The Aziola’s Cry
A Novel of the Shelleys
By Ezra Harker Shaw
Love, tragedy, and the pursuit of literary greatness intertwine in a tumultuous journey that defies societal norms and tests the resilience of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
In the year 1814, the young, gifted Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and the radical, rebellious Percy Bysshe Shelley defy societal norms for a daring love affair. Their journey, far from idyllic, is filled with challenges and heart-wrenching tragedies that test their resilience. Immersing themselves in experimental notions of free love, they align with the enigmatic and infamous Lord Byron. Fleeing England's strict laws, they wander Italy's captivating landscapes, evading their past. Amidst dire circumstances, their shared passion for writing becomes their lifeline, guiding them to craft timeless masterpieces that secure their place in literary history.
With beautiful prose and captivating poetry, The Aziola's Cry by Ezra Harker Shaw is a heartrending, lyrical tale of love, defiance, and the power of words.
South of Sepharad
The 1492 Jewish Expulsion from Spain
By Eric Z. Weintraub
A heroic, heart-breaking story of a father who holds tightly to his faith, his family, and his integrity all while confronting the grief of the past and the harsh realities of forced exile.
Vidal ha-Rofeh is a Jewish physician devoted to his faith, his family, and his patients. But, when Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand conquer Granada and sign an edict ordering all Jews convert to Catholicism or depart Spain in three months’ time under penalty of death, Vidal must choose between his faith and his homeland. Journeying in a caravan of 200 Jews to start their lives anew across the sea in Fez, Vidal struggles to care for the sick all while trying to mend strained relationships with his family. At the same time, his daughter back home finds herself exposed to the Spanish Inquisition living as a converso in a Christian empire.
Based on the true history of the 1492 Jewish Expulsion from Spain, South of Sepharad presents readers with a painful but important part of Jewish history as seen through the eyes of one Jewish family.
Reclaiming Mni Sota
An Alternate History of the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862
By Colin Mustful
Two cultures met in Minnesota—one striving to maintain its homeland and traditions, another trying to create a life of freedom, prosperity, and abundance.
A creative re-imagining of the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862, Reclaiming Mni Sota is an eye-opening portrayal of one of America's most tragic, regrettable events. Told through dual narratives from each side of the conflict, Reclaiming Mni Sota confronts America's history of settler-colonialism while illuminating the personal stories and heartrending choices that men and women, white and Native, were forced to make. Based on real events told through descriptive detail and fully developed characters, Reclaiming Mni Sota reveals the truth of our history while connecting it to the present and asking readers to question how things could have been different.
Shortlisted for the 2022 Chaucer Book Awards!
A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower
A thrilling tale, based on a true story, of one woman’s tremendous courage and incomparable wit in trying to rescue her husband from the Tower of London the night before he is to be executed.
The heroine of A Noble Cunning, Bethan Glentaggart, Countess of Clarencefield, a persecuted Catholic noblewoman, is determined to try every possible means of saving her husband’s life, with the help of a group of devoted women friends.
Amid the turbulence of the 1715 Rebellion against England’s first German king George I, Bethan faces down a mob attack on her home, travels alone from the Scottish Lowlands to London through one of the worst snowstorms in many years, and confronts a cruel king before his court to plead for mercy for her husband Gavin. As a last resort, Bethan and her friends must devise and put in motion a devilishly complex scheme featuring multiple disguises and even the judicious use of poison to try to free Gavin.
Though rich with historical gossip and pageantry, Bethan’s story also demonstrates the damage that politics and religious fanaticism can inflict on the lives of individuals.
My Mother’s Secret: A Novel of the Jewish Autonomous Region
With his dying breath, Lena‘s father asks his family a cryptic question: “You couldn’t tell, could you?” After his passing, Lena stumbles upon the answer that changes her life forever.
As her revolutionary neighbor mysteriously disappears during Josef Stalin's Great Terror purges, 18-year-old Regina suspects that she's the Kremlin’s next target. Under cover of the night, she flees from her parents' communal apartment in 1930s Moscow to the 20th century's first Jewish state, Birobidzhan, on the border between Russia and China. Once there, Regina has to grapple with her preconceived notions of socialism and Judaism while asking herself the eternal question: What do we owe each other? How can we best help one another? While she contends with these queries and struggles to help Birobidzhan establish itself, love and war are on the horizon.
New York Times Bestselling author Alina Adams draws on her own experiences as a Jewish refugee from Odessa, USSR as she provides readers a rare glimpse into the world's first Jewish Autonomous Region. My Mother's Secret is rooted in detailed research about a little known chapter of Soviet and Jewish history while exploring universal themes of identity, love, loss, war, and parenthood. Readers can expect a whirlwind journey as Regina finds herself and her courage within one of the century's most tumultuous eras.
The King’s Anatomist: The Journey of Andreas Vesalius
A revolutionary anatomist, a memory-laden journey, and a shocking discovery.
In 1565 Brussels, the reclusive mathematician Jan van den Bossche receives shattering news that his lifelong friend, the renowned and controversial anatomist Andreas Vesalius, has died on the Greek island of Zante returning from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Jan decides to journey to his friend’s grave to offer his last goodbye.
A debut novel by Ron Blumenfeld, The King’s Anatomist is a fascinating medical history blended eloquently with meaningful relationships and a riveting mystery. Set within a pivotal time in European history, the story carries readers through some of the most important medical discoveries while engaging them in a deeply personal story of growing older and confronting relationships. A fictional masterpiece with real and relevant historical sources, The King’s Anatomist is as enlightening as it is enjoyable.
The Sky Worshipers: A Novel of Mongol Conquests
“A powerful, sweeping saga that focuses on the role and influence of women who change the trajectory and strength of Genghis Khan and his Mongol warriors.” –Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review
Years after the height of Mongol rule Lady Goharshad and her husband, King Shahrokh, come across an ancient manuscript in the ruins of Karakorum, the Mongol capital. The manuscript chronicles the era of Mongol invasions with entries by the foreign princesses who were captured and brought to the Mongol court. Told through the eyes of the conquered and captured, the stories of these women reveal the complex and epic nature of the Mongolian empire during the 13th century. As the captive princesses relate their experience, they expose stories once lost to history now brought to light.
The Education of Delhomme: Chopin, Sand, & La France
**Winner of the 2023 IPNE Book Award for Legacy Fiction**
“A complex, mercurial story . . . The Education of Delhomme is highly recommended for historical novel readers who like their characters well-drawn and their story lines well grounded in historical facts.” –Diane Donovan, Midwest Book Review
Hungry for money, Beaulieu Delhomme, the piano tuner for exalted pianist Frédéric Chopin, is lured into a royal spy ring and later condemned for treason by Napoleon III during the 1848 Paris Uprising. His one-time competition for Chopin's affections, George Sand, might be his only hope.
Resisting Removal: The Sandy Lake Tragedy of 1850
“Resisting Removal is captivating and engaging for all the right reasons; talented historical storytelling at its finest.” –John Haymond, Author of The Infamous Dakota War Trials of 1862
At the onset of winter in 1850, four hundred Ojibwe died at Sandy Lake, Minnesota because of the negligence and ill-intents of U.S. government officials. For the next several years, the Lake Superior Ojibwe resisted removal from their homelands until the signing a new treaty that promised them permanent reservation homes.
Follow along as trader and interpreter Benjamin Armstrong, a real historical participant, lives through the harrowing and ever-changing times on the Wisconsin and Minnesota frontiers. Discover the truth about this tragic past and the intentional exploitation of the Ojibwe people and culture. But also, come to understand the complexity of history and question whose story is really being told.