No Straight ThingF. Nelson Smith’s rich historical thriller unfolds in Alberta, Canada, during the Great Depression.
Twelve-year-old Cat Perkins is desperate for news of her father who, after losing his job, left his family to ride the rails in search of better prospects. Pete, a chivalrous hobo, devotes himself to helping her in her quest.
Meanwhile, for […]
Healing Ghosts, Haunted Places, and Non-Human Beings: Training Manual to be a Supernatural Multi-Dimensional Medium and HealerTina M. Zion’s indispensable guidebook is aimed at readers interested in mediumship, spiritual guides, energy work, and the realms beyond, offering information on how to expand awareness and spiritual communication skills into a multi-dimensional healing practice.
Born with an awareness of other worlds and able to sense magical energy, Zion “grew up in a family […]
This collection of quirky, first-person stories by Brooklyn-born Zeebo explores themes of love, lust, and innocence, all with a humorous flair.
The book—purportedly a memoir, though some of it can’t be factual—contains, according to its prologue, “gratuitous profanity, Canadians, lascivious charm… big bar hair, tube socks on centipedes,” and more. Story titles include “Love Is […]
August 11, 2025
By Paul Goat Allen
Straight from the files of Stating the Obvious comes the next BlueInk blog about the monumental importance of a novel’s conclusion. It’s a no-brainer, right? Your novel needs a memorable ending in order to have any chance at commercial success.
But then why do so many novels have weak conclusions?
[…]
July 25, 2024
By Paul Goat Allen
I’ve worked in the publishing industry for almost 30 years—as an editor, book critic, publicist, and publisher, to name a few positions—and all of those jobs have essentially revolved around discovering and promoting noteworthy titles. That said, I know how monumentally important identifying category is: it’s an invaluable aid to […]
Mark Lavine’s dystopian science fiction novel delivers a common premise: Elite members of society live in closed-off, luxurious enclaves, while the poor live “outside” in abject poverty and squalor.
Here, crime has become so rampant that there aren’t enough prisons to house the criminals, so rich folks live in “Hives” such as the one in […]
Robert Genetski’s apologetics work examines scientific, historical and religious information to argue for God’s existence.
Born into a Catholic family, Genetski was a firm believer when his devout mother told him, several years before her death, that she no longer believed in God. “I was stunned!” he writes. “…The incident may have been the spark […]
November 9, 2022
By Paul Goat Allen
Straight from the files of Stating the Obvious comes the next BlueInk blog about the monumental importance of a novel’s conclusion. It’s a no-brainer, right? Your novel needs a memorable ending in order to have any chance at commercial success.
But then why do so many novels have weak conclusions?
[…]
We all have something keeping us from becoming our most fulfilled selves, claims cognitive psychologist and coach Amanda Crowell. Here, she explores how to discover one’s own “Great Work,” and then achieve it.
The author defines “Great Work” as that which matters most to someone. “[I]t might very well feel like your ‘reason for being […]
Authors Lee Deaner, Nick Zerby and Stanley Saint-Louis were sales trainers in the pharmaceutical industry in 2009 when the swine flu epidemic hit and salespeople could not attend live training sessions. The trio developed virtual training practices and protocols, formed a company, Leading Edge Training Solutions, and now are sharing their expertise with the public.
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