which can be used on any epub-compatible device.)

Author Interview: Martin Hill Ortiz on A Predatory Mind

Please welcome Loose Leaves author Martin Hill Ortiz. He's here to talk about our latest release, his thriller A Predatory Mind.

JK: How long have you been writing fiction? 

MHO: I've been writing forever. Even while in high school I submitted short stories (unsuccessfully) to Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen's. I suppose I became a serious writer about 20 years back, a more serious writer about ten years ago. A lot of this time was spent on poetry and theater. I would say for fiction writing my skills finally meshed about five years ago.

I see writing as the craft of communication. If my readers aren't wowed by my piece, it is my fault. I can communicate better.

JK: What was the inspiration for A Predatory Mind?

MHO: I can give you the building blocks piece by piece. The inspiration for the first scene I wrote, that of Rickert performing his classroom experiment, came from the 1957 Tourneur film, Night of the Demon. In it, there is a scene of unbearable suspense as a catatonic mental patient is hypnotized. He is forced to relive the moments that drove him mad. You know something horrible is going to come of this, and it does.

From that first scene, I imagined following Rickert into a larger, more disastrous undertaking. I sought to invoke the chills of my favorite haunted mansion story, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House.

The idea for adding Tesla and Holmes to the equation came from considering Holmes' murder castle as a model for my haunted house. Although I didn't follow up on this idea and chose a haunted library, I got to thinking about Holmes in The Devil in the White City, an allegory of light (literally, electrical lighting) and darkness. Tesla was a minor character in this, but I knew him well. I had written a story with him in it a dozen years back. I thought the pair would make for an exciting contrast, a virtual geek-gasm.

Nikola Tesla

Tesla and Holmes are such incredible individuals that they astound the imagination. They became a major inspiration in themselves.

Finally, the terror of being locked in together and not knowing who to trust and who not to trust came from Campbell's Who Goes There? and Christie's Ten Little Indians.

My first draft was akin to a graphic novel. I had pages of Tesla's notes, letters from Holmes, bits of history, etc., mixed in between with the story of Rickert, Fischer and the others. This was good, but I found it was even better to have Tesla with his personality haunting his lab, not just lab notes.

JK: What kind of research did you do for the intricate, accurate plot?

MHO: Lots! I love research, becoming engrossed in another time. I read five biographies of Tesla and three books about Holmes. I went back to original newspaper articles to find how things were phrased at the time. I have a wonderful old quirky thesaurus that provides me with the wording used a century ago. I tried to make the science as real as possible - I am a scientist.

Within that, I had to make allowances. The invention is part fanciful. Yes, Tesla did not patent anything for 1894 and '95 but mostly because his laboratory burnt down.

JK: What attracted you to Loose Leaves? 

MHO: I was searching for a publisher and noted that Loose Leaves had an interest both in thrillers and history. I further researched the background of the principal players and found that, although this was a new venture, they had been working in literary circles for a time. I bought one of their books and found it professionally done. Definitely worth a query!

Holmes

JK: The cover turned out amazing! How did it come about?

MHO: The cover is a graphic representation of the thought-cloud devices that play such a central role in the novel and hints at Holmes' role, too. A first draft of the cover art came from my wife, Ana Fajardo. She has a B.A. in graphic design and a Masters in Visual Arts. Her paintings explore what is hidden and mystical inside of lines, drippings and patterns. Megan Eichenlaub [Loose Leaves' graphic designer] went with the idea and polished it to the final, dramatic product.

JK: What's next in your fiction career?

MHO: Although I've been writing for a while now, this past year I've just begun to have multiple successes. I sold a western-thriller novella, Dead Man's Trail, to another publisher about the time I sold A Predatory Mind. Hopefully it will come out in the next few months. I've had four short stories accepted to anthologies this past year and they are appearing one by one.

I'm working on a sequel to A Predatory Mind and hope to have a draft by January. It has more interactions between Holmes and Tesla and a few new mixes in the brew. I don't want to give away its plot or central conceit, but I guarantee it will be loads of fun.

JK: I'm sure it will be. Thank you for being here with us. 

Martin Hill Ortiz

Please don't hesitate to visit Martin's website, www.apredatorymind.com, where you'll find a free ebook with tons of information about the two historical characters, inventor Tesla and evil embodied Holmes.

A Predatory Mind is available in paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your favorite online bookstore, or direct from Loose Leaves Publishing (signed copies coming soon!). You can also get it for Kindle in any country, for Nook or for Kobo (which can be used on any epub-compatible device.)

Please contact info at looseleavespublishing.com to see if you qualify for a free review copy of this amazing novel!

A Predatory Mind Debut

Eight intelligent people are locked in an abandoned library.

One is a murderer.

They believe they can identify the killer using reason. They believe if they don’t take risks, they will be safe.

They are wrong.

In the 1890’s, Nikola Tesla created an invention that let him in- side the mind of the psychotic killer known as Henry H. Holmes. To his horror, Tesla not only read Holmes’s thoughts, he received part of his personality.

More than a century later, unprincipled scientist Dr. Gordon Rickert is recruited to replicate Tesla’s research. Before long, Rickert and his colleagues unwittingly resurrect a long dead evil. To undo the damage, they agree to lock themselves in together. As they are picked off, one by one, the investigators must determine who among them is harboring a predatory mind.

Loose Leaves Publishing is proud to announce that our first thriller is now available for purchase. 

This editor doesn't normally read thrillers or anything about serial killers, but as I was doing the second edit, more than once I caught myself holding my breath and speed-reading just to find out what would happen next. A fast pace, smart characters, witty dialog and an imaginative premise round out what's great about A Predatory Mind. Tesla and Holmes are based on historical characters, and you will be astonished to find out about their respective accomplishments and madness. A must read!

A Predatory Mind is available in paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, your favorite online bookstore, or direct from Loose Leaves Publishing (signed copies coming soon!). You can also get it for Kindle in any country, for Nook or for Kobo (which can be used on any epub-compatible device.)

Please contact info at looseleavespublishing.com to see if you qualify for a free review copy of this amazing novel!