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Whether you have a taste for steampunk, time-travel, or spine chilling thrillers, local authors have something for everyone this week.
Viera author Melanie
Karsak describes herself as a steampunk connoisseur, white elephant collector, and caffeine junkie. The instructor of English at Eastern Florida State College is the author of the “Harvesting” series and “The Airship Racing Chronicles.” She has recently published a new novel, “Chasing the Star Garden” ($12.99, Clockpunk Press).
The steampunk-themed adventure novel weaves together such colorful characters as an opium-addicted beauty and an infamous poet living in exile. Lily Stargazer, “a loveable but reckless airship racer with a famous lover and a shattered past,” embarks on a thrilling adventure to find an ancient treasure.
The book is available at major online retailers, and more information can be found at melaniekarsak.blogspot.com.
Jaimie M. Engle of Melbourne has had an eclectic career including running a body shop, managing a hip-hop band, and dancing at the Aloha Bowl halftime show. She adds a new title to her resume as she launches her debut young adult adventure novel, “Clifton Chase and the Arrow of Light” ($10.51, CreateSpace).
According to a news release, Clifton Chase is a boy who finds an arrow in his closet, not knowing that it will magically transport him to the year 1485. He becomes engaged in a tapestry of power struggles, fire-breathing dragons, a kidnapping by merpeople, and a final battle that will decide the fate of a tyrant king. The book is available at amazon.com, and more information can be found at jaimiengle.com.
G. Ernest Smith of Port St. John is a retired Space Shuttle launch team member with a master’s degree in computer science. An accomplished author, he has recently published a new suspense novel, “Bone Maze” ($15.62, Porkchop Publishing).
In the story, Rebecca Walters is a volunteer who works with seniors. One day she is mauled by a panther, and detective Bone Ramsey investigates the case. According to a news release, the climax of the book takes place in a topiary maze where the hero is pursued by an African lion. The book is available at amazon.com and other online retailers, and more information can be found at gernestsmith.com.
Another local author with a background in the aerospace industry, Ernest Baldini of Suntree worked for 30 years at Cape Canaveral and helped launch the first Atlas-Centaur in 1962. He has published his autobiography, “A Twentieth-Century Argonaut” ($24.00, iUniverse).
In the book he describes his childhood as a bullied kid in Detroit, and how he chose to escape a potential life of mediocrity by becoming a rocket scientist. He writes about how he made careful choices throughout his 80-year journey, surviving World War II and working side by side with some of the century’s greatest engineers and scientists. It is available at online retailers.
Tim McGlen, a teacher at Indian Harbour Montessori, has published a thrilling e-book for young readers, “Crick Crack, 13 Ghoulish Tales for Tweens” ($2.99, SmashWords). Readers will find spooky twists on recognizable situations, including a ghostly sleepover, an eerie solution for homework, and a fateful roller coaster ride. It is available at smashwords.com or barnesandnoble.com.
Author Ruth Rodgers will be discussing and signing copies of her new novel “Reparation,” published by the Florida Historical Society Press, on Sunday, Jan. 12, at 2 p.m. at the Titusville Public Library. It is free to attend. Call 321-264-5026.
Author J. Michaels will sign copies of his book “Preston’s Prickly Adventure” at Lazy Bean Coffee Co., 226 King Street, Cocoa, from 1 to 3 p.m. Sat., Jan. 11.