The Duchess of Kokora, Phera Ylir Mdana, has entered the marriage games of the neighboring kingdom of Ryene. But she’s not there to woo the dashing Prince Dominic.
Her true objective? To win back one of the other contestants, Lady Rocelle Virae—Phera’s true love and ex-fiancée.
Love proves to be a game like any other when Phera must not only mend matters with her childhood sweetheart, but conceal her true intentions in order to earn votes and stay in the competition.
And as long-brewing political tensions simmer beneath the surface, the playful veneer of the competition begins to crack. In the end, Phera, Dominic, and Rocelle find themselves united in a desperate bid to prevent a duel that threatens the integrity of the kingdom, the stability of the continent, and any hope for a happily ever after.
From playing the DM in Dungeons and Dragons to writing fantasy novels, Nikhil Prabala loves storytelling, delighting in fantasy fiction from the epic to the cozy and everywhere in between. The Duchess of Kokora is his first published novel.
Born and raised in Austin, Texas, he graduated from Stanford in 2019 and is currently based in the Bay Area. In his free time he enjoys ballroom dancing, singing, playing the guitar, tabletop games, and spending time with friends and family.
Award-winning author James Wade blends atmospheric prose with soul-stirring themes in Hollow Out the Dark, a gothic adventure set against a Depression-era landscape where a whiskey war threatens to decimate a small Texas town.
A veteran of the Great War, Jesse Cole is grateful for the quiet life he now leads. But when his closest friend runs afoul of local criminals Frog and Squirrel Fenley, Jesse is forced to spin his moral compass and enter a violent and volatile underworld. There he encounters corrupt lawmen, hired assassins, and a dark family secret that will upend all he once knew.
Complicating matters are Texas Ranger Amon Atkins—who arrives to investigate the Fenleys just as their empire is threatened by a deadly new competitor—and the green-eyed, raven-haired Adaline, a love Jesse thought he’d lost forever.
With resources scarce and winter falling hard on the town, a desperate Jesse must choose between the law and the lawless and find a way to survive while still protecting the people he loves.
A heart-pounding tale full of plot-twisting revelations, Hollow Out the Dark brings readers into a whiskey-fueled world where everyone has a secret, and love everlasting balances on the edge of a knife.
HALL WAYS HYBRID REVIEW: Audiobook & digital ARC. Holy cow, can James Wade write atmosphere and spin a yarn. Every. Single. Time.
I’ll admit, I started reading Hollow Out the Dark with my eyes (digital ARC), and I became intimidated by the vocabulary. Author James Wade USES BIG WORDS, effectively, yes, but my retired brain – most recently regaled by picture book stories - stopped hard. So I decided to switch to reading with my ears, and from there, went back and forth between the digital copy & the audiobook. And next, I will get the hardcover copy and hopefully catch up with the author somewhere and get it autographed.
Why the additional hardcover format? Well, aside from being a book nerd, this is the kind of book that should be held in one’s hands, with the words on paper pages absorbed slowly and revisited often. There are so many noteworthy quotes, turns-of-phrases, and exquisitely written passages.
“Charity’s not just for folks who have plenty;
just like courage ain’t just for them without fear.”
Not only does he use the most robust vocabulary, one of the stellar aspects of Wade’s writing is the way he has and translates deep and philosophical thoughts into the everyday characters who are also not so run-of-the-mill. True, there may be a Platonic Demiurge reference that might skate over a reader’s head, but whether I catch them all or not, this reader always finishes one of James Wade’s book feeling a little smarter, a little more thoughtful about the world.
Speaking of finishing, the final chapter and epilogue of Hollow Out the Dark need mentioning.I see what you did there, Mr. Wade. You provided closure and resolutions to all the loose ends that this reader needed tied — and one I’d forgotten was dangling loose! And you did it with panache, giving readers the satisfaction of a come-uppance or two sprinkled with a much-needed dose of hope to pull us out of the darkness. Bravo.
ABOUT THE NARRATOR: I believe this is the third of Wade’s books Roger Clark has narrated, and he’s truly a master of Southern fiction diction. His distinct delivery is the perfect complement to Wade’s exceptional writing. Clark’s pacing made it easy to listen at regular speed; his delivery is nearly flawless. My one small quibble, and I recall it from another Texas-set book as well, is how mispronounces the Brazos River. It’s the only hint that he’s not Texan, and that’s impressive since he’s not one.
Hollow Out the Dark is an example of literary fiction at its finest, and Wade’s breadth of knowledge and storytelling skills shine. This novel secures his title as the Southern Gothic Demiurge.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Wade is the award-winning author of Beasts of the Earth, All Things Left Wild, and River, Sing Out. He is the youngest novelist to win two Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America, and the recipient of the MPIBA’s prestigious Reading the West Award. James’s work has appeared in Southern Literary Magazine, the Bitter Oleander, Writers’ Digest, and numerous additional publications. James lives and writes in the Texas Hill Country with his wife and children.
Growing up in West Texas, Jane Little Botkin didn’t have designs on becoming a beauty queen. But not long after joining a pageant on a whim in college, she became the first protégé of El Paso’s Richard Guy and Rex Holt, known as the “Kings of Beauty”—just as the 1970s counterculture movement began to take off.
A pink, rose-covered gown—a Guyrex creation—symbolizes the fairy tale life that young women in Jane’s time imagined beauty queens had. Its near destruction exposes reality: the author’s failed relationship with her mother and her parents’ failed relationship with one another. Weaving these narrative threads together is the Wild West notion that anything is possible, especially do-overs.
The Pink Dress awakens nostalgia for the 1960s and 1970s, the era’s conflicts and growth pains. A common expectation that women went to college to get “MRS” degrees—to find a husband and become a stay-at-home wife and mother—often prevailed. How does one swim upstream against this notion among feminist voices that protest “If You Want Meat, Go to a Butcher!” at beauty pageants, two flamboyant showmen, and a developing awareness of self? Torn between women’s traditional roles and what women could be, Guyrex Girls evolved, as did the author.
PRAISE FOR THE PINK DRESS:
"The memoir is an engaging time capsule of trendsetting southwestern beauty pageantry. A revealing look behind the glamour and illusion of beauty queens." ~Kirkus Reviews
"The Pink Dress isn't a beautiful walk down memory lane. It's a wild ride through the turbulent 1970s, West Texas style. Here she is, Janie Botkin, taking the town by storm." ~Johnny D. Boggs, nine-time Spur Award winner and author of upcoming books Longhorns East and Bloody Newton
National award–winning author Jane Little Botkin melds personal narratives of American families, often with compelling stories of western women. A member of Western Writers of America since 2017, Jane judges entries for the WWA's prestigious Spur Award, reviews new releases, and writes articles for various magazines. Her books have won numerous awards, including two Spur Awards, two Caroline Bancroft History Prizes, and the Barbara Sudler Award; she has also been a finalist for the Women Writing the West’s Willa Literary Award, High Plains Book Award, Oklahoma Book Award, and Foreword Review and Sarton Book awards, both in women’s studies. She is currently working on a biography of Mary Ann (Molly) Goodnight titled The Breath of a Buffalo, A Biography of Mary Ann Goodnight. A lifelong Texan, Jane said she had no idea Texas grew native trees until she moved from El Paso, to Dripping Springs near Austin! Now Jane blissfully escapes into her literary world in the remote White Mountain Wilderness near Nogal, New Mexico–a hop, skip, and a jump to El Paso.
In 1971, famed astronaut Alan Shepard returned from the moon and went to get a haircut. Before settling into the barber’s chair in Webster, Texas, near NASA’s Mission Control, Shepard gave his longtime barber and friend, Carlos Villagomez, an autographed golf ball.
During his Apollo 14 moonwalk, Shepard had conducted a world-famous demonstration of gravity by hitting a golf ball in an out-of-this-world sand trap. It took him two tries.
Carlos, a Navy combat veteran and barber for numerous astronauts, says Shepard gave him the ball immediately after he returned to earth and was released from quarantine.
Had Shepard taken a third ball to the moon? And did he give it to his barber as a token of their long friendship?
The debate provides a backdrop for The Barber, The Astronaut, and The Golf Ball, a story of two extraordinary men and their lasting friendship. The book offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes of America’s space program at its pinnacle and shows the ordinary people who supported one of the nation’s most monumental scientific endeavors.
PRAISE FOR THE BARBER, THE
ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL:
It’s perfect!! Barbara and Ed capture Daddy and his long friendship with Carlos.
--Laura Shepard, Daughter of Alan Shepard
Brings back the glory days of the U.S. Space Program and the importance of the "little people" who made it happen. We see stern Shepard in a new and admirable light - in Shepard's high regard for the vast team of dedicated supporters who enabled astronauts to succeed. --Charlie Duke, Apollo Astronaut
HALL WAYS REVIEW: Reading THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL feels like sitting in your parents’ or grandparents’ kitchen, listening to them tell the stories of the olden days. It’s familiar; it’s comfortable; it’s fascinating. One can practically see the authors’ grins and grimaces and hear the chuckles and chokes of tears. The stories and people are personal to them, and despite the otherworldly element, that personal element is what makes for a down-to-earth and memorable book.
From celebrity politicians, actors, and astronauts to the local heroes who lived in the NASA community, the authors’ respect for them all shines. But their level of admiration for the two main personalities of THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL – barber Carlos Villagomez and astronaut Alan Shepard – makes the pages of the book glow.
Through extensive research and lots of interviews, Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis (who are the married co-authors of this book and co-owners of Brazos Bookstore) transport readers back through history, literally to the moon and back. But the barber, astronaut, and golf ball are only part of many stories. Readers learn about the authors’ parents, impressive in their own accomplishments, and their early ties to NASA and Space City. Again, the authors’ pride is palpable. The extensive Introduction gives the authorsa good excuse to brag on their parents (rightfully so) and readers a chance to be impressed.
“There are many brilliant, helpful and kind people who aren’t famous at all. They surround us. And we should celebrate them and recognize them for their greatness.”
Astronaut and barber are both men who served their country, but that bond was only a small part of what made Carlos and Alan friends. And really, the Alan Shepard parts, sprinkled throughout, almost take a back seat to Carlos’s experiences. At its core, THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL is really an ode to Carlos, an extraordinary man in his own right, and the blessing he continues to be who those who cross his path.
Beyond the extensive quotes from primary sources, many given exclusively to the authors, included in the book are photographs, which really help readers connect & visualize. (No attribution or captions are under the photos, and I would have liked to have those.) And holy cow — the information included in the Acknowledgments & Sources sections are like a whole bonus book. Readers who love to know the inside skinny and fine details will relish the last third of the book.
Radnofsky and Supkis have produced a well written and heartwarming biography. Additional copy editing would make it less repetitious and better suited for a wider audience. These tweaks would take the book to the next level – from really good to really great.
THE BARBER, THE ASTRONAUT, AND THE GOLF BALL is a treasure especially to the authors’, Shepard, and Villagomez families. What a gift it is to have this written record to cherish and pass down to future generations so this unique era of American history is not forgotten.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Barbara Radnofsky and Ed Supkis grew up in the 1960s in the shadow of NASA’s Manned Spacecraft Center and married in 1982. They have three children and five grandchildren. The couple —with many other community members — are co-owners of Brazos Bookstore, an independent bookseller. As children of NASA scientists, Barbara and Ed had front-row seats to the development of the space program and the community built around it on rural cow pastures near Webster, Texas.
Barbara Radnofsky is a writer, mediator, teacher, and lawyer. She’s the author of "A Citizen’s Guide to Impeachment," a nonpartisan explanation of U.S. constitutional impeachment history and practice.
Ed Supkis, MD is a board-certified anesthesiologist specializing in cardiac anesthesia. He served as Director of Quality Assurance for the Division of Anesthesiology and as Medical Director of Respiratory Care for the Division of Surgery and Anesthesiology.
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