All posts by Boyle & Dalton

COVER REVEAL: Call Me Sonny

It’s cover reveal day for Call Me Sonny by Steve Lazarus. We LOVE how this cover nails the dark crime fiction vibe of this Bryce Chandler mystery, and we can’t wait for the release of Call Me Sonny in the fall!

ABOUT CALL ME SONNY

Shortly after a corrupt attorney pays a visit to an inmate serving a life sentence in a federal supermax prison, people from the inmate’s past start to die. Bryce Chandler, a retired FBI Agent eking out a living as a private investigator in the Florida Keys, ties the string of killings to a shadowy murder-for-hire organization operating on the Dark Web, and in the process he discovers the final name on the list is his own.  At the same time, a simple divorce case turns out to be much more than meets the eye, as Bryce’s investigation of the defendant leads him down a path of international drug smuggling, money laundering, and violent henchmen bent on keeping him silent. The two storylines run parallel to one another until they eventually converge in a final bloody outcome.

About the author

Steve Lazarus is a first-time author, retired FBI Special Agent, and United States Air Force veteran. He served twenty-two years in the FBI, spending the first half of his career investigating drug trafficking organizations and violent street gangs. Later, he became a full-time bomb technician, an assignment which led him to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan as part of the Global War on Terror.  After retiring from the Bureau, he spent several years as a national security instructor in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Steve lives outside Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, with his partner Susan and their amazing wonder dog, Aspen.

Follow our blog and social media to keep up with release developments for Call Me Sonny!

Book Release: DARKWATER

Happy publication day to Michael J. Sholtes, author of Darkwater: A Pastor’s Memoir of Depression and Faith.

There is a voice in Michael’s head.

A voice that tells him he is worthless and unlovable. The voice masquerades as his own, wreaking havoc on his friendships and romantic relationships. It keeps him from pursuing his calling—a career as a pastor. It tears his life apart piece by piece, leading him to attempt suicide on more than one occasion. The voice almost defeats him, and yet there is another, more powerful voice—the still, small voice of God always whispering to him, “I love you.”

This is the true story of Michael’s journey from a precocious child in a small town to the spiritual leader of a faith community, and how he slowly and fitfully learns how to listen to the better angels within. Told with brutal honesty and insight into his own mental condition, this is a story of friendship, depression, despair, faith, and a God who refuses to let go.

Darkwater is available worldwide at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major retailers as a paperback and e-book. (We recommend ordering it from your favorite local bookstore!)

Praise for Darkwater

“Take a risk and walk alongside Michael as he struggles with devastating self-messages, as he climbs a tree with a noose in his hand and gathers courage to become vulnerable again and again. It is estimated that in the United States, two thirds of all cases of depression are undiagnosed. Michael and all those with the courage to tell their stories are beginning to reduce this number.”

—Deacon Terry Lieb, National Board-Certified Counselor, Licensed PA Mental Health Counselor, Retired Executive Director, Diakon Family Life Services

“Pastor Scholtes has captured the voice of depression, a major mental disorder, through the richness of his metaphors, poetry, and personal narra-tive—a narrative that took courage to write. Anyone who wants to under-stand what depression is like needs to read this book, including pastors and laypersons alike. Through his journey, which is clearly rooted in a deep spiritual struggle, he tells us several crucial things about the illness. First, the negative impact of stigma. He captures elegantly how stigma, the fear of letting others know, compounds the illness leading to isolation. Second, the importance of support. The last thing someone needs is to be abandoned, to fend for oneself. Family, friends, the church family all have an important role in healing. Third, the importance of treatment. Treatment, which does not always “cure” completely, provides an important pathway for hope, a way to manage the dark voices of depression. Finally, even devout religious persons are not immune to mental disorders, and spiritual guidance can be an effective tool toward healing. I highly recommend this book.”

—Dennis E. Schell, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology, The George Washington University

“Get ready. Darkwater is Michael Scholtes’ authentic, meticulous, and intimate account of his unrelenting confrontation with depression. We get to follow this confrontation from his childhood to middle-age. Michael pulls back the curtain so we see him—son of a minister, floundering adolescent, bright student, restless pastor—stripped of pretension… Darkwater is Michael’s attempt to be honest with the world, with God, and with those in his life. When you put the book down, what makes it a satisfying read is not a happy ending, but the realization that what makes Michael strong against the depression is that he lays claim to and has learned to value the humanity, the honesty, the stubbornness, the pain, the will to persevere, the guilt, and the love that always came his way. It’s clear: while it came at a price, the renewal of his life journey is real.”

—Rev. Dr. Samuel R. Zeiser, Bishop Emeritus, Northeastern PA Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

“Michael Scholtes has given us a gift through this poignant memoir of one pastor’s journey with depression. His writing is evocative, raw, creative, and poetic. If you suffer from depression, his story may give voice to your own struggles. If you want to understand what it looks like to live with depression, Scholtes has opened the door to his soul and invites you inside. Wading into Darkwater will reveal a depth of reflection, faith, and honesty that is rare and needed for those wanting to understand the inner world of mental illness.”

—Rev. Dr. Leah Schade, Assistant Professor of Preaching and Worship, Lexington Theological Seminary

Darkwater artfully captures the reality of an individual living with a mental illness.  Scholtes masterfully highlights the delicate balance that occurs at the intersection of his faith, mental health, and mental illness.  In a society where individuals battling mental illnesses are shunned and highly misunderstood, Scholtes shows great courage in sharing the true nature of his internal struggles. The book captured my curiosity and drew me in with the author’s relatable style and coming-of-age authenticity.  Entertaining and stimulating from cover to cover!”

—F. Dave Williams, licensed clinical social worker

About the Author

Reverend Michael J. Scholtes is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He has served as pastor of several congregations in eastern Pennsylvania. Michael currently lives in the Lehigh Valley with his wife Heather and children Alex and Ben.

New Author Announcement: Stop the Road by Evans Paull

We’re excited to add Evans Paull to our author list! Paull is the author of Stop the Road: Stories from the Trenches of Baltimore’s Road Wars. Stop the Road will be released in fall of 2022.

Stop the Road is a microcosm of a clash over values and ideas about cities and the transportation systems that provide the lifeblood of the urban economy. That Baltimore avoided committing “urbanicide” (a term coined by Baltimore Sun news columnist James Dilts) was a testament to the astonishing victory of a ragtag band of community activists, environmentalists, and preservationists that turned the tables on the economic and political establishment. They won three major expressway battles, eliminating two highways and rerouting a third, thereby saving the waterfront that later became the bedrock of Baltimore’s late-1900s revival. However, the lasting impact of the highways that were built through the city’s African American communities (including Baltimore’s infamous “Highway to Nowhere”) tells quite a different story. Here we see highway plans that reflected racial inequities and discriminatory practices deeply embedded in Baltimore’s history. This is a storyline that still resonates today, as the country faces up to a long-overdue reckoning over racial issues.

Enlivened by the up-close-and-personal stories of the Road Warriors (much of it gained from 53 interviews of those involved), Stop the Road charts a course that is engaging on a human-interest level. This is a story of Baltimore at its best and at its worst all at the same time; a story of the mob retaking “Mobtown”; a story of monumental struggle for the “Monumental City.”

“Paull’s surgical dissection of the 40-year battle produces a book that is essential for understanding today’s Baltimore—and the many other American cities which experienced similar highway wars.”
Antero Pietila, author of Not in My Neighborhood: How Bigotry Shaped a Great American City.

Stop the Road is an engrossing saga of Baltimore, not just because the events depicted are so significant for our city, but also because the history is enlivened by in person storytelling. You will marvel how this combination of community protectors, civil rights activists, preservationists, 1960’s idealists, and environmental advocates gained the upper hand over the road building establishment.”
M. J. (“Jay”) Brodie, former Baltimore Housing Commissioner and President of Baltimore Development Corporation.

“If you think about the things that have really changed the face of Baltimore as we know it today, to me there is nothing more important than the road wars.”
C. William Struever, Baltimore developer and urban strategist

Evans Paull is a retired city planner, living in northwest Baltimore with his wife, Rosemarie. He has three children and one grandchild. Paull’s career started in the Baltimore City Department of Planning where he worked with quite a few of the interviewees featured in this book (but he had no direct involvement in either transportation planning or the Road Wars). In mid-career he shifted from generalist planner to specializing in the redevelopment of brownfields (vacant former industrial or commercial properties, the reuse of which is complicated by contamination).  He started and managed Baltimore’s Brownfields Initiative; then went on to work on these same issues at a national level, working first for Northeast-Midwest Institute, later acting as Director of the National Brownfields Coalition, later still starting and running his consulting business, Redevelopment Economics. You can find previously published articles and papers on the Redevelopment Economics website. Paull has won a number of awards, including: Brownfields Leadership Award; Phoenix Award (for brownfields redevelopment); Governor’s Smart Growth Award; and Professional Achievement in Economic Development Award, Maryland Chapter American Planning Association.

Cover Reveal: For the Minds and Wills of Men

COVER REVEAL! For the Minds and Wills of Men by Jeff Lanier will be released worldwide this spring.

Manhattan, 1953. Fear of communist subversion and espionage are tearing America apart. In the art world, the growing popularity of abstract expressionism is poised to catapult gritty New York to a cultural epicenter of the world. While recovering a stolen Jackson Pollock for a wealthy client, art insurer Will Oxley falls for the client’s daughter, Liz. This relationship leads Will deep into the rebellious, seductive world of abstract expressionist painters, their Village bar haunts and East Hampton binges. But when Will learns the painting⁠—and Liz⁠—may be hiding communist secrets, he finds himself caught between exposing the girl he loves or risking his life to trust her.

Audiobook Release: LIES IN BONE

Today is the official release of the audiobook version of LIES IN BONE by Natalie Symons! Natalie partnered with renowned voice actor Tawny Platis to bring this award-winning novel to life for listeners worldwide. Find the audiobook version of LIES IN BONE on Amazon here, or download it from any major audiobook retailer.

We’re so incredibly proud to have Lies in Bone in our catalog of titles. Released less than six months ago, Lies in Bone has already won awards, accumulated over 250 Amazon and Goodreads reviews, garnered media praise, and generated a cult following of readers. Natalie has worked so hard to market this book, and we can’t wait to see her book be exposed to a new subsect of book-lovers with the release of the audiobook version.

If you believe in something don’t take no for an answer, and always do what your gut tells you. IN MY CASE: publish with a small independent press that believes in the book; then work your tail off to market the book so it reaches readers and reviewers

–Natalie Symons

WINNER: 2021 BEST BOOK AWARDS in Fiction: Cross-Genre
1ST PLACE: 2021 ROYAL DRAGONFLY AWARD for Fiction Novel
FINALIST: 2021 BEST BOOK AWARDS in Fiction: Literary
BEST PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER OF 2021: Linda McCutcheon Reviews
TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2021: Reading Untamed
BEST MYSTERY/THRILLERS OF 2021: MicheleReader.com
BEST DEBUT NOVELS OF 2021: MicheleReader.com
BEST BOOKS OF 2021: Featzreviews.com


Told by a tart-tongued young woman with a love of Bruce Springsteen, Lies in Bone is at once a mystery and coming-of-age tale fueled by dark secrets involving love, murder, and the truths worth lying for.

On Halloween 1963, eleven-year-old Chuck Coolidge and his brother Danny are lost in a toxic smog covering the steel town of Slippery Elm, Pennsylvania. When the smog lifts, half the town is sick and twenty people are dead. And Danny is missing.


Now, over twenty years later, Chuck’s teenage daughter Frank plots escape from this “busted and disgusted” town. When a murdered child is found in the river, investigators link the crime to the disappearance of Danny in ’63, and Frank’s life is turned upside down. In the face of her worst fears, she must uncover her family’s dark past if she wants to keep her sister Boots from the hands of The State. Led to discover the unimaginable truth about Danny’s disappearance, Lies in Bone culminates in a shocking eleventh-hour reveal and an emotionally charged finale.

Learn more about Natalie on her website here: www.NatalieSymons.com.

Book Release: A Beautiful Land

Congratulations to Susan Beth Miller on the publication of her novel, A Beautiful Land!

A Beautiful Land is a story of menace, the maternal imagination, and the forest primeval.

Raissa, middle daughter of three, watches her family flee their violence-torn homeland.

But she stays behind, bound to her birthplace by memories of a sweet young man.

Driven by danger and grief, Raissa struggles toward a mysterious forest and imagines solace through the unexpected allure of a child. She joins many who have fled their beautiful homeland. Each speaks in turn as they parse their tangled stories and consider whether they dare return to what once was home.

A Beautiful Land is available worldwide at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all major retailers as a paperback and e-book. (We recommend ordering it from your favorite local bookstore!

Praise for A Beautiful Land

Every genocide is unique, and yet the suffering and endurance of the survivors of each such outbreak of madness transcends both time and place. In A Beautiful Land, Susan Miller has rendered with exquisite compassion the struggles of those who have been exiled from their homes by the unspeakable violence of their former neighbors. Detail by detail, she follows their journeys as they attempt to carry on, to continue breathing, to continue loving, to comprehend what they have been through, to find a new home and perhaps even return to the old one. These characters and their stories are unforgettable.
—Eileen Pollack, author of The Professor of Immortality and Breaking and Entering


Throughout, Miller’s prose is crisp and powerful, with evocative imagery and metaphors that are often stunning … as she develops her expertly crafted characters, she beautifully and compellingly considers pressing human questions regarding evil, motherhood, and the possibility of redemption. A striking, searing work that will linger long in readers’ memories.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review), Best Indie Fiction List


Miller’s A Beautiful Land is rich in detail, often mythical in nature, timeless in relevance, and beautifully, thoughtfully, written. I feel as if I’ve been on a journey. She takes us into worlds we cannot see and reveals them. As with Indigo Rose, her ability to convey the human condition through character and events is as compelling as it is meaningful. I was drawn deeply into the story.
—James Meyer, author of These Fair Days


Susan Miller’s novel, A Beautiful Land, explores the lethal tension between rival ethnic groups and the resulting destroyed lives. With vivid prose and page-turning suspense, she follows the paths of Raissa and her son as they struggle to survive a deranged world in a mysterious forest and create a new family. Miller’s archetypal fable examines life after the worst has happened as the etched characters reinvent families, heal their humanity, and resurrect community.
—Ann Pearlman, author of the Pulitzer nominated Infidelity and The Christmas Cookie Clubseries


Susan Miller’s A Beautiful Land quickly bonded me with its truthful characters. I became enthralled by the sheer humanness of the heroine, Raissa. Susan Miller expresses a deep solidarity for the hardships her characters suffer, and Raissa shines throughout with an inner resiliency giving hope through whatever hardships life hands us.
—Doug Wheeler, host of the podcast From the Belly

About the Author

Susan Beth Miller lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is the author of Indigo Rose, a novel (Bantam 2004), and a number of psychology books: The Shame Experience; Shame in Context; Disgust: the gatekeeper emotion; When Parents Have Problems: a book for teens and older children who have a disturbed or difficult parent; and Emotions of Menace and Enchantment: horror, disgust, awe, and fascination

Frances, This Time You’ve Gone Too Far, Now Available Worldwide

Frances, This Time You’ve Gone Too Far by Janis Ost is now available in print and digital editions from retailers worldwide.

 Find it on Barnes & Noble here, or Amazon here, or ask for it at your favorite bookstore.

Frances, This Time You've Gone Too Far on AmazonFrances, This Time You've Gone Too Far on Barnes and Noble

Frances Green is a precocious twelve-year-old with a critical eye and a tender heart. She’s cool and confident (well, mostly) at her new middle school after her family moves to a small beach town in California.

Frances grapples with fitting in or being alone, helping others with good intentions but getting in trouble for it, all while feeling like an adult trapped in

As she navigates her unusual family, a new school, and the challenges of leaving her old life and her father behind, she deals with life by writing. Frances’s memoir is where her emotions surface, woven throughout a funny, poignant, coming-of-age story.side of a teenager. Ultimately, she finds new friends in unexpected places and strikes a balance between trying too hard and staying present.

Janis Ost is a writer, mother, and middle school teacher. Passionate about writing with kids, especially adolescents, she is a writing project assistant with the Young Writers Program in Santa Cruz, California. She enjoys the quiet magic of sailing, playing the guitar, and encouraging people to be mindful. This is her second book, following The Long Nights of Mourning (2003).

Grab your copy of the book today, and don’t forget to support independent literature by leaving a review on Goodreads and your favorite retailer.

Boyle & Dalton is actively seeking excellent manuscripts for publication. Writers and agents can learn more here.

Cover Reveal — Frances, This Time You’ve Gone Too Far by Janis Ost

Frances, This Time You’ve Gone Too Far tells the story of Frances, a precocious twelve-year-old with a critical eye and a tender heart. She’s cool and confident (well, mostly) at her new middle school after her family moves to a small beach town in California.

Frances grapples with fitting in or being alone, helping others with good intentions but getting in trouble for it, all while feeling like an adult trapped inside of a teenager. Ultimately, she finds new friends in unexpected places and strikes a balance between trying too hard and staying present.

As she navigates her unusual family, a new school, and the challenges of leaving her old life and her father behind, she deals with life by writing. Frances’s memoir is where her emotions surface, woven throughout a funny, poignant, coming-of-age story. 

Look for this humorous, heartwarming book from retailers worldwide on July 22, 2019.

 Follow Boyle & Dalton on Facebook or Twitter to stay in the loop as this book is released!

 We are actively seeking new authors for publication. Submit your work today.

Elmer’s Tribal War, Now Available Worldwide

Elmer’s Tribal War by Richard Alumbaugh is now available in print and digital editions from retailers worldwide.

Find it on BarnesandNoble.com here or Amazon here, or ask/search for it at your favorite retailer, online or in stores.

Elmer's Tribal War on AmazonElmer's Tribal War on Barnes and NobleElmer's Tribal War on iTunesElmer's Tribal War on Kobo
Two shots split the darkness. A firefight turns deadly.

Tensions between tribal police and Elmer McGinnis escalated to a point that a beam of light appeared to trigger a tragic firefight. Elmer’s Tribal War is a factual account of events that took place in the early morning hours of August 27, 1986. Questions remain as to who was responsible for the death of a tribal officer and the wounding of his partner. 

After retirement as a professor of psychology in‌ 2002,‌ Richard‌ Alumbaugh‌ came‌ upon‌ a‌ file‌ box from a murder case heard by his deceased wife,‌ Jo‌Anne.‌ Subsequent‌ years‌ spent‌ investigating the backgrounds of the accused and the state’s evidence left unanswered questions as to the guilt and innocence of the father and son who were Colville enrollees. The author currently enjoys the sunshine of Arizona during colder months, biking and playing tennis, somehow under the delusional impression he is faster and hits the ball more accurately with age.

Grab your copy of the book today, and don’t forget to support independent literature by leaving a review on Goodreads and your favorite retailer.

Boyle & Dalton is actively seeking excellent manuscripts for publication. Writers and agents can learn more here.

Cover Reveal — Elmer’s Tribal War by Richard Alumbaugh

Elmer’s Tribal War recounts the tragic firefight between tribal police and Elmer McGinnis that took place in the early morning hours of August 27, 1986. Look for this explosive, thought-provoking book from retailers worldwide on June 13, 2019.

 Two shots split the darkness. A firefight turns deadly. 

After retirement as a psychology professor in 2002, Richard Alumbaugh came upon a file box left over from a murder case heard in court by his deceased wife. This discovery sparked years of investigating the background of the accused and the state’s evidence. 

Tensions between tribal police and Elmer McGinnis escalated to a point that a beam of light appeared to trigger a tragic firefight. Elmer’s Tribal War is a factual account of events that took place in the early morning hours of August 27, 1986. Questions remain as to who was responsible for the death of a tribal officer and the wounding of his partner.

 Follow Boyle & Dalton on Facebook or Twitter to stay in the loop as this book is released!

 We are actively seeking new authors for publication. Submit your work today.