The Authors Show

Bone Necklace was inspired by the Nez Perce War of 1877, which was described in a contemporaneous newspaper account as “a gigantic blunder and a crime.” The U.S. Army field commander, General Oliver “Uh Oh” Howard, had promised to make “short work” of the Nez Perce. Instead, for four months, he pursued them across 1,100 miles of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, only to be humiliated in the end.

The Weekly Kansas Chief called the Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph, the “Red Napoleon,” and the name stuck. Nobody was more surprised by Chief Joseph’s military genius than he was. His own people had never viewed him as a war chief. He would have done anything to avoid the war that made him famous.

The final engagement of the war took place in the Bears Paw Mountains in October 1877. The Nez Perce horse herd was captured, making it impossible for the embattled tribe to move children, elders, and sick or injured family members the final thirty miles to the Canadian border and safety. Chief Joseph finally surrendered, famously saying, “From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever.”

The rise of Nazism in Austria catapults life in Vienna into chaos.

Emma grapples with the harsh new reality of her country’s betrayal, and desperately clings to her humanity by hiding her Jewish friends. In the war’s aftermath, she finds solace in helping those in even greater need than herself.

Friedrich teeters on the edge of what is right and his personal survival. His actions and inaction leave long-lasting repercussions that years later threaten to throw all their lives into turmoil again

A decade after the war, Sophie - Friedrich’s niece, and the daughter of Emma’s friend - returns to Vienna from her American refuge seeking her lost history.

Melbourne, Australia, 1988. Peter Piper is a talented young engineer, an average man leading a busy but ordinary life until the day his world turns upside down. He and his girlfriend Angela are kidnapped, police are gunned down and a venerated and prominent public figure is assassinated.

Amidst the catastrophe, and against the odds, Peter escapes, trying desperately to save Angela, aided by the one police officer he can trust .

The more they dig, the more they realise this is no ordinary kidnapping, but merely the iceberg’s tip. There is an international conspiracy of unfathomable proportions. Are the protagonists allies or enemies: ASIO, CIA, the defence forces and the mafia. Who can be trusted?

Democracies are fragile; will Australia’s fall?

Spanning oceans and crossing countries, this is a high-octane, adrenalin-pumping thriller about power-broking and deception, murder and detection, violence and seduction – and the personal growth of a man.

ALL BEGINNINGS COME AT A PRICE. ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY IT?

Lilla must recruit the biggest and most dangerous army in the Seven Galaxies, but the Teryn emperor will not comply unless Lilla earns the blessing of the Teryn Guardian Goddess Laoise.

Dealing with gods is never easy. Guardian Goddess Laoise’s condition for bestowing her blessing is for Lilla to bring her the mysterious Heart Amulet. Now Lilla is trapped in a strange place with no way out, no idea where to go or how to find the amulet.

The only way for Lilla to complete her mission is to uncover the biggest secret of all Teryns. Will she survive discovering the secret of what it means to be a True Teryn?

Fire & Ice is a mystery with enigmatic ciphers, perplexing coded messages, a massive flawless diamond, and a fabled lost treasure galleon. The protagonist, Sara Donovan, is a quirky college student working as a summer archivist intern in a museum vault that also contains a smaller valuables vault.

After a brief power outage, Sara is convinced a 175-carat diamond was stolen from the valuables vault and replaced with a fake, despite zero supporting evidence of a heist. When nobody takes her concerns seriously, she instead takes the mystery upon herself and dives into her own investigation. With each clue Sara uncovers, an added layer of mystery engulfs her investigation. So complicated, in fact, Sara involves her best friend, cryptanalyst father, mathematician brother, and of course Mauzzy her miniature dachshund.

Will Sara and her crew solve a potentially centuries-old mystery? Will Sara end up being the prime suspect? Will Sara manage to untangle herself in time for fall semester? Read Fire & Ice to see how Sara and Mauzzy's summer turned out, and if they end up behind bars.

What the Critics Say:

“When museum intern Sara Donovan suspects a rare diamond on display has been stolen and replaced with a fake, her amateur investigative skills kick into gear.” -APPROVED. IndieReader

“Polcari transforms what could be a clichéd plot and spices it up with colorful, engaging characters, accessible, conversational prose, down-to-earth dialogue, and a flair for storytelling that will keep readers turning pages." -RECOMMENDED. The US Review of Books

“…it’s an immersive reading experience that has the right blend of characterization, plot, and setting. Fire and Ice does not disappoint, and Sara Donovan is a new fictional sleuth to watch out for.” -5 Stars. Readers’ Favorite

Lady of the Play is written in parallel historical and contemporary stories, with focus on the life of Elizabeth Trentham, the other Shakespeare. The contemporary story begins with the finding of an original page from A Midsummer Night’s Dream hidden in the cover of an ancient Book of Common Prayer owned by an elderly woman, Sudie McFadden. She contacts a history teacher, Cynthia Parsons, to help her prove her ancestor, the original owner of the prayer book, was the true playwright. Cynthia, with the help of a librarian friend, and an attorney, conduct extensive research to prove Elizabeth Trentham was the true playwright and poet. There is a smooth transition from the modern chapters to the historical.

The historical chapters tell of the secret life of Elizabeth Trentham, her innate genius, and how she obtained the necessary qualifications to be Shakespeare. The story begins with her childhood, then the ten years she spent as a maid of honor in Queen Elizabeth I court, her collaboration with Edward de Vere, the Seventeenth Earl of Oxford, and their subsequent marriage. Also, why they hired an actor, Wm Shaksper, as their broker and later allowed him to take credit for the plays. Edward dies in 1604 and Elizabeth continues with the deception until her death in 1612, the same year William Shaksper retires. In her will, she leave money for her “dumb” man to assure his silence. Included is her relationship with John Overall, one of the King James Bible translators. Clues of Ely and Edward’s collaboration are left behind in Psalms 46 and the deVere crest of the female lion.

Cynthia faces intrigue, danger, and romance along the way as others try to steal historical documents, thereby thwarting her efforts to reveal the truth.

Even though Lady of the Play depicts the fictional life of Elizabeth Trentham, events are based on the actual historical timeline and events. Lady of the Play will appeal to the general population whether a fan of Shakespeare or not.

Living the perfect life on the outside with a successful business and lifestyle. We were the perfect family. Behind closed doors my husbands behaviour began to change to a Jekyll and Hyde personality. Lies and deceit. His mood swings became darker and darker. Overnight I discovered that he was on Heroin. I was devastated and naïve. My whole world had turned upside down. Which lead to abuse and violence towards myself and my son as I filed for a divorce.

One night of terror, a new level of rape and violence, took us to being held hostage in my home, which led to us going to a refuge for safety and protection. Leaving our home and our old life behind ,driving through the night in a police car to safety, never to return again.

Rebuilding our lives in a new area with a new identity.

Recalling some of the most memorable escapades ever conducted in the Canadian Arctic with bush planes, Flying to Extremes takes place in the late ’60s and early ’70s from a base at Yellowknife, in the heart of the Northwest Territories.

Beyond recounting so many near-mishaps, this book is also about colourful people: the trappers, prospectors, miners, adventurers and gold-ingot thieves who constituted the fauna at the main bar in Yellowknife in those days. For Arctic dreamers, there was always the flight to the Nahanni River, with its Deadman’s Valley, hot springs, tales of lost or dead prospectors, the many airplanes crashed in pursuit of gold, and much more Nahanni lore.

This entertaining book recollects Prinet’s adventures as a young man while capturing the humour, beauty, danger and unique culture of northern communities, in the dramatic landscape of the Canadian Arctic. Readers familiar with the region and those who can only dream of visiting it will both find this title a nostalgic and captivating read.

Back from rock bottom...

Trey McCall, an up-and-coming superstar on the golf circuit, staggered past a mirror and gasped at his reflection; horrified, he froze and stared at his pathetic image—sweating profusely through a torn and faded Bob Seger tee shirt, eyes blood red and glazed, hands shaking, mouth dry and scratchy as sandpaper. The disciplined essence of an athlete, a thing of the past—each intoxicated day mirrors the last and the next—lured from his principled sheltered life on The Circle M Ranch by unscrupulous forces in the real world.

Suddenly fully aware—he must escape this highway to nowhere—to regain purpose in and for his life. The obstacles were infinite—four truths, his only vehicle:

He would need significant help to get there.

He must own his past to have a future.

Karma is real.

Trust is earned.

Lucky Richards, his nefarious business manager—a catalyst for disaster—vanishes, leaving in his wake an international trail of egregious felonies implicating McCall and his family. Survival becomes Trey’s primary concern, as golf takes a backseat.

TWENTYONE OLIVE TREES is the author's journey of transformation portrayed as a collection of letters, poetry, and fables she wrote to her son Blaise after his death. Before each of the letters, 21 fable narratives unfold, further illuminating this intimate look at coping with loss and acceptance that intrigues, inspires, and gives hope to readers looking for answers about life and death and those who long to transform their grief into something beautiful.