If you wish to send us books for next week’s promo, please email to bookpimping at outlook dot com. If you feel a need to re-promo the same book do so no more than once every six months (unless you’re me or my relative. Deal.) One book per author per week. Amazon links only. Oh, yeah, by clicking through and buying (anything, actually) through one of the links below, you will at no cost to you be giving a portion of your purchase to support ATH through our associates number. A COMMISSION IS EARNED FROM EACH PURCHASE.*Note that I haven’t read most of these books (my reading is eclectic and “craving led”,) and apply the usual cautions to buying. I reserve the right not to run any submission, if cover, blurb or anything else made me decide not to, at my sole discretion.– SAH
FROM HELEN RALEIGH: Not Outsiders: Asian Americans’ political activism from the 19th century to today

*The Author assures me this is not from a leftist perspective. – SAH*
Asian Americans have been woven into the fabric of the United States for centuries, yet they’re too often dismissed as “perpetual outsiders.” This misperception is fueled by enduring stereotypes, resulting in policies with real, negative consequences for the community.
In her powerful book, Not Outsiders, Helen Raleigh dismantles these myths with a vivid retelling of their political activism. She reveals a community deeply rooted in America’s core values—freedom and equality—values they’ve championed for over 150 years. From battling for civil rights in the 19th century to pushing for justice today, Raleigh shows Asian Americans have consistently stood on the front lines of change.
Today, as the fastest-growing racial and ethnic group in the U.S., Asian Americans aren’t dwelling on past wrongs or seeking handouts. They’re rolling up their sleeves, diving into the political arena, and helping steer the future of our democracy. It’s crucial that we recognize them for what they are: not outsiders but essential players in America’s unfolding narrative. Their voices matter, and their contributions are vital to the nation we’re building together.
FROM CEDAR SANDERSON AND SANFORD BEGLEY: Supporting Ragnarok
Valhalla is no place for a loggie. But Master Sergeant (Logistics) Danny Pederson made a career error and died heroically in combat after thirty years of nice boring supply work. He woke up dead to learn he’s stuck in a nightmare of unending battle called Valhalla. Seems the recruiters lied about Valhalla too.
Now, the only hope he has is to carry out the mission given by a mysterious messenger. Whether he likes it or not, they have to support Ragnarok… if that battle can ever happen to bring everything to an end.
Danny’s pissed, and he just wanted to go fishing. He’s about to take Ragnarok to the throat of the gods themselves. After inventory is complete.
FROM HOLLY LEROY: Doomsday (Hostile Earth Series Book 2)
In Doomsday, a gripping sequel to Hostile Earth, Terra Vonn leads her clan Aurora through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, battling savage Ghóraz gangs. Driven by vengeance, Terra faces leadership trials, deadly conflicts, and shaky alliances. Her quest for justice risks becoming a fatal obsession in a collapsing world. Packed with high-octane action and moral dilemmas, Doomsday is a must-read for dystopian thriller fans. Join Terra’s rebellion to see if she’ll triumph or fall amid the ruins.
BY EDMOND HAMILTON, REVIVED BY D. JASON FLEMING: The Other Side of the Moon (Annotated): The classic pulp alien invasion adventure
Embark on a thrilling journey to the far side of the Moon, where secrets older than time itself lie hidden from human eyes.
When Dr. Herman Howland was reported killed and disintegrated by a lightning strike during an expedition to the Yucatan, his friends knew that something was wrong. But when the sole survivor of the expedition, Richard Carson, told Martin Foster and Harlan Trent what had really happened — that strange turtle-like creatures had killed the expedition, abducted Howland, and vanished in a beam into the sky, seemingly to the moon — they knew they must act.
Now Howland’s friends are going back, to find the source of that beam, to follow their compatriot to the Moon, and beyond, and to discover the nature and the menace of the turtle-creatures!
- This iktaPOP Media edition includes a new introduction giving the novel historical and cultural context.
FROM DANIEL WILLARD: The Mobster’s Daughter
Danny couldn’t understand why he was so attracted to Carly, because they didn’t have a lot in common. Danny was quiet; Carly couldn’t stop talking. Danny loved science and math; Carly was terrified of them. Danny read science fiction; Carly read Harlequin romances. Danny’s favorite band was Pink Floyd; Carly had never heard of Pink Floyd.
It was only later that Danny found out that Carly’s father was a Mafia boss. That made things complicated, because Danny’s father was an FBI agent.The Mobster’s Daughter is a tale set in Youngstown, Ohio, a blue collar city of giant steel mills and back-room bookie joints, close-knit families and unsolved disappearances, church festivals and car bombs.
FROM J. MANFRED WEICHSEL: Warrior Soul & Other Stories
J. Manfred Weichsel’s versatility, unique style, and refusal to be bound by genre conventions have made him a force to be reckoned with in the world of speculative fiction. Now, Weichsel invites you to strip down and expose yourself to his raw and unfiltered imagination with Warrior Soul & Other Stories.
Weichsel’s stories peel away the veneer of societal norms and delve deep into the human psyche, exposing the rawest and most vulnerable parts of our existence. Through his boundary-shattering tales of science fiction, adventure, horror, and humor, Weichsel fearlessly explores the fringes of what is possible in fiction, revealing the naked truth of our humanity.
From the mind-bending science fiction of “Warrior Soul”, to the fantastical realm of “The Rainbow-Colored Rock Hopper”, from the light comedy of “Queen of the House”, to the darkest depths of horror of “Complicit in Their Bondage”, these twelve tales will leave you feeling exposed and vulnerable in the best possible way.
The bold and daring themes that run throughout Weichsel’s work strip away all pretense and artifice to reveal the unvarnished truth of the human experience. So if you’re ready to shed your inhibitions and explore the depths of what’s possible in fiction, then get your copy of Warrior Soul & Other Stories now. It’s time to embrace your innermost desires and take the plunge into the raw, unbridled world of J. Manfred Weichsel.
FROM HOLLY CHISM: Universal Donor (Modern Gods)
Same liver, different vulture…
When you know you can regenerate any organ, fast…why not donate your kidneys?
Prometheus has been a teacher all of his life, nearly. Sometimes, like with teaching Man to harness fire, it got him in trouble. Sometimes, he’s able to make an even bigger difference for his students. Especially when they need a kidney as much as they need knowledge.
FROM ELISE HYATT: Dipped, Stripped and Dead (Daring Finds)
DEAD MAN’S REFINISH
Some people find antiques. Dyce Dare finds trouble.
Ever tried fishing a Victorian sideboard out of a dumpster only to hook a dead body instead? Welcome to Dyce Dare’s life, where nothing goes according to plan—and never has.
At six, she wanted to be a ballerina (until gravity repeatedly suggested otherwise). At ten, she dreamed of lion taming (until Fluffy the cat staged a mutiny). Now at twenty-nine, she’s just trying to keep her furniture refinishing business afloat so she can upgrade her son’s diet from “pancakes” to “anything else, please.”
But when her latest dumpster dive yields a half-melted corpse instead of salvageable furniture, Dyce reluctantly adds “amateur detective” to her lengthy resume of career failures. Because nothing says “responsible single mom” like poking around a murder investigation, right?
Between dodging danger, dealing with her quirky neighbors, and trying not to embarrass herself in front of a certain handsome police officer, Dyce is about to discover that her talent for refinishing furniture might just extend to refinishing crime scenes.
Dipped Stripped and Dead – Sometimes the best way to clean up your life is to solve a murder.
(Warning: May contain splinters, sarcasm, and one very determined single mom who definitely didn’t plan on any of this.)
Vignettes by Luke, Mary Catelli and ‘Nother Mike.
So what’s a vignette? You might know them as flash fiction, or even just sketches. We will provide a prompt each Sunday that you can use directly (including it in your work) or just as an inspiration. You, in turn, will write about 50 words (yes, we are going for short shorts! Not even a Drabble 100 words, just half that!). Then post it! For an additional challenge, you can aim to make it exactly 50 words, if you like.
We recommend that if you have an original vignette, you post that as a new reply. If you are commenting on someone’s vignette, then post that as a reply to the vignette. Comments — this is writing practice, so comments should be aimed at helping someone be a better writer, not at crushing them. And since these are likely to be drafts, don’t jump up and down too hard on typos and grammar.
If you have questions, feel free to ask.
Your writing prompt this week is: LIST







Happy fathers day to all you fathers, hope you live out your bucket lists.
That’s to all the fathers who are really mothers as well.
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I plan to do as I list.
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A figure hidden in darkness was heard muttering about making his lists.
“Was that Santa Claus?”
“Quiet, that was Krampus and he’s making a list of children who deserve to be kidnapped by him.”
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Does he take 13-17 year olds? #askingforafriend
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Well, it’s said that by that age, they’re Too Much for him to handle. [Twisted Grin]
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Now that you bring it up, I don’t think the song ever says what Santa actually does with the list he makes and checks twice. After making naughty-or-nice determinations, the subject is dropped.
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See also Logan Jones at the Utah Statesman, https://usustatesman.com/12-days-of-christmas-rudolph-and-the-tragic-demise-of-the-misfit-toys/
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I was looking down my to do list and realized that today was Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. May God Bless You, and give you the patience and wisdom to become, or continue to be, the best men in the lives of your children.
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I’m alone this Father’s Day, my wife and kid are out of town up in West Virginia at a Ren Faire. But they both sent me FD wishes, the wife got me a box of keto snacks (hey, it’s the little things), and I got to watch the puppy chase a butterfly across the yard this morning. So it’s a good day. Whatever tomorrow brings, today is a good day.
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Amen.
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“That was how I found the spell, of course,” said Violetta. “Looked up where it was listed, and then I found all the load-bearing parts of the tower.”
Florian’s laugh was a short bark. “They know that, too?”
“Of course,” said Violetta. “So they can build the tower against it.”
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“What are you doing?” the wizard asked.
“Making a list of all the wonderful things I’ve experienced since I came here” She replied.
“May I see it?’ he asked, it really wasn’t a request so she handed it to him.
“You been to Crystal Palace, the Great Beyond, and Corn Dogs is first on the list?” the Wizard incredulously asked.
“The others I knew existed, but I had never even heard of Corn Dogs before” she explained with a shrug.
Crystal Palace, the Great Beyond, and Corn Dogs is first on the list.
“We really need to work on your priorities” the Wizard sarcastically said.
“Can we get Corn Dogs while we do it?’ she meekly asked.
Who knew her weakness would be Corn Bread dipped hot dogs?
“I worry about you” the Wizards said.
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Corn Dogs rank among humanity’s greatest discoveries.
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On the list of things to save the world was genetic diversity.
By the time we were ready to do the Phase Three evacuation to Coos Bay, I was making sure to gather gene samples from every infected we had to kill. I know, Unity-level tech could let me create genetic diversity of all kinds, but I’m the sort of guy that likes having raw materials and being able to polish them, rather than create them from scratch.
But, this…
ATHENA, I asked, scrolling down our gene lists, how did we get pure Japanese genetics from the SF Bay Area?
We harvested…eighteen, no, nineteen infected from our last run in San Francisco yesterday. Add the dozen or so over the last two weeks…, ATHENA’s “voice” trailed off.
What’s the gender balance of them? I considered, and looked at the eight tanks we still hadn’t taken down yet. Those were literally going to be the last things loaded, if any of our people were badly injured enough to need that kind of medical support.
Seventy-thirty female/male, ATHENA replied. It’s a pretty good mix, all considering, and yes, as close to pure-bred as you could hope for if the stolen data from 23andme.com is correct.
I looked at the tanks again, and frowned. We still don’t have a team ready for the Sendai deployment, right? Most of our plans for the evacuation required us to have an overseas point to work with, and I had a “tame” spy in the Japanese SF consulate who was honest (for values of “honest”), ambitious, and hard working.
Nobody with the right set of skills and appearance, ATHENA agreed.
I thought for a moment longer, and considered. Dedicate tanks two and four, don’t disconnect five or six just yet, I replied. And fire up the personality creation software. I want a team of six to eight operatives-four to six female-augment them to the nines, and prepare a work kit that can be turnkey, fit on six HEMTT trucks, be carried on a single C-5, and if we can get two C-5s before everything falls apart, let’s do that and get more gear. And let Botan know that we might have a team to run the gear and set up the Sendai fall-back option in…, I paused as I ran the problem on my implants.
Seven weeks at most, ATHENA replied.
Seven weeks. Make sure the gear is ready to go for a fast drive to the airport as needed; I nodded.
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“Psst!” said Milton as he showed Julian, his classmate, his drawing. Typical Milton, thought Julian. Vulgar, and not funny. Julian rolled his eyes.
“Young man, you will not roll your eyes at me! Do you want your name on the list?” roared the teacher. Julian knew better than to argue.
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When Rafe said he’d let me use his boat, it seemed like a great deal. It’d spare me the lengthy drive around the lake to get my homestead filings in at the Chongu equivalent to a county seat.
Now that it was tied up by the ancient tree that extended over the lake like a natural dock, I wasn’t so sure. As bad as his boat was listing to starboard, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get it to the yonder shore, let alone manage enough speed to make my deadline. Which left me driving, since the Kitties wouldn’t let us use their flitters.
At least the Kitties weren’t all that excited about enforcing speed limits. If I really pushed the engine, I could probably still make it in time, even driving overland.
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When I complete my organization for grocery shopping, I have listen.
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She thought she might be able to draw up a list of them from the descriptions, but there were clearly dozens, and many of them had poisoned the patients here. She had felt no difference while healing. Perhaps she should leave that question in the hands of those who fought.
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“Geez, look, another hooded and handcuffed busload rolling in. The fueling crews are going to have to hustle to turn the helos around fast when they get back. Where are they all going anyway? And what are you humming?”
He shifted from humming to singing softly as he worked on the weight and balance calculations for the next lift. ”…They never would be missed—they never would be missed!”
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They’ll be mist once they hit the wood chipper.
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A request for Luke, Mary Catelli, and ‘Nother Mike: if a book cover is clearly Not Safe For Work, as the Warrior Soul cover is, could you do something like a placeholder image that says “Cover NSFW, click here to see it” and only people who click on the image will see the cover? Or else a warning that says “Next cover is NSFW, just so you know, so now’s your chance to stop scrolling if you don’t want that to show up on your screen” followed by a few blank lines. I’m just lucky I wasn’t browsing AtH where anyone could see over my shoulder and ask me just what kind of sites I’m reading during my lunch break.
I realize that whether a cover is NSFW or not can be a judgment call, and some book covers tiptoe the edge of the NSFW line without crossing it, but that particular cover was definitely into NSFW territory and I would have appreciated being warned before it scrolled into view.
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That’s a request for Sarah. We just do the vignettes.
Or rather, we did the write up, and nowadays I run the random word generator, cut any words that prevent genres, and send them off.
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Daniel Willard just got a purchase from my sister-in-law. My husband was born and raised in an Italian family in Youngstown, Ohio. Most of the rest of his family still lives there. Not *that* kind of family, though. His grandfather did work in the steel mills, and his dad’s cousin worked at GM Lordstown.
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