Fifty-year old Katherine Lafleur is woken from sleep one wintry morning in Brooklyn, New York, by a phone call telling her that her younger sister Karen-Anne has died after being trampled by a run-away rhinoceros. So after years of avoiding her home state of Louisiana, Katherine finds herself journeying back to a place where she's only known as Katie-Lee and she's constantly at odds with her older sister Kendra-Sue. The physical distance may only be 1,500 miles, but the emotional and psychic distances is light years away from her life in New York, where she communicates more with text and social media than through actual conversation. In Louisiana, however, she finds a hurricane of family members. Sisters and brother, their kids and kids' kids. Not to mention the distant relations that threaten to turn the funeral services into a circus of epic hilarity rather than a somber affair. Tensions slowly build throughout the comedy, but only when Katie-Lee spots her high school sweetheart lurking around the outskirts of the graveyard do we finally learn what drove her away from home all those years ago--and just how tight the Lafleur family bond really is.

The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of an ancient lake that was almost as long as the State of Utah. What mysteries does it hold in its briny waters? What secrets lurk in its murky shores? …a malevolent spirit haunts a pregnant woman, luring her ever closer to the salty depths, yet what it wants is much more horrifying than death… …the inversion and smog in the Salt Lake Valley carries more than just bad air… …two locals find more than they bargain for when they unearth an ancient box buried in the salt-caked muck… …a trip to Wendover turns deadly when something decides to tag along for the ride… …a young girl hears voices in her head, voices that keep her company. But there’s something else in the void of her psyche, something that’s growing stronger, something that wants out… Whether its mystery, apparitions, ancient curses, or a modern day apocalypse, one thing holds all these tales together: The Great Salt Lake. Nestled inside the second anthology of Utah horror, are tales intended to delight a wide range of readers, everything from traditional horror, to romance, comedy and young adult. The authors share a connection to Utah (bringing them closer to the salty depths of the lake) bringing the reader another taste of local talent ranging from the “salty” veteran to the slick greenhorn. Sit back, cuddle up in a warm blanket, and stay away from the water while you enjoy these tales from the Great Salt Lake.

In 2009, a documentary movie called The Cove focused the spotlight of world attention on the tiny coastal village of Taiji, Japan. Lauded as the birthplace of Japanese whaling, present day Taiji hosts a secretive industry of marine mammal exploitation. This diminutive town is a prinicpal provider of captive whales and dolphins to the worlds marine parks and is responsible for the cruel slaughter of thousands of dolphins annually. Salt Water Tears is written around author Len Varleys first-person, eyewitness journal account of events in and around Taiji in the winter of 2010. It is a story that seeks to balance activism and marine conservation with Japanese traditional culture and introduces the reader to an enigmatic and highly intelligent sea dweller, the dolphin. Beyond this a far deeper universal notion resonates: the need for mankind to reconnect and re-harmonise with the natural environment while addressing the pressing dual issues of conservation and sustainabilitybefore it is too late. Weaving an intriguing tale of past and present, author Len Varley tables a deeper understanding of the once deeply spiritual Japanese whaling tradition. He observes its degeneration into present-day commercialism and greed, marred by stark acts of animal cruelty. Varley delivers a compelling expos of the Taiji dolphin drive hunts, powerfully presented against the mysterious backdrop of Japans deep spirituality and superstition, the haunting beauty of its landscape, and the gentle humility and warmth of its people. A must read book for any activist who wants the real story behind the Japanese dolphin slaughter in Taiji. Len's account is both heartbreaking and heart-warming in equal measure. Pete Bethune - Earthrace Conservation Organisation

When Colleen and Mike Curzon, a young Mormon couple, lost their first baby at eight months old, it rocked their world. Even worse was to learn that his disease, a rare genetic immune deficiency called hyper-IgM syndrome, could occur in future sons. But the doctors said there was a treatment, so they felt hopeful. Yet twenty-four years later, after having eight more talented children, Colleen and Mike were told that their sixteen-year-old son had terminal cancer. In God Shall Wipe Away All Tears, author and mother Colleen Curzon Openshaw shares her and her familys true-life experiences with illness and death.From blindness, cancer, Alzheimers and widowhood to happy times, church missions, and new loveher story will pull at your heartstrings and strengthen faith. At once a chronicle of tragic loss and the struggle of parenthood, Colleens story contains beautiful and comforting messages from beyond the grave, and four decades of her and her familys journals, which will offer hope and encouragement to any who have experienced such loss. Being a caregiver can be difficult and traumatic, but it can also be a blessing. For Colleen, her life as a caretaker and mother is a collage of powerful experiences all wrapped into one true story. Through the tears and smiles, join her in discovering a renewed hope and faith. God Shall Wipe Away All Tears is a fascinating look into the life of a courageous woman who suffered unimaginable personal tragedies. Readers will find insight, inspiration and strength from Colleens faith-based perspective on confronting difficult life problems. To those who have a loved one with an immunodeficiency, her story will show that you are not alone. Her no-nonsense chronology sheds light on a very rare medical condition. Ulrike Ziegner, M.D., PhD., Allergist/Immunologist Thank you for your wonderful book! Your insight into life and death, and your terrible experiences from which you have learned patience and understanding, will help us all to become better people. Paula Bjornn, Registered Nurse It was dusk as my husband and I entered the small cemetery to place flowers on the three gravesJonathan, our firstborn son who died at eight months from a rare pneumonia; Michael, our violinist son who left us at age sixteen due to pancreatic cancer; and Seth, a loving son who trained hawks and suffered blindness and neurodegeneration after thirty years of immunodeficiency. As the sun set with crimson colors, I placed bright summer flowers on each grave. Help me to do what I should do with my life, I said to my sons. It was clear what my path should be. I could not let their lives be lost in vain! I should write their stories of struggle, love, and faith. They are doing their work now in heavenly spheres, and I must do mine while I still have time! I said to myself. It all seemed so clear. This powerful memoir describing Colleen Openshaws frequent encounters with illness and death will convey important insights when we experience these unwanted sorrows in our own lives. Losing her parents to cancer and old age, a sister in a car accident, her husband to organ failure and Alzheimers, as well as her three precious sons to hyper-IgM syndromehas given Colleen unusual understanding in facing end-of-life issues. Relying on her faith in God as well as her own grit and determination, her experiences can give us a unique comprehension of how to confront these inevitable trials common to all mankind.

Salt Water Tears delivers 11 stories from Bram Stoker Award winning author Brian A. Hopkins. These stories share a common theme, the oceans that cover seven-tenths of our world, but each is as unique and emotionally-charged as you've come to expect from this talented, seasoned, if not-heard-from-often-enough author.