Pocono Liar Michael A. Ventrella‘s latest anthology RELEASE THE VIRGINS was based on an overheard phrase, which led to the concept of stories all of which had to contain the phrase. Included are some of the top award-winning and best-selling authors in the field of science fiction and fantasy.

They even made a hilarious promo video which features all of the writers:

It’s available in hard cover, paperback, kindle or nook versions, and upon its release, was in the top ten on Amazon in the category “science fiction anthologies.”

The table of contents includes:

“Valedictory” by Lawrence Watt-Evans
“Sidekicked” by Hildy Silverman
“Command Decision” by Steve Miller
“Are You There, Cthulhu? It’s Me, Judy” by Beth W. Patterson
“Innocence Lost” by Gail Z. Martin
“How Mose Saved the Virgins of Old New York” by Allen M. Steele
“The Fires of Rome” by Jody Lynn Nye
“Salvage” by Shariann Lewitt
“The Midwinter of Our Discontent” by Keith R.A. DeCandido
“Coming Attractions” by Daniel M. Kimmel
“Cracking the Vault” by Matt Bechtel
“The Coffee Corps” by Alex Shvartsman
“The Vestals of Midnight” by Sharon Lee
“Paradisiacal Protocols” by Gordon Linzner
“Brass Tacks” by Cecilia Tan
“Old Spirits” by Brian Trent
“The Running of the Drones” by Patrick Thomas
“Dangerous Virgins” by David Gerrold

In 1897, Beverly Haddad is well aware that her sex and race will keep her from investigating the deadly and mysterious lightning strikes that have plagued New York. She seeks help from Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt, and soon the two find themselves hunted by a vast conspiracy known as Gideon’s Trumpet which has access to amazing new scientific devices never before seen. With the help of Mark Twain and others, they launch an attack, aided by Teddy’s new massive lightning gun, which he lovingly calls BIG STICK.

Pocono Liar Michael A. Ventrella‘s latest novel BIG STICK is now available in paperback from Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press, with the kindle version coming soon! Click here for more details and reviews, here to read the first few chapters, and here to order your copy!

“Full steam ahead! With Big Stick, Michael Ventrella gives us a wild and thoroughly entertaining steampunk adventure featuring an improbable cast of historical figures, plenty of action, and lots of fun! Highly recommended!” – Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Deep Silence and V-Wars

“Memorable characters, snappy dialogue and plenty of action and adventure. Big Stick has it all. One of the best books I’ve read in a long while!” – Gail Z. Martin, author of Vengeance: A Novel of Darkhurst

“Full of the best kind of steampunk adventure with one of the biggest personalities in American history. A great fun ride!” – Philippa Ballantine, co-author of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series

“Big Stick doesn’t have everything. It has more than everything! A dynamic PoC secret agent! Teddy Roosevelt! Steampunk inventions! Real dirty politics in a fantastic might-have-been world! Rayguns! Airships! Assassinations! Teddy Roosevelt with a raygun! And a cover by Phil Foglio! What the heck are you doing looking at this stupid blurb? Buy this book and read it!” – Ryk Spoor, author of Grand Central Arena and Princess Holy Aura

A new town, a new neighbor, and a new chance to build a forever.

Pocono Liar Kelly Jensen‘s new book is now available!

Charlie King is doing fine. Sure, he’s a widower raising a teenage daughter who just got her first boyfriend, his book series isn’t writing itself, and he has a crush on his new neighbor—the guy next door. But everything’s just fine.

Simon Lynley is doing better. He moved to Bethlehem to fall out of love and rebuild his career. An affair with his neighbor isn’t part of the plan, but the attraction between them is too hard to ignore.

But when Simon’s ex follows him to Pennsylvania to reconcile, and Charlie’s life starts to feel like a video on repeat, everything comes apart. Charlie fears that he’s failing as a father, and Simon is a distraction he can’t afford. Meanwhile Simon doesn’t know if he could survive being left again, and he hasn’t come all this way to make the same mistakes. Despite their fears, it’s only together that they’ll find the strength to slay old foes and build the forever they’ve been waiting for.

You can order the book from Amazon now!

Now that the Writers Workshop is over, we can start taking reservations for the 2019 Writers Conference!

The 2018 Writer’s Workshop was a huge success! Thanks to the Pocono Liars who presented work sessions: Sahar Abdulaziz, Belinda Gordon, Kelly Jensen, Susan Moore Jordan, and Michael A. Ventrella.

A special thanks goes to Keith Strunk who visited us from the Philadelphia Liars Club as well!

Click on a picture below to see it full sized.

Survival is hard enough in the outer colonies — what chance does love have?

Life can be harsh and lonely in the outer colonies, but miner-turned-farmer Abraham Bauer is living his dream, cultivating crops that will one day turn the unforgiving world of Alkirak into paradise. He wants more, though. A companion — someone quiet like him. Someone to share his days, his bed, and his heart.

Gael Sonnen has never seen the sky, let alone the sun. He’s spent his whole life locked in the undercity beneath Zhemosen, running from one desperate situation to another. For a chance to get out, he’ll do just about anything — even travel to the far end of the galaxy as a mail-order husband. But no plan of Gael’s has ever gone smoothly, and his new start on Alkirak is no exception. Things go wrong from the moment he steps off the shuttle.

Although Gael arrives with unexpected complications, Abraham is prepared to make their relationship work—until Gael’s past catches up with them, threatening Abraham’s livelihood, the freedom Gael gave everything for, and the love neither man ever hoped to find.

TO SEE THE SUN is the latest novel from Pocono Liar Kelly Jensen.  It is available as a paperback or an ebook. You can order a copy here!

Pocono writer John Abel presents his latest one-act play “The Murder of Theodore Brodhead” at the Shawnee Playhouse for three consecutive Fridays starting August 17th. Get your tickets now!

Action! Adventure! Humor! The 5th Tales of Fortannis collection, from Double Dragon Publishing, is available in paperback and kindle. It’s edited by Pocono Liar Michael A. Ventrella and features a story by him as well as a story by Pocono Liar Derek Beebe.

Here’s what some have said about this collection:

“Like a favorite smorgasbord, No Holds Bard is a rich, eclectic banquet of wonderful stories, alike only in their unpredictable telling. Want bards? Check. Elves? Check. Betrayal? Love? Sacrifice? Humor? Got ‘em all. This collection of authors come together, each with their own offering, to give the reader an experience they’ll not forget.” – Peter Prellwitz, author of the Shards Universe

“Fortannis is a complex world. This richness gives its authors plenty of room to move around in, the freedom to pick and choose, or to start with a clean slate. Some stories are light, almost humorous. Others are darker, some grim, and some even tragic.” – Allen L. Wold, author of The Planet Masters and Jewels of the Dragon

“Whole-hearted adventure, swashbuckling fun, daring heroics and plenty of humor. Prepare to be thrilled and amazed!” – Gail Z. Martin, author of Scourge and The Chronicles of the Necromancer

“The best feature of the Fortannis books—one strongly re-emphasized here—is the diversity of stories. Heroic tales are side by side with character studies, with workaday people just trying to get by in a fantasy realm, with tragedy and comedy. This is a rare mix; many collections tend to a particular flavor, and while all the stories are clearly “Fortannis,” they don’t slot neatly at all into the same categories—and that’s really a great strength. I highly recommend No Holds Bard! – Ryk Spoor, author of The Balanced Sword trilogy

The Pocono Liars are hosting a free workshop for fiction writers who wish to become published authors, but don’t necessarily know where to begin. (Here are pictures from last year’s workshop!)

In this day-long event, small, interactive group workshops will be offered, providing participants with information and personal attention. Attendees will be able to choose three workshops from the six offered.

Pocono Liars will be presenting the workshops, with a special guest appearance from Philadelphia Liars Club member Keith Strunk.

The workshops and their presenters are:

A1: Resarch: Susan Moore Jordan OR

A2: Writing Action Scenes: Kelly Jensen

B1: Point of View: Michael A. Ventrella OR

B2: World Building: Belinda M. Gordon

C1: Voice: Finding Your Story: Sahar Abdulaziz OR

C2: Writing Dialogue: Keith Strunk

Since we have limited space, please do not reserve a spot unless you are absolutely planning on attending.