Terra Firma by Andrea Dejean
Published by Running Wild Press; Available July 27, 2025
Genre: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction, YA
Description:
The day after my cousin Treat ran away, my life took on a stillness that descended over me like a glass dome, separating me from a world I could still see but from which I felt isolated. Treat and I had always lived next door to one another. Our fathers were brothers. His family’s farm and ours were literally side-by-side. We spent most of our free time together. During that summer of 1967, he’d agreed to let me hang around with him and a friend his age, Erik, if I didn’t ask any All-Time Stupid Questions. Treat would turn sixteen in October and I would turn fourteen in March. He tormented me mercilessly, the way an older brother might, and I loved him like the sibling I’d never had.
About the Author:
Andrea Dejean is an American writer and translator based near Toulouse, France. Her translation credits include a book on biodiversity and numerous scientific articles on animal and plant biology and the environment. She has published fiction, essays, and poetry in over a dozen different literary journals.Her first novel, Sphinx, was published in October 2021 by the independent publisher Middle Creek Publishing & Audio.
The Enemy Within by Greg Player
Published by Running Wild Press; Available June 1, 2025
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Description:
A heart pounding thriller where an experimental, viral weapon causing psychosis leaks on an unsuspecting population. No one can be trusted, not even those tasked to contain it.
What would the world look like in the grips of a highly contagious virus causing mental illness? What if that virus, created as a weapon by our own government, leaked before completion of a crucial antidote?
When faced with that very situation in The Enemy Within, the US military activates a brutal containment strategy—a grisly soldier named Fox. As Fox hunts contacts of the virus, he also becomes infected. His only hope for a cure is to protect the two people he was sent to kill, Jack and Claire.
The trio hide away to buy time for Jack, an imminent virologist, to develop an antidote. As a trained psychotherapist, Claire attempts to keep the group grounded while the virus leads them all further from reality. Time runs thin and paranoia mounts as the group faces multiple threats. But which threat will prove to be fatal? The military tasked with hunting them down or what lurks within causing an inevitable psychosis?
About the Author:
Greg Player is a writer and family doctor living in Wilmington and Oak Island, NC. He is married with two daughters. The Enemy Within is his fourth novel.
Reviews:
“Greg Player takes a nightmarish scenario–a biological weapon accidentally unleashed on the public–and spins it into a medical thriller that’s nonstop action and suspense. The virus may be fictional, but the real dangers are not.”–Tess Gerritsen, NYT bestselling author of The Spy Coast
Running Wild Novella Anthology: Volume 8, Book 2
Published by Running Wild Press; Available June 3, 2025
Genre: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction
Description:
These curated stories center around the human experience, fact or fiction they delve into the experience of being human; cruel twists of fate, secrets held, the measure of risks taken, the assessment of faith, confronting one’s demons, and the impact of relationships in various forms.
About the Authors:
The Story by Nathaniel Farcas Royal earaches are no laughing matter for a court jester.
Uprooted by Jon Fain A Hollywood location manager goes to a place he thought he’d never see again–his hometown–to deal with unpleasant memories and the complex needs of his estranged family.
Open House by Elizabeth S. Devecchi A young realtor is assigned her first open house, a step toward independence and escape from an abusive husband. The mysterious inhabitants of the little fixer-upper have different plans for her.
The Kipling Lamp by Eric D. Lehman A young man buys a magical lamp that belonged to Rudyard Kipling in order to become a famous writer, but it does not go as smoothly as he hopes.
Copper by Brittany Bell A lonely girl befriends her elderly neighbor one summer after her parents cut ties with her best friends family for undisclosed reasons.
All For You, Sara Sue by Ken Goldman Meet Darcy and Elliot, a childless couple who desperately want a baby of their own but find they are unable to conceive. Together they discover a most unusual way to make that birth happen–and Sara Sue is born! But at what cost..?
Basement Bob by Brittany Bell An eleven-year-old girl undergoes a formative experience while trying to impress an older boy by spying on the town’s enigmatic recluse, akin to Boo Radley.
The Weeping Scimitar by Vincent Czyz “The Weeping Scimitar,” set in the hinterlands of an unnamed Eastern European country in the 19th century, is the tale of a judgment, a blood debt, and a small band of brigands bent on escaping a gulag.
The Geisha in the Attic by Dalton Mire A “Southern Belle” is exiled by missionaries to a House of Geisha in 1860s Japan, and her letters inspire a woman in the 21st Century.
Statute of Limitations by Gary Zenker The long arm of the law has an even longer reach than one might guess.
People on the Roads and in the Gardens by Mykyta Ryzhykh A story about war, people, roads, cities.
The Fisherman by Kim Ransley. What if the sea is your only friend?
Ricochet by Mark Williams Teenage banjo prodigy, Harlan Dillbeck, goes to Bardstown, Kentucky, where, after giving up his dreams of banjo stardom, he becomes a master bourbon taster. Years later, with help from his former banjo-playing nemesis, Sam Boone, Harlan hopes to rescue his son from a nine-fingered hitman, Duke Earl.
The Memory Bench by Beck Erixson Craving a memory’s soul makes hot chocolate bittersweet.
Begin Again by Ibtisam Shahbaz This story captures the tale of two lovers as melodies echoing in different corners of the world, whose soundwaves have collided at last.
Respite by Jennifer Cinguina
The Audition by Brittany Bell A talented musician confronts guilt over his younger sister’s death while auditioning for Julliard.
Never Enough by Caroline Shannon Davenport Abundant Accumulations and Acquirements. A game? A need?
Schmeared Reputation by Gary Zenker Life dishes out a serving of the darker side of people, with a side of irony.
The Results by Joseph A. Schiller Our future no longer holds any secrets from us. We may wish it did.
As My Father Was Dying by Caroline Shannon Davenport Being pulled away but painfully, slowly, slowly, being pulled toward…
Last Kiss by Gary Zenker If you know the secret being hidden, is it still a secret?
Art Project by John Tavares
Monster by Jerry Purdon A man is disappointed in his quest to assert his authority and make others disappointed. As his plans unravel, with his main target’s death, he sets his sights on someone else to torment.
Portobello by Justin Lowe Back in 1989 Sydney, Michael’s journalist fiancee arrived home to announce she was being transferred to their London desk, effective immediately. Michael wasn’t even consulted but promised to join her as soon as he could. Three days before he was due to fly out, his fiancee rang to announce she was married. This is a tale, not so much of one woman’s perfidy, as of the kindness of strangers in a cold forbidding city as Europeans changes all around them.
Blue Earth River by William Loving
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 27, 2025
Genre: Popular Fiction, Literary Fiction
Description:
In a small Midwestern town, divisions are sharp and passions high. Global capitalism has gutted the local economy; drugs, alcohol and racial resentment have filled the void. A diverse, multi-generational, yet anxious cast of characters hangs together by a few threads, one of which is the local newspaper and its beloved advice column, “Dear Molly.” As Molly declines into dementia, her husband Augustus steps in to continue the column, which evolves into a bracing screed against vanity and hypocrisy as he exorcises his own demons, creating a cause cé lè bre. When an anonymous letter writer begins responding in ominous tones, it seems the town may be forced to confront mass violence.
About the Author:
William Loving, author of the novel City of Angles, is a former newspaper journalist at the Los Angeles Times and Minneapolis Star Tribune. He lives with his wife in Pasadena, California. Blue Earth River is his second novel.
Reviews:
“With William Kent Krueger’s heart and eye for Midwest detail, William Loving has crafted not only a love letter to the small-town residents of the region, but a hopeful and uplifting page-turner.” J. Ryan Stradal, author of Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club
“In Blue Earth River, Bill Loving takes the macrocosm of divided America and masterfully shrinks it to the small-town stage. Loving’s latest is large-hearted and timely–a worthy addition to the Americana canon.” Ivy Pochoda, author of Sing Her Down.
“By turns comic and tragic, this keenly observed novel illuminates the ways in which members of a community rally to care for one another, even as others squabble and scheme for power. A bold and enthralling tale.” Omolola Ogunyemi, author of Jollof Rice and Other Revolutions.
Fallout by Jordan Rosenfield
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 25, 2025
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and Crime
Description:
One woman’s obsession costs her everything. With nothing left to lose, can she become a powerful weapon for a just cause?
Journalist Justine Goodman, stifled by new motherhood, surrenders to an obsession with Project Nemesis—an all-women group of eco-anarchists set on dismantling dirty energy companies. She risks everything to gain entry into their inner circle, but tragedy strikes before she can even begin to savor her involvement.
Zoe Rasmussen, wearied by her role as energy magnate Phil Rasmussen’s wife, clings unhappily to her situation for her daughter’s sake. When grief-stricken Justine, armed and unhinged, appears with a demand, Zoe is torn between terror and excitement. But Justine’s actions have unwittingly attracted dangerous forces, and as these women hurtle towards collision, they each face the choice: uphold what’s right, or risk shattering their lives.
About the Author:
Jordan Rosenfeld is author of the forthcoming novel Fallout (Running Wild Press, 2025), as well as Women in Red and Forged in Grace and six books on the craft of writing, including How to Write a Page-Turner, the bestselling Make a Scene, Writing the Intimate Character, A Writer’s Guide to Persistence, Writing Deep Scenes and Write Free. Her freelance writing has been published in hundreds of publications, including: The Atlantic, The New York Times, Scientific American, Writer’s Digest Magazine, The Washington Post and many more. She holds an MFA from the Writing Seminars at Bennington College. She has taught writing through the University of Oslo, Norway, through Brown University’s Summer Program, and at writing conferences around the country including the Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, the Mendocino Coast Writer’s Conference, and many more. She is also a freelance manuscript editor, writing coach and teaches online classes. www.Jordanrosenfeld.net
Stranded by Don J. O’Donnell
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 20, 2025
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers and Crime
Description:
While fishing in a remote Canadian wilderness park, a former U.S. Army captain, Roger Cummings, witnesses the murder of a man and the abduction of a woman. The woman escapes her captors and asks for Roger’s protection. Roger and Janeene flee by canoe but are pursued by a killer. In a gruesome battle the killer is critically wounded, but vanishes into the wilderness, while Roger and Janeene are rescued by U.S. Park Rangers. In Ely, Minnesota, Roger must explain the circumstances of the murder. An exhaustive search for facts proves inconclusive, and the killer is not located and remains a lethal threat. While there, Roger’s relationship with Janeene becomes romantic. The killer escapes from the park and ambushes Janeene’s family, taking her and Roger hostage. In a merciless conclusion, Roger and Janeene must face the most difficult decision of their lives.
About the Author:
Born the oldest of nine children, Don J. O’ Donnell graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1973 and served eight years in the Army as an officer. After service, he obtained an MBA and became a management consultant, traveling throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe. He loved the work and the impact he had on clients, but not the time spent in airport concourses. He is recently retired and now lives in Florida with his wife where he finds time to fish, play many sports, and read. Although STRANDED is his first novel to be published.
Wretched by Sara Hailstone
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 19, 2025
Genre: History, Literary, Popular Fiction
Description:
“Is it even my story to tell?” wonders Nelle, an expecting Mother isolated on the Canadian Shield working through the emotional legacy that her adopted Grandmother has left of two unworn Stars of David that Nelle has found in a clay canister in the basement. Amongst a handful of letters from a Jewish man in an internment camp in Belgium, Nelle strives to tell the story of a secret love, of a man’s escape and ultimate death in Auschwitz to her unborn daughter.
About the Author:
Sara Hailstone’s writing is born from navigating the raw and confronting connections that living in rurality projects by scouring domestic landscapes. She is an educator and writer from Madoc, Ontario who orients towards the ferocity and serenity of nature and what we can learn as humans from the face of forest in our own lives.
Deaf Heaven by Curtis Smith
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 13, 2025
Genre: Fiction, Family Life
Description:
The world has broken Jason Driscolls heart. His abusive father. The daughter he lost to cancer. Buried beneath medical bills, he becomes entangled in a scheme that drags him to new depths. Violence. Infidelity. Murder. Having lost all he s ever held dear, Jason stands alone at the edge of the world, and its here he meets an odd, lonely child. A boy he saves from a riptide, and who, in return, saves Jason from his past. Rendered in terse yet lyrical prose, Deaf Heaven is a story of loss and redemption and the truth that salvation sometimes waits in the unlikeliest of places.
About the Author:
Curtis Smith has published over 125 stories and essays, and his work has appeared in or been cited by The Best American Short Stories, The Best American Mystery Stories, The Best American Spiritual Writing, The Best Small Fictions, The Best Microfictions, and the WW Norton anthology New Micro. He has published five story collections, two essay collections, and a book of creative nonfiction. Deaf Heaven is his seventh novel.
I Am Was Spiderman by Scott Leva
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 12, 2025
Genres: Biography, Autobiography, Memoirs
Description:
I Am Was Spiderman is a poignant and thought-provoking memoir that chronicles the extraordinary journey of a man who grapples with identity, heroism, and the complexities of real-life heroics. The book follows the life of the author, who as a child, idolized the iconic superhero Spiderman. With dreams of swinging from skyscrapers and saving the day, he finds solace and inspiration in the pages of comic books. However, as he grows older, he is confronted with the harsh realities of adulthood and the pressures of conforming to societal expectations. Through a series of candid and introspective reflections, the author recounts his struggles with self-doubt, insecurity, and the loss of innocence. As he navigates the challenges of adolescence and young adulthood, he grapples with the question of what it truly means to be a hero in the real world. I Am Was Spiderman is not just a story about a fictional superhero, but a deeply personal exploration of identity and self-discovery. Through his journey, the author learns that true heroism is not defined by extraordinary feats of strength or bravery, but by the everyday acts of kindness, compassion, and resilience that make us human. With its raw honesty and heartfelt storytelling, I Am Was Spiderman is a testament to the power of hope, courage, and the enduring legacy of childhood dreams. It reminds us that while we may not have superpowers, we all have the capacity to be heroes in our own lives.
About the Author:
In 1985, Scott was tapped by Cannon Films & Joseph Zito (who was the 2nd director to replace Tobe Hooper as being the first director attached for Spider-Man) to play Spider-Man in their adaptation of the comics, He was also the actor on the first photographic cover of a Spider-Man comic book, appearing as Peter Parker, half-way in costume, on The Amazing Spider-Man, #262 (cover date March 1985). He can be seen in costume as Spider-Man, on the blooper reel for the 2000 film X-Men, on which he served as a stunt-coordinator.
Campfires by DC Rivera
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 6, 2025
Genre: Fiction, Historical, 20th Century
Description:
In 1969, eighteen-year-old Kaylen and her workaholic father move into a house with hidden secrets on Crystal Lake. Kaylen befriends Luke, Lane, Schaffer, Bran, and Tony, employees of a nearby Florida campground. As the summer unfolds, relationships develop. Kaylen and Lane are BFFs. Luke and Kaylen are dating. But insights emerge; the mens mistreatment of Lane and Lukes womanizing. Amidst the idyllic setting, Kaylen finds herself drawn to Lukes frequent-visitor, charismatic, twin cousin, Raymo, who introduces them to wayward activities and is nothing but trouble. Raymo manipulates Kaylen, subjecting her to blackmail. The tug-of-war between Raymo and Luke for Kaylens affections, ensnares her in a twisted game. Retribution from strangers wronged by the group uncovers a horrifying truth. When Kaylen threatens to involve the police, her friends resort to an unspeakable act to secure her silence, exposing a web of violence, dark secrets, and betrayal. This coming-of-age story set in the late 60s early 70s in central Florida will keep you guessing. A story of love, lust, and betrayal will have you on the edge of your seat until the very end. DC Rivera has a way of seamlessly blending the lives of teenagers during the countrys most tumultuous time. ~ Harmony Stalter, Author of The Big of Shorts. DC Rivera holds a doctorate degree, is a native Floridian with country roots, and lives on the water with family and pets.
About the Author:
About DC Rivera As a child, I couldn’t decide which I loved more, dancing, or reading/writing fiction. I spent hours doing both, creating stories with my body, and stories from my imagination. My first career was in dance. My second career was as a doctor in health/wellness. But I never stopped writing and dreaming of seeing my fiction in print. My third career is now becoming a reality—published author! My prayers answered!”
Running Wild Novella Anthology: Volume 8, Book 1
Published by Running Wild Press; Available May 5, 2025
Genre: Popular Fiction
Description:
Sweet Willie Gold Has the Blues by Jeffrey Hantover
After a car accident, William Goldman, a nice middle aged married man wakes from a coma to find that he is a musical savant, able to play note for note every blues harmonica song he has ever heard. Is his newfound ability a blessing or a burden? Music or marriage, family or fame, he struggles to answer what he really wants out of his life.
Just You Wait by Ronald Van Rees
Just You Wait, a contemporary, literary novella, tells the story of Jasmine Whittow, an intelligent young woman and an only child growing up in privileged familial circumstances. Eventually she meets and lives with Pietro, an Italian moving to London to join her there, she learning how easily life, even one of her own choosing, may lead many astray, before falling in love with someone else she meets in Cornwall.
The Day the Sun Stopped by Erin Jamieson
Christine wakes to find herself on a street lined with houses–all identical. Even more disconcerting, she discovers that there’s a family that claims to be Christine’s–a family with their own secrets.
Bit by bit, Christine remembers her past life–and wonders if she made a terrible mistake. The question is: is it even possible to return? And what would returning home mean?
Filial Sojourn by James Damis
Summoned by a phone call from a man telling him his long-estranged father is in his last days, Rutherford McAndrew drives deep into the upstate boondocks to see him before the end. Instead of impending death, he finds his father the subject of an unsettling clinical experiment and himself drawn in as an unwilling participant. As he insidiously becomes entangled in the dark intentions of the strange psychiatric program, his opportunities to leave diminish.
Academy of Unholy Boys by David Fitzpatrick
Published by Running Wild Press; Available April 1, 2025
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers, Crime, Fiction
Description:
A hedonistic summer sets off a group of emotionally constricted teens into a hellish spiral of games and death dares; can easing those battered hearts somehow prevent their ruin?
In the affluent, idyllic shoreline town of Gently, quiet Jay Souther, a rising-sophomore at St. Andrew’s Catholic High School for Boys, is prepared for a simple summer of football camp where he’ll try out for varsity and make the team as a third-string punter. On the field, the 16 year-old is immediately is enraptured by the charismatic and smooth-as-silk-like senior Foster Grant and his disciple the hulking Bear Santos. Jay is rapidly caught up in the stimulating dynamic of the two older boys, the longed for sense of brotherhood eclipsing the toxicity of Foster’s lifestyle and rhetoric. As summer ends and the school year moves along, Jay finds himself without an anchor caught in a hedonistic spiral of Foster’s design. Foster and Bear’s influence overpowers Jay’s blooming friendship with fellow sophomores Basil Sous and Tuck Reis, despite their ability to see the dangerous path that Jay is obliviously walking. Basil and Tuck combine their efforts to rescue Jay from Foster’s hypnotic, nearly cult-like sway; will their efforts prevent a thanksgiving tragedy? Throw in some whirling, twisting sexuality into the mix, and it looks like we got ourselves a ballgame.
About the Author:
David Fitzpatrick was born in Dearborn, Michigan and grew up in Guilford, Connecticut. He graduated Skidmore College with a B.A. in English and got his MFA at Fairfield University in 2011. David’s essays and fiction have been published in Running Wild Press, New Haven Review, Barely South Review and Perch and Fiction Weekly.