Release Day! The Book of Judges by Gary Fields #TheBookOfJudges #SparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Gary

on the release today of

The Book of Judges!

The Book of Judges: A Novel by Gary Fields

Thriller, Political Fiction, 336 pages

Published February 24, 2026 by SparkPress

For fans of Dan Brown, a debut contemporary thriller about a young lawyer thrust into a deadly search for an ancient secret—one that has the power to steer the course of destiny.

A beloved judge is murdered. His virus-infected laptop holds an ancient secret. Young lawyer Joshua Sutton, together with doctoral candidate Samantha Bollinger and tech wizard Mark Roth, are thrust into a deadly three-day quest for answers—a quest that leads them across millennia.

As Mark extracts clues from the computer, Josh and Sammi are chased around Florida by the hulking murderer and others who desperately want the laptop.

Josh and Sammi realize they’ve both been haunted by dreams about historical judges. In Mongol-ruled China, Imperial Rome, Byzantium, post-Renaissance Venice, Henry VIII’s England, and Charlemagne’s Frankish kingdom, judges heroically seek justice in life-and-death cases that come to define human rights. As they do, they are exposed to a startling secret.

Josh, Sammi, and Mark end up in a pulse-pounding race to New York City to stop the murder of another judge, one who could potentially save humanity.

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Praise for The Book of Judges

“Deftly plotted and lightning paced, The Book of Judges is a masterful blend of modern-day thriller and historical fiction that rivets you from page one and never lets go.”—Sheldon Siegel, New York Times bestselling author of Special Circumstances

“Fields delivers a twisty thriller with a delightfully unusual plot that takes readers from 11th-century Normandy and England to 13th-century Beijing and beyond. . . . a fun and thoughtful adventure through the ages.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Fields’s debut will satisfy avid fans of Dan Brown-style historical conspiracy thrillers.”—Library Journal

    

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About the author

Gary Fields was born in Brooklyn, raised in Queens, and dreamed of playing centerfield for the Yankees. But music and lyrics were always in his heart. He started writing poetry early on, enamored with meter and rhymes. As an undergraduate at SUNY Albany, he taught himself guitar and wrote a song on the first two chords he learned. Three hundred songs later, he performed professionally for a time as a solo acoustic artist around New York City. But the real world, and the limits on his musical talents, came calling.

He’d hoped to become a lawyer. Again, it was the words. Putting words together convincingly, poetically, passionately, on behalf of his clients. But, as a college freshman, he’d been warned that there were too many lawyers and not enough jobs. So he earned a degree in math/computer science and went on to program and design computer systems for American Express and Ryder Trucks.

Making corporations more efficient, it turned out, didn’t appeal to him. He and the love of his life, his wife, Debbie, decided to put themselves through law school at night at the University of Miami. Three grueling years later, they earned their degrees. It was there, in Coral Gables, where he first was entranced by banyan trees.

Gary and Debbie settled in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, where they raised their two sons, David and Dan, and their daughter, Lauren, along with Goldie, their golden retriever. Gary coached youth sports for eighteen years, coaching all three kids in basketball, his boys in Little League, and his daughter in softball.

He built a law practice specializing in community associations and soon found himself pulled into civic activism in the local community. He ended up leading a six-thousand-person volunteer effort to control a major airport planned nearby. After a multi-year battle that included a media campaign, coordination with a roster of aviation experts, and arduous negotiations with county and city governments, Gary’s team succeeded in keeping the airport a small, tightly regulated facility. The experience meshed with Gary’s interest in individual rights. That, along with his passion for historical fiction and thrillers, led him back, again, to the words.

The Book of Judges is Gary’s first novel. He is currently working on a sequel. Gary and Debbie now live in Southern California, close to the rest of their family. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Gary

Website  | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day! Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key by Matt Fogelson ~ My Thoughts #Restrung

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Matt

on the release today of

Restrung!

Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key by Matt Fogelson

Memoir, Fatherhood, 304 pages

Published February 3, 2026 by SparkPress

Weaving the author’s coming of age in 1980s New York with his life as a father today, this Nick Hornby–meets–Cheryl Strayed debut memoir examines father-son relationships, the pain of early parent loss, and the importance of embracing your passions.

For nearly fifteen years, Matt Fogelson didn’t recognize how deeply the early death of his workaholic father had affected him. Then he had a son of his own and the floodgates opened, helping him realize that even deeper than the wound left by his father’s death were the wounds inflicted by his absence while alive.

Restrung follows Fogelson from his beginnings as a music-loving kid combing through vinyl in Greenwich Village, through his struggles to overcome his grief during young adulthood, and into becoming a man who is startled by the reemergence of his long-suppressed passion for music after becoming a father. Told with humor, grief, and hope, it’s the story of a passionate music lover’s effort to break free of the real and imagined constraints standing between him and his best life—an effort that ultimately allows Fogelson’s son to know his father in a way Fogelson never knew his.

Funny and deeply honest, Restrung is a balm for every father and son fortunate enough to still have each other in their lives. It will inspire readers to try to cross the emotional gulf that seems almost endemic to the father-son relationship and finally break through to one another.

My thoughts about Restrung ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"'River gonna take me, sing me sweet and sleepy. Sing me sweet and sleepy all the way back home.' Those were the words I sang that finally cracked the code, that finally nudged my two-day-old son Jed off to sleep his first night home.

Matt Fogelson documents the importance of music that he has felt his whole life in this interesting memoir. As he becomes a new father, he thinks back to the ways that music has influenced his thinking and feelings for as far back as he can remember. 

Growing up loving music, concerts, and playing record albums brought him clarity and thoughts to contemplate. After his father died, he struggled with how to go on, thinking about how much he missed his father and how much his father was missing out on his own son's life. As always, music was the savior comforting him through the bad times and blessing him during the good times. 

I enjoyed all the snippets of lyrics and mentions of bands sprinkled throughout the book. Each incident reminded me of how much music was, and still is, such a big part of my own life. In the end, Matt hopes that his own son will take comfort and strength from the music that is so important to him. 

Restrung: Fatherhood in a Different Key is a must read for all music lovers! 

I received an ARC of Restrung and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Matt Fogelson is a writer and former lawyer whose true passion is music, primarily of the classic rock variety. His Substack, Fine Tuning, blends personal storytelling with a love for the music that makes sense of life, centering on new artists and the intersection of music and parenting. 

His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Scary Mommy, and NPR. Matt resides in Oakland, California. ~ Amazon

Connect with Matt

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram | Amazon

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Release Day! Remember to Eat and Other Stories by Meryl Ain ~ My Thoughts #RememberToEat

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Meryl

on the release today of

Remember to Eat!

Remember to Eat and Other Stories by Meryl Ain

Multigenerational Fiction, 224 pages

Published January 20, 2026 by SparkPress

For fans of Hilma Wolitzer and Jhumpa Lahiri comes a collection of short stories about a mother and daughter as they navigate their changing roles through tumultuous times. 

Following a Jewish family from before World War II to the not-too-distant future, this collection of loosely linked short stories explores the experiences of Marjorie, a baby boomer; her mother, Alice; and the friends and family that make up their community over the decades. As they each pursue higher education and choose career paths, both mother and daughter encounter challenges as they make choices within a changing society—from in-law problems to illness to antisemitism and beyond. 

Sometimes poignant, sometimes humorous, Remember to Eat takes on themes including patriarchy, technology, the changing role of women, the challenges of raising children, the COVID-19 pandemic, complex family relationships, and what it means to be a Jew with empathy and insight. Ultimately, the twenty-two stories contained in these pages offer not only an intimate journey into these women’s lives but also an illuminating portrait of the times in which they live.

My thoughts about Remember to Eat ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"Margaret got pregnant on the first try only a few months after she and Eric married"

Remember to Eat is an entertaining, insightful saga of multi-generational women. There are funny, humorous incidents as well as beautiful, heartwarming moments as these individuals try to figure out life. 

I relished all of the stories and felt each one flowed easily into the next one as I came to know Marjorie and Alice. Their lives were interesting, while their experiences could be stories you might hear from your family members or your neighbors. 

Remember to Eat is a collection of stories that will stick with me a long time. There was entertainment and well as food for thought.

I received an ARC of Remember to Eat and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Meryl Ain is a writer, author, podcaster, and career educator. Her new collection of short stories, Remember to Eat, will be published on January 20. The Takeaway Men, her award-winning post-Holocaust debut novel, was published in 2020. The sequel, Shadows We Carry, was published on April 25.

Meryl's articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, and she is the author of two non-fiction books. She is the host of the podcast, People of the Book, and the founder of the Facebook group, Jews Love To Read!

Connect with Meryl

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Instagram

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North of Tomboy by Julie A. Swanson ~ My Thoughts #NorthOfTomboy @GoSparkPress

North of Tomboy by Julie A. Swanson

Middle Grade, Queer, Fiction, 376 pages

Published September 2, 2025, by SparkPress

For fans of Kacen Callender, Lin Thompson, and Kyle Lukoff, comes a middle grade novel set in 1973 about a child who feels more boy than girl and is frustrated that people act blind to that when—aside for her stupid hair and clothes—it should be obvious!

Shy fourth grader Jess Jezowski turns the tables on her mom when she’s given yet another girly baby doll for Christmas. This time, instead of ignoring or destroying it, she transforms it into the boy she’s always wanted to be—a brave, funny little guy named Mickey. Making him talk, Jess finally lets the boy in her express himself.

But when Mickey evolves to become something more like an alter ego whose voice drowns out her own and the secret of him escapes the safety of her family, Jess realizes Mickey’s too limited and doesn’t allow the boy part of her a big enough presence in the world. She must find a way to blend him into her—so she can be that side of herself anywhere, around anyone.

Jess tries to wean herself from the crutch of Mickey’s loud, comical persona, and to get her family to forget about him, but she struggles to do both. What will it take for her to stop hiding behind Mickey and get people to see her for who she truly is? Based on the author’s experience growing up on Michigan’s rural Leelanau Peninsula in the ’70s, North of Tomboy includes artwork throughout.

My thoughts about North of Tomboy ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"On the day I was born, God made a mistake."

North of Tomboy gives the reader interesting and enlightening insight to the confusion experienced by most young people in their pre-teen and teen years. Trying to figure out their bodies, minds, and the hormones during that turbulent time isn't easy.

Jess sees herself differently from the way others around her perceive her. When she creates another persona in Mickey, she becomes very comfortable using his personality for a lot of the situations she finds herself in. Will she be able to move past this shield that she has created with Mickey to discover her own true self? 

North of Tomboy is the perfect read for young people who might be struggling with their identity and may help them realize that they are not alone in their struggles.

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Praise for North of Tomboy

". . . a powerful, tender portrait of early gender exploration and self-acceptance, interwoven with charming illustrations."—Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

"North of Tomboy is an engaging novel that reveals the inner world of a creative child who explores and learns to express her nonconforming gender identity."—Foreword Reviews

"An adolescent's struggle with identity makes for a smart, fascinating read."—Kirkus Reviews

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About the author

Julie Swanson grew up on Michigan's "Little Finger", the Leelanau Peninsula, where many of her stories are set, but has lived in Wisconsin, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, California, and Virginia. 

For the past twenty-five years she's lived in Charlottesville, VA. Julie writes middle grade and young adult novels and enjoys sports, the outdoors, "making things" (almost any type of art or craft, woodworking), reading, writing, eating, planting trees, and spending time with family. She suddenly has 6 grandchildren! Good thing she loves kids. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Julie

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

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Release Day Spotlight! North of Tomboy by Julie A. Swanson #NorthOfTomboy @GoSparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congrats Julie

on the release today of

North of Tomboy!

North of Tomboy by Julie A. Swanson

Middle Grade, Queer, Fiction, 376 pages

Published September 2, 2025, by SparkPress

For fans of Kacen Callender, Lin Thompson, and Kyle Lukoff, comes a middle grade novel set in 1973 about a child who feels more boy than girl and is frustrated that people act blind to that when—aside for her stupid hair and clothes—it should be obvious!

Shy fourth grader Jess Jezowski turns the tables on her mom when she’s given yet another girly baby doll for Christmas. This time, instead of ignoring or destroying it, she transforms it into the boy she’s always wanted to be—a brave, funny little guy named Mickey. Making him talk, Jess finally lets the boy in her express himself.

But when Mickey evolves to become something more like an alter ego whose voice drowns out her own and the secret of him escapes the safety of her family, Jess realizes Mickey’s too limited and doesn’t allow the boy part of her a big enough presence in the world. She must find a way to blend him into her—so she can be that side of herself anywhere, around anyone.

Jess tries to wean herself from the crutch of Mickey’s loud, comical persona, and to get her family to forget about him, but she struggles to do both. What will it take for her to stop hiding behind Mickey and get people to see her for who she truly is? Based on the author’s experience growing up on Michigan’s rural Leelanau Peninsula in the ’70s, North of Tomboy includes artwork throughout.

Praise for North of Tomboy

". . . a powerful, tender portrait of early gender exploration and self-acceptance, interwoven with charming illustrations."—Readers' Favorite, 5-star review

"North of Tomboy is an engaging novel that reveals the inner world of a creative child who explores and learns to express her nonconforming gender identity."—Foreword Reviews

"An adolescent's struggle with identity makes for a smart, fascinating read."—Kirkus Reviews

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About the author

Julie Swanson grew up on Michigan's "Little Finger", the Leelanau Peninsula, where many of her stories are set, but has lived in Wisconsin, Iowa, Vermont, New Hampshire, California, and Virginia. 

For the past twenty-five years she's lived in Charlottesville, VA. Julie writes middle grade and young adult novels and enjoys sports, the outdoors, "making things" (almost any type of art or craft, woodworking), reading, writing, eating, planting trees, and spending time with family. She suddenly has 6 grandchildren! Good thing she loves kids. ~ Goodreads

Connect with Julie

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram

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Release Day! Open Bar by Dan Schorr ~ My Thoughts #OpenBar @danschorr @GoSparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulation Dan

on the release today of

Open Bar!

 

Open Bar by Dan Schorr 

Political Fiction, Thriller & Suspense, 336 pages

Published August 12, 2025 by SparkPress

When the longtime abuse by a university’s softball coach of teenagers in its youth summer softball program—and the university’s strategic cover-up of those crimes—comes to light, a community is turned upside down in this drama-filled thriller perfect for fans of Kate Elizabeth Russell and Allison Leotta.

Campus, corporate, and local politics collide when a high-profile sexual misconduct scandal rocks a prominent university.

Serena Stanfield, Mountain Hill University’s human resources director, has just learned that the school’s softball coach has been molesting teenagers in its youth summer softball program for years, and that the university has covered it up from both her and the public. Troy Abernathy, a junior associate at an international investigations firm, is navigating a turbulent, toxic workplace as the company aims to be retained by the university to investigate these sexual assault allegations. Megan Black, a new member of the Mountain Hill City Council, is thrust into the fallout from the national scandal while she simultaneously focuses on securing a presidential commutation for her childhood friend, who is unfairly facing decades in prison after stabbing her abusive husband to death in self-defense.

As additional disturbing details of the coach’s actions are uncovered, Serena, Troy, Megan, and other prominent community figures confront competing interests and unique obstacles while they each pursue different paths toward obtaining justice for the softball program’s sexual abuse survivors—and offer conflicting understandings of what justice would even mean.

My thoughts about Open Bar ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"Age doesn't matter. Especially with someone as mature as you."

Open Bar is a timely and compelling look at the way some of our society has evolved. A university scandal to cover up campus sexual assaults eventually separates the good guys from the bad ones, but not before a lot of people become involved, with some ultimately being threatened. 

I didn't know a whole lot about this book going into it but I found it to be full of interesting characters, again some good, some not, and a relevant-to-our-time storyline. I learned a lot about the innerworkings of sexual misconduct investigations, with the author's experience in the field being very apparent in the storytelling. 

Open Bar is an riveting, eye-opening story that drew me in from the start. I enjoyed it immensely, if it's possible to enjoy a story of this subject matter. Trigger warning: sexual assault. If that won't be an issue, then I recommend Open Bar. It will probably open your eyes a little bit like it did mine. 

I received an ARC of Open Bar and this is my honest opinion.

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About the author

Dan Schorr is a sexual misconduct investigator at his firm, Dan Schorr, LLC, and an adjunct professor at Fordham Law School. Previously, he served as a New York sex crimes prosecutor, the Inspector General for the City of Yonkers, and an adjunct law professor with Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. He has been a television legal analyst for Good Morning America, CNN, Fox News Channel, Law & Crime network, and elsewhere. 

Schorr lives in Rye Brook, New York with his wife and two children. His debut novel Final Table was the Indie Excellence Awards Winner in Literary Fiction. Open Bar is his second novel. ~ Amazon

Connect with Dan

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day! The Untended by Mattea Kramer ~ My Thoughts #TheUntended @shewritespress @GoSparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Mattea

on the release today of

The Untended!

The Untended by Mattea Krame

Psychological Fiction, 312 pages

Published May 6, 2025 by She Writes Press

For fans of Rachel Kushner and Gillian Flynn, a gritty contemporary debut novel that puts Katniss Everdeen into Euphoria.

Casch Abbey is a waitress, single mom, and recreational boxer who falls in love first with a veteran who secretly grows pot on a rich man’s land in Vermont’s Green Mountains, and then with a painkiller that eases her long-buried pain.

After her foot is crushed under the wheel of a station wagon, Casch loses her waitressing gig and goes broke—and the meds for her foot are her only source of relief. But when the drug is recalled due to outcries of widespread addiction, Casch’s dependence imperils her already tenuous life, as cravings lead her into her small town’s simmering netherworld.

Intimate and exhilarating, The Untended will upend your every assumption about who is a hero and who is worthy of love.

My thoughts about The Untended ~~ 

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"Just off the interstate at the Greenfield exit, it was humid inside The 99."

I wasn't sure what I was getting into when I started this book. I didn't know much about the storyline other than what I read in the synopsis. I didn't expect to come to like and respect Casch, the main character, a woman and single mom who struggled with drug addiction. 

This is an eye-opening story about how far down someone can go and the lengths that they will go to, to come back up to the top again. Drug addiction is a real problem in the world and The Untended gives us glimpse of how easy it is to spiral out of control, thanks to the availability of drugs. 

This wasn't always an easy story to read but I'm glad I stuck it out and got to enjoy the satisfying ending. The Untended was well worth my reading time.

I received an ARC of The Untended and this is my honest opinion of the book.

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About the author

Mattea Kramer is an American writer. She writes about drugs, power and powerlessness, and the voice in your head. She's been published in The Guardian, The Nation, Mother Jones, Guernica, and The Washington Post, and she has appeared on MSNBC and on radio stations across the country. 

Her first novel The Untended will be published in May 2025.

Connect with Mattea

Website | Goodreads | Amazon

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Release Day! ~ The Mother Self: Poems byTalia Gutin ~ My Thoughts #TheMotherSelf @shewritespress @GoSparkPress

Happy Release Day!

Congratulations Talia

on the release today of

The Mother Self!

The Mother Self: Poems byTalia Gutin

Poetry, 104 pages

Published May 6, 2025 by She Writes Press

In this debut collection of poetry, The Mother Self guides readers along the raw and transformative path of early motherhood.

The Mother Self is a collection of poetry that poignantly unveils the journey of a new mother navigating the complexities of early motherhood. Accessible and engaging, each poem captures a mother's delicate dance as she embraces her new identity and grieves her past self, all while finding solace in the sacred bond with her son. Readers are invited to explore the beauty and challenges of this period of life with grace and authenticity and to linger in the quiet spaces of a mother’s heart, where love and loss intertwine and a meaningful journey of growth unfolds.

This collection weaves the universal themes of presence, nature, loss, and transformation. It guides readers on a path of healing and empowerment and offers a comforting hand through the transformative power of words. More than a collection of poems, it is a companion for new and seasoned mothers as they turn each page, nodding in recognition.

Above all, this book is a poetic testimony to every incomparable and holy step of motherhood.

My thoughts about The Mother Self ~~ 

The Mother Self is a heartwarming look at new motherhood via beautiful and meaningful poetry. 

I will be totally honest in admitting that I have shied away from reading poetry. I can pinpoint it back to my school years when all poetry had to be torn apart word by word to try to figure out what the author meant. I just didn't get it then and have avoided poetry ever since.

But The Mother Self opened up the poetry world to me again. It's been quite a few years since I was a new mother but the love and struggle in each of these poems spoke to me and touched my heart. I was immediately taken back to my 'new mother' days and I relived everything the author was portraying. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my journey back into the poetry world and savored each poem in this book. Well done, Talia Gutin!

I received an ARC of The Mother Self and this is my honest opinion of the book.

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About the author

Talia Gutin is a Boulder, CO based coach and author. Trained in somatic therapy, mindfulness, and emotional regulation, Talia specializes in guiding her clients toward authenticity, healing relational patterns, and navigating grief. 

Her first book, The Mother Self, a poetry collection on early motherhood, will be published in May 2025.

Connect with Talia

Website | Goodreads | Amazon

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