Light Fiction

All work and no play make Jack a dull boy. But when one of his professors offers to send American grad student Jack Farmer to Europe to do historical research in Amsterdam’s Begijnhof—a peaceful closed community in the heart of the bustling Dutch capital—Jack looks forward to a summer of mostly play and not much work. Then he meets Jet Schilders, an attractive young nurse who takes care of the elderly woman next door, and realizes that his summer in The Netherlands might just turn out to be even more fun than he'd hoped.When the woman next door is brutally murdered, though, and her nurse turns out to be the prime suspect, Jack and Jet join forces in an attempt to find the real killer and clear her name. But their investigation puts them in Dutch with the local police, and a second murder raises the stakes … and paints a target on both of their backs.“Dutch Threat has wit, charm, and lovely crisp prose—everything that’s great about Josh Pachter’s short fiction. His debut novel was a long time coming, and it was well worth the wait!" —Tom Mead, author of Death and the Conjuror and The Murder Wheel

Jonathan Tuckerman, a Los Angeles man down on his luck and truly alone in life, decides to mark his 70th birthday by drowning himself in the Pacific Ocean. Instead, he inadvertently becomes the world’s “Wonder Man” after a pair of extra-terrestrial visitors from the Pleiades interdimensional star system appear in a giant spacecraft, pluck him from the sea, and present him to the media and the world as their sole “Ambassador to Mankind.”Jonathan’s life is dramatically transformed for the better as he works closely with the magnificent Tall White aliens Jorthon and Kalyssa to solve man’s long-insurmountable problems.Jorthon and Kalyssa aren’t the only aliens visiting Earth, however. The Draconians, a long-hidden race of ancient—and sinister—extra-terrestrials, make their presence on Earth known, livid that Jonathan and the Tall Whites have received global accolades for their remarkable achievements. The Draconians and their heinous leader blame the Tall Whites—and God himself—for their miserable existence, as they decide to seek recognition, retribution, and revenge.After They Came takes the reader—indeed, the entire human race—on a wild ride through real UFO research and lore, global politics, climate change, religion, true love, a family reunion, and “the meaning of life itself,” all set against the backdrop of unprecedented extra-terrestrial intervention. The novel presents unlimited possibilities for achieving global peace and prosperity—dreams heretofore unattainable by man.After They Came is a story of loneliness reversed, despair erased, and one man’s wholly remarkable destiny fulfilled.

Carlos San Sebastián wants nothing more from life than spending time in the company of beautiful women, gambling, seeking adventure, and generally enjoying himself. However, he is also the heir to the patriarchy of his family of time-travellers, a fate he would do nearly anything to avoid. When Carlos is summoned to the family residence in the middle of the deal of his lifetime, he can see his opportunity to thwart fate slipping away.What Carlos finds at the residence is worse than any responsibility he ever contemplated. His father is inexplicably murdered out of continuity, six years before Carlos is born. It is up to Carlos to prevent the murder and protect the family.Carlos is no detective and hardly skilled as a time traveller, but with less than 24 hours to thwart the murder, he must seek the help of the one person his father demanded not be involved: his estranged sister, Monique.As the clock ticks on, Carlos and Monique must unravel the secrets of their family and time travel itself. Continuity takes the reader on an exploration of the laws of time travel and through the psychology of a family capable of anything.

Where the spy novel and novelist intertwine After decades of writing utilitarian copy for trade magazines, Tom Huttle believes that he is on the path to a glamorous new life when he completes the first chapter of his novel, The Pyongyang Paradox, featuring dashing hero Buck Samson. The novel might give Tom the confidence he needs to pursue the woman of his dreams, and fulfill his abiding conviction that he is destined for a life of action and romance. Tom gets more excitement than he bargained for when the explosion of a top-secret satellite sends him to Buck Samson’s fictional world, just as Buck takes over Tom’s pedestrian life. For Tom, living a life of relentless peril and intrigue is a far cry from writing about it, and Tom’s normal world may not be ready for the likes of Buck Samson. A rollicking blend of espionage, romance, and science fiction, The Pyongyang Paradox is laced throughout with Chris Westphal’s quirky brand of dark humor and psychological insight.

The Emperor of Japan is a pyromaniac, living in the orange groves of Echo Valley as he plots revenge against Tom Huttle, who he believes has ruined his life. Meanwhile, Tom is in Baltimore to collect a writing award, while his wife and her bawdy traveling companion have been kidnapped by terrorists in Cairo. It’s up to Tom to save the day. The third book in The Chronicles of Huttle is an intricately constructed black comedy that skewers everything from post-Cold War paranoia to sexual taboos to our fascination with youth, beauty, and celebrity. Huttle to the Rescue is book three in the Chronicles of Huttle.

It’s the early 1990s, and Tom Huttle has abandoned film and television writing for a more stable, although far less glamorous, career as a business writer. When he finally sells his first book—Garbage—he believes that wealth and celebrity are just around the corner. With his wife and son, he moves to tiny, isolated Echo Valley. The place seems ideal, until Tom learns that life there is dominated by Bagnoosianism, a crackpot religion presided over by the enigmatic Swami Bagnoose. Tom’s wife soon succumbs to the cult’s allure, while his fragile son falls under the spell of a shifty conman from long ago in Tom’s life. Meanwhile, Tom’s agent makes increasingly bizarre demands for the book, and Tom nurtures a maniacal fondness for pink lemonade. And then things began to get weird. In Huttle We Trust is book two in the Chronicles of Huttle. 

Hollywood, 1982. Struggling sitcom writer Tom Huttle has the ideal side gig: writing personality profiles for an insurance company’s newsletter. If only he knew that the company is a CIA front. When a CIA agent is murdered, Tom is the key suspect—at least in the eyes of bumbling FBI Special Agent Terrance Tillberry. If Terrance weren’t hopelessly in love with undercover KGB agent Petra Tarasova, maybe he would see that Tom has no idea what’s going on. But this is Hollywood. Nothing is really what it seems.

On a gray winter day in 1958, the body of a man washes up on Santa Barbara’s breakwater. He has wounds much like those of the crucified Christ. Trevor Westin, a young writer with deep family connections to the city, sees murder where the local press and powers that be see only a simple case of drowning. Trevor goes on a dangerous search for answers. Along the way he will cross paths with beatniks, beach bums, Aldous Huxley, Dennis Hopper, and agents from the CIA. He will also be introduced to the brave new world of hallucinogenic drugs. Meanwhile, off the coast of Santa Barbara, at the bottom of the sea . . .

The zombies are here. An accidental outbreak of a mutated virus unleashes hundreds of the undead on the sleepy town of Flat Rock, Nevada. Now, Sheriff Penny Miller must use her wits, grit, and damn near all of her ammunition to endure the arrival of zombies. Sheriff Miller quickly finds herself leading a vicious biker named Scratch, her ex-husband Terrill Lee, and a unit of incompetent National Guardsmen to safety. At their heels is Colonel Sanchez, the wicked Army commander who is pursuing Miller to gain the special powers the virus has given her. With a gang of murderous bikers on their tail and surrounded by slobbering hordes, Sheriff Miller must do what she does best: Aim for the brain!   “THE HUNGRY is a zombie thriller loaded with sex and smarts. A real nail-biter that brings a new weapon to bear in apocalyptic fiction: Hope. Highly recommended.” —Jonathan Maberry, NYT Times bestselling author of Dust & Decay and Dead of Night   “If you’re craving an apocalyptic horror novel that’s not just wall-to-wall action but balls-to-the-wall intense, Steven W. Booth and Harry Shannon have cooked up a real treat for you. I would say The Hungry will leave you totally satisfied, but that’s not true: Readers will be howling for more more more MORE just like the hordes of insatiable zombies rampaging through this book.” —Steve Hockensmith, author of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls   “You don't know what gut-churning page-flipping horror really is until you read this one. The Hungry combines the storytelling power of the big commercial thriller with many new twists on standard zombie fiction. A real winner.” —Ed Gorman, author of The Dark Fantastic and Cage of Night  

Nevada: America’s number one tourist destination… if you’re DEAD! After surviving the first days of the zombie apocalypse, Sheriff Penny Miller and her friends relax in what’s left of Las Vegas. The Army asks Miller and her party to return to Crystal Place, the Top Secret base that was the birthplace of the zombies. Even though the mission is to recover data that may lead to a cure for the virus—and Miller herself—she’s pretty sure it’s a bad idea. The Army assures her that a crack team of mercenaries will be there to protect them every step of the way. When Miller sees weird religious graffiti scrawled in blood on the concrete walls, she’s sure their chances of survival have just dropped to damn near zero. Again. Sometimes it sucks being right!   “Zombies generated by a government scientist searching for super-soldiers meet up with a good-looking, foul-mouthed female Sheriff…and she’s packin’. Four stars.” —SF Signal “Defines Laugh Out Loud funny. Often inappropriate, rude and utterly epic sarcasm from a completely rock your face off chick! Read this now! You won’t be sorry!” —Bookish Brunette “It’s zombies. A mad scientist. An ass-kicking female sheriff out to save the world. A fun ride. One of the better novels of the undead. Recommended.” —Horror World “Zombie thrillers loaded with sex and smarts.” —Jonathan Maberry “A fun fully loaded brain entrails explosion of a high octane charged zombie story.” —More2Read(dot)com

The Zombies are Spreading... Small town Sheriff Penny Miller and her friends Scratch, Terrill Lee, and Sheppard escaped from Nevada moments before a devastating nuclear explosion intended to eradicate the zombie plague. The Government’s plan didn’t work, and the undead are spreading fast. When Miller and her men find an abandoned hunting lodge in a remote village in Colorado, they’re hoping to steer clear of zombies, redneck survivalists, and panicked locals, and to simply ride out the winter. Penny Miller just wants some peace and quiet, a glass of wine in front of the fireplace, and maybe some quality time with Scratch over the holidays. Unfortunately, that isn’t Santa coming down the chimney—and this will not be a Merry Christmas.   “Zombie thrillers loaded with sex and smarts.” —Jonathan Maberry, NYT Best Selling Author of Extinction Machine   “Defines laugh-out-loud funny.” —Bookish Brunette   “From the opening line, I loved it. For a zombie fan like me, presses all the right buttons.” —Stoker winner Joe McKinney, Author of Dead City and Flesh Eaters   “The dialogue and narrative crackle, and the expressions that come out of Penny's mouth are hilarious. Great combination of action, gore, horror and humor.” —Dana Fredsti, Author of Plague Nation Paperback, 205 pages ISBN: 978-0615785-27-1

The Zombies Are Coming… Again. Small town Sheriff Penny Miller and her outlaw friend Scratch managed to survive a nuclear blast in Nevada and a brutal attack on their peaceful lodge in Colorado. They head for Los Angeles, looking for a fresh start. It seems the citizens of Southern California remain blissfully ignorant of the coming war. They believe zombies are simply an urban legend. As usual, there’s no rest for the wicked. When they find themselves in a suspiciously run Malibu rehab facility, Miller can't relax. She knows the gore is about to hit the fan. It seems that Miller can sense when zombies are near. And they’re almost always near. When all hell breaks loose around them, Miller and Scratch must survive deadly experiments, resist an ongoing government conspiracy, and battle another horde of ravenous zombies. And that’s just for starters.  

Sheriff Penny Miller of Flat Rock, Nevada, has always done her duty. On the first night of the zombie apocalypse, she swore an oath to protect her friends from the ravenous hordes. However, now that the virus is rapidly spreading to the rest of the country it has become clear that Miller and her friends, Scratch, Sheppard, and Rat, are winning battles but losing the war. And that’s just not good enough for Penny. Too many people have already died. Determined to stop the maniacs who have been funding the research that created the undead, and with the key to stopping the virus in hand, Miller and crew embark on a long and dangerous journey north. Their route cuts through the very heart of zombie occupied territory, but this time they are out to end the apocalypse once and for all. Unfortunately, the elite committee of government officials who control the Super Soldier program knows exactly where Miller and her friends are headed, and they are determined to capture or kill them at any cost. Sheriff Miller doesn’t stand a chance. Of course, lousy odds never stopped her before. She gives the order to move out. And that’s when all hell breaks loose. Paperback, 274 pages ISBN: 978-0615978-71-0

The zombies must be stopped… Sheriff Penny Miller has come too far and lost too many friends to quit now. She and her companions have made it safely to Mountain Home, Idaho, the operation center of the three-person Enhanced Bioweapons Select Committee that controls the nation’s response to the zombie outbreak. Miller knows they are still funding the research that started the zombie apocalypse. And Miller didn’t come to the home of the zombies to attend a church social. When Sheriff Miller stumbles across a homegrown militia whose leader shares her hatred of the Select Committee, she sees the opportunity she’s been waiting for. Together with Major McDivitt and his team, Sheriff Miller sets out to destroy the three committee members who have the most to gain from the spread of the zombie virus. One last mission should finish the job. …Unless they know she’s coming.  

Sheriff Penny Miller’s philandering ex-husband is convinced the cattle on a ranch north of Flat Rock are being attacked by blood-sucking bats. Miller brushes him off, since Terrill Lee has always been a conspiracy nut. When the rancher dies suspiciously, the property is sold to two eccentric women who open—of all things—a wine and knitting shop. Their odd little business brings tourist money to Penny’s sleepy little town, along with two teenaged drug dealers and a huge heap of trouble. In Blood Desert, the thrilling prequel to The Hungry series, there’s a new kind of undead giving Penny a pain in the neck. Though the zombie apocalypse remains one possible future, Patient Zero has yet to be infected. In this here and now, Sheriff Miller ends up face-to-fang with deadly, ravenous vampires who are determined to take over the entire state of Nevada, starting with Flat Rock. Readers of The Hungry zombie novels will love Blood Desert for its familiar characters, serious scares, and quirky black humor. The somewhat younger Sheriff Penny Miller is as funny, foul-mouthed, and courageous as ever. Readers both new and old are in for a real treat. Paperback, 273 pages ISBN: 978-1947521-01-8