New Sequel Novel Co-Authored By “Columbo” & “Mission: Impossible” Writer Howard Berk To Debut Sept. 26 From IngramElliott 

Available September 26 anywhere books are sold
Pre-order now!
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​One year after releasing the riveting sci-fi/action novel TimeLock – considered a “deftly crafted…compulsive page turner” by Midwest Book Reviews and now a contender for this year’s Cygnus Book Awards for Science Fiction – IngramElliott Publishing will debut the much-anticipated first sequel, TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy, September 26.

The second in a planned series of high-octane novels set in the near future, TimeLock 2, like its predecessor, was written by father and son Howard Berk and Peter Berk. An award-winning novelist and film and TV writer, Howard Berk’s credits include “Columbo,” “Mission: Impossible,” “The Rockford Files,” and the feature film, “Target,” starring Gene Hackman and Matt Dillon.
 
The original TimeLock novel tells the first-person story of 23 year-old Morgan Eberly, who’s not only wrongly convicted of murder but selected to be among the first to undergo the radical TimeLock process in which prisoners are instantly aged the number of years of their sentence.
 
During a prison uprising, however, Morgan manages to escape halfway through his 40-year processing. On the run and coping with sudden middle age, Morgan turns to the woman who arrested him – FBI agent Janine Price – and the two eventually team up both professionally and personally to bring down the deadly TimeLock program – a program pushed through by the future president of the United States, Myra Winters.

Old Enemies, New Dangers
Set two years after the events of the first book, TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy finds the increasingly unhinged President Winters approving an immoral and illegal plan to develop a weaponized form of the TimeLock genetic alteration process for use on the battlefield. When it turns out that only one man  –geneticist Dr. Lionel Garvey – would be qualified to oversee the project, the president clandestinely authorizes a plan to force Garvey to comply by kidnapping him and his wife, Kiyoko, from their home in Kyoto, Japan.
 
After receiving a frantic text from Kiyoko’s brother, Yoshi, Morgan and Janine fly to Japan to attempt a daring rescue of Dr. Garvey and his wife. But saving the couple proves to be only the beginning of Morgan and Janine’s adventures when they quickly realize the only way to permanently stop the president’s insane project will mean launching a perilous midnight raid on a vast research facility deep in the heart of Siberia.

​About The Authors
An award-winning novelist and screenwriter, Howard Berk’s credits include memorable episodes of such classic TV series as “Columbo,” (including “By Dawn’s Early Light,” for which guest star Patrick McGoohan won an Emmy), “Mission: Impossible,” “The Rockford Files,” and several feature films.
 
Peter Berk has written four novels, an entertainment industry non-fiction book co-authored by “Eight Is Enough” star Dick Van Patten, three TV pilots and a dozen screenplays, including several with his father which became the basis for the TimeLock series of novellas.  
 
Commenting on the publication of TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy, Peter Berk said, “I’ll be forever grateful to the inspiring and extremely talented team at IngramElliott for allowing me to ‘collaborate’ with my dad again on the TimeLock series of novels, and I hope readers enjoy following Morgan Eberly’s exciting, romantic and sometimes even humorous global adventures in TimeLock 2: The Kyoto Conspiracy.”  

IngramElliott’s latest author, A.L. Glennon, is more than a writer—she’s a teacher, an occasional ballet student, and most importantly—a mother of three. Her passion for reading started at a young age when she would line up at her local library to check out the next Little House on the Prairie installment. “I still remember where my hometown library used to shelve them,” she says. “I would run straight for that shelf as soon as I entered the building!”

Times haven’t changed much, except these days, she’s the one doing the writing. With a master’s degree in communications from Georgetown and a previous novel already under her belt, the author believes we all have a story to tell.
 
The only thing holding us back, she says, is us. “Too many of us let busy schedules or the fear of rejection or the idea that ‘anything less than perfection is pointless’ stop us from putting words on the page. Carve out the time to write your unique tale, and then worry about next steps later!”

We caught up with the author recently for an exclusive interview about the launch of the novel, Hungry on September 12, 2023.

What fact about yourself would really surprise people?
I have loved ballet all my life. I took formal lessons from age four to age sixteen, and I have taken classes on and off as an adult in DC, NYC, and Charlotte, NC!

What is your favorite scene in your book? Why?
I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that there is a scene in which Cam has been working really, really hard and making sacrifices for his career that really strikes a chord with me. I know what it is to be driven, and I have been fortunate enough to know elite athletes whose dedication inspires me tremendously.
 
What motivates you to write?
My motivation for writing is the same as my motivation for breathing—I just have to do it! I’ll hear a story starting to tell itself in my head and, eventually, I need to write it down, so I don’t go completely crazy. (Or, rather, so I don’t go crazier than I already am, hearing stories in my head!)
 
Is there a special place that you prefer when you write?
I sit at an antique wooden desk, in a very uncomfortable antique wooden chair. The furniture has really been through a lot—I bought it secondhand in college and tried sanding and painting it myself. But I love it. The desk tells its own unique story, and, over the years, it has really become a big part of mine.

What makes you the happiest? Where do you find joy in life?
I love going on adventures with my family, whether it’s a local day hike or a vacation to an exotic destination. My three sons have changed the way I see everything…even the biggest misadventures end up being a lot of fun with them.
  
Writing a novel can be personal. Did you ever question whether to include or exclude any of your personal experiences or feelings?
If there is a way to write a story that isn’t shaped by my own personal experiences and feelings, I haven’t found it yet! Everything I have done, seen, heard, and felt has made me the writer that I am, and—though it might not have been a conscious choice—those personal experiences and emotions absolutely impacted this novel.      
 
Who is your first reader – who do you first show your work to?
I have been blessed to have been a part of a longstanding critique group. I have known some of the members for years and years now; one of them is always my first reader.

Hungry is available September 12, 2023, in print and e-Book. Pre-order today at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes or wherever books are sold.

​About the author
A.L. Glennon has a Master of Arts degree from the Communication, Culture, and Technology Program at Georgetown University. She currently lives with her family in North Carolina, where she teaches high school English. She is the author of the YA novel Wait for It.

IngramElliott Publishing has been having a great summer award season! IE congratulates our authors on these impressive wins. Check out these award-winning titles wherever you buy books. 

Our hero - 60s-era African American youth Curtis Jefferson - fought through many challenges in his supernatural saga from escaping a cursed detention center, to surviving a perilous desert crossing and evading fierce enemies.

And so has author Vince Bailey. From crafting three compelling paranormal historical fiction novels to weathering the ups and downs of publishing during a pandemic, Vince also enjoyed the rewards of connecting with loyal readers and the satisfaction of scoring multiple book awards for his beloved series. And now the journey takes another bold step forward.

The Curtis Jefferson series is the Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 Series Award! We congratulate our author Vince Bailey on this amazing accomplishment. 

The series was first named a finalist, then category winner in the Paranormal category. But the biggest win was yet to come. Announced at the CIBAs Banquet and Ceremony on Saturday, April 29th, 2023 at the luxurious Hotel Bellwether in Bellingham, Washington and sponsored by the 2023 Chanticleer Authors Conference, Vince was called to the stage to be honored for his work on the series. Vince beat the winners in all other categories (romance, mystery, historical fiction, and more) to take home the grand prize. 

Vince is thrilled that the CIBAs chose his uncommon story to be highlighted as the winner. Through Curtis, Vince explores themes of personal triumph among grave challenges - both in this world and otherworldly. Curtis's ultimate journey is one of self and finding the strength to carry on even amid internal and external threats. 

"I was always a daydreamer in grade school," Vince said in a recent interview. "These days they’d call it ADD—always scribbling down all the tales and vignettes that my wandering mind would conjure in order to distract me from long division."

Vince carried that daydreaming through journalism and a weekly column, culminating in putting pen to paper to write the original Curtis Jefferson novel - Path of the Half Moon. This epic tale - later developed into three standalone novels - won the Arizona Authors Literary Award, received a 5-star review from Chanticleer Book Reviews, and was the category winner in the 2018 Paranormal and Supernatural Fiction Awards. The second book in the series, Courses of the Cursed, was also honored as a Finalist in the 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. 

Special IE author guest blog post
By M.M Cochran

Introducing your novel to the world comes with a handful of tasks that only the author can complete. For example: promoting it on social media, to the press, and word of mouth. I’ve been a published author for only a few months, but I had over a year to prepare for my book launch. Today, let’s discuss the ins and outs of creating a social presence for your novel, written from the fingertips of someone who has very recently done so.

​Build the hype
As soon as you find out you’re publishing your novel, spread the word. There are several steps to take to get the word out and give your book presence among your community, including these tactics: 
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• Contact the local press to report on a community member signing a book contract
• Release the information on ALL social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, etc.)
• Tell your local church, school, or contact your old college who might share the news on their webpage

By announcing this exciting information, your novel will have a presence of its own among your community.

Social media: a whole different presence
The first thing I did when I signed my first publishing contract was share the news on social media. From there, I created excitement and started to build an audience who followed me along my journey, all the way to the moment I was holding my hardback in my hands. Moreover, my novel had an online presence––perhaps the most important there is. But how does this help a book launch? Let’s dive into this.

​By creating an online social presence, the book becomes familiar with your followers, whether you have an audience or not. Prepping for the book launch on social media will unconsciously build an audience among followers; by seeing content related to your book release every few days, it will become expected and desired.

When my book was about to release, I did a few things that my publisher said helped my number of sales, which included:

• Sharing quotes to tease readers
• Sharing fun facts about the book
• Posting aesthetic pictures of the book
• Writing posts about my publishing journey and how I felt about release
• Writing raw and honest posts about the hard parts of publishing and writing

My online presence grew from only hundreds of followers to almost 3,000 between the time I announced my book was under contract to the day of my launch. The experience was encouraging for a little author like myself, plus it impressed my publisher and sold more copies than I thought my homemade advertising could pull off.

What about online presence after the big launch?
Many authors have no problem spilling the hardest part about publishing, and to sum it all up, it’s marketing. Writers are writers, but they’re also content creators, master marketers, and multitaskers. All of this falls under the dreaded umbrella of selling your own book. While publishers have worldwide distribution and connections, in the end, they count on the author of their novel to sell that story better than anyone. I mean, who else is better to do the job?
 
With that being said, I want to share what I did to heighten my success after my book launch.  After my book released, I did a few things on social media such as:

• Expressed the success my book received in the first week
• Shared reviews of my book from online sources
• Had a social media manager design posts about my novel
• Constantly had something book related on my Instagram and Facebook stories
• Focused on keeping my pictures aesthetic and appealing to my teenage audience

​Staying consistent and enthusiastic about your novel brings attention to the story and the author. The more present the book is on social media, the more people will be enticed to read it.

When focusing on a book launch, don’t forget the little details like engaging with followers, responding to their feedback, and being overall active with them. There’s no better way to sell a book than to first build a relationship with the reader. In the end, make your book launch not only about your book but about everyone who is walking alongside you in your journey to publication, and at the end of the day, enjoy your moment in the spotlight!

Author M.M. Cochran would rather be baking. IngramElliott's newest author is most at home with cookies, coffee, and the smells of autumn . . . but lucky for us, she also loves to write sweet and strong stories. Launching only a couple of weeks ago, the author's debut Young Adult Mystery Romance is coming out strong - hitting #5 in YA fiction* in only 30 days. 

Born a storyteller, the author's yearning to share poetic prose with the world grabbed hold when she was just a child running into the woods with a leather journal. When her teenage summers took a toll on friendships and relationships, she used her artistic skill to create stories and characters that other teens could relate to. Between the Ocean and the Stars, reflects just that.

We caught up with the author recently for an exclusive interview about the launch of the novel. 

What motivates you to write?
I have ideas in my mind that blossom into a novel once they’re nurtured and worked with. The growth of that idea motivates me to get it on paper. Seeing the words I write combine into a beautiful sentence that’s full of emotion or sentiment motivates me to keep writing. I aim to bleed words from my soul that readers can feel rather than just read. 

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
Chapter 29 is my favorite chapter. Without giving anything away, I think it’s a very emotional chapter and very symbolic. The secrets kept between Sam, Georgia, Logan, and the ocean are locked away. Hopefully. . . Chapter 29 was one of the last chapters I wrote for the book during edits, as well, so I had a ton of fun getting to spill a ton of emotion into it.

What makes you happiest?
I find my joy in the Lord, and seeing His creation in nature makes me happy and comforted. For example, I really love rainstorms in the summertime, and the beauty of autumn colors, and clean, white snow in the winter. (All with a cup of coffee in my hand while I sit inside by the window, might I add). 

What books did you grow up loving?
As a kid, I was obsessed with the Emily Windsnap and Phillipa Fisher series. Those books made me fall in love with becoming an author and making books of my own. As a teenager, I adored The Hunger Games series. (Didn’t every fifteen year old??) Today, my very favorite book is The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak. He inspires me daily.

Why did you pick this particular subject matter to write about?
First of all, there’s nothing like a YA love story that takes place on an island. Throw a little bit of mystery/thriller aspect to it, and you’ve got a good read. But I wanted, more than anything, to reflect real life struggles that teenagers go through. The beauty of Young Adult literature is that it represents teenagers at their best and at their worst, and in the end, it shows the resolution of their struggles. I want teens to never feel alone in dark times and give them characters to relate to.

Read more about the novel and the author on ingramelliott.com/between-ocean-stars and connect on Instagram @m.m.cochran_writer. 

Between the Ocean and the Stars is available in hardcover, paperback, and e-book wherever books are sold. Get your copy today - we'd love a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. 

Vince Bailey writes about the journey. In the case of African-American youth Curtis Jefferson, the protagonist of the award-winning series of the same name, it's been a journey filled with ghosts, both real and imagined. There's a running theme in Curtis's journey: evil, in whatever form it may take, can never really be destroyed; rather it takes a new shape. ​

Vince's original vision for this story also took a new shape—it transformed from a single tome into three individual novels. Path of the Half Moon—the first book in the Curtis Jefferson series—was the Winner of the Arizona Authors’ Association Literary Award and the Chanticleer International Book Awards for Paranormal and Supernatural Fiction. Book two--Courses of the Cursed—was a Finalist in the 15th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards. Merging Paths is the exciting conclusion to the colorful, intricate world presented in this unique paranormal series. 

We caught up with Vince for a Q&A session that sheds some light on his intentions behind the series. Merging Paths is available in print and e-book on October 11, 2022. 

​African American youth Curtis Jefferson’s supernatural saga of restless spirits and ghostly vendettas continues as Curtis escapes from Fort Grant—the remote detention facility to which he was unjustly sentenced. As he sets out upon a dangerous journey, Curtis realizes quickly that the century-old curse of Fort Grant has not been extinguished by the brutal demise of his nemesis, as was hoped.

This final installment in the award-winning Curtis Jefferson series follows our hero through his escape from the cursed reformatory, his struggle to survive a perilous desert crossing, and his attempts to evade a fierce lawman—one whose aim is not to capture, but to kill the young fugitive.
​
Meanwhile, in a parallel story related to the curse of Fort Grant, Isabel and Ray Cienfuegos continue to elude their spectral stalker, the murderous demon-spirit Ezra. Former chief of the Aravaipa Apache and self-appointed avenger of the mass murder of his people, the old shaman’s tireless pursuit of his quarry provokes a defensive instinct in Isabel, who refuses to be cornered. Merging Paths presents an alliance of protagonists who grapple with the forces of evil in its various forms, and concludes with a riotous climax that is sure to gratify readers who have followed the journey of good versus evil in Path of the Half Moon and Courses of the Cursed.

We caught up with Vince upon the release of this final novel in the series for a behind-the-scenes look at the end to Curtis's long journey. 

Tell us a little about your book’s title and what it represents.
As the final installment of a three-part series, Merging Paths, recaps its predecessor books, Path of the Half Moon and Courses of the Cursed, and brings the trilogy to its raucous conclusion. Each of the titles suggests a journey, rather than an experience. But I have to confess that, while I worked hard at presenting each of the three as a stand-alone work, the series was originally written start-to-finish as a single effort. Consequently, there are a number of sought-for resolutions held in abeyance for book three, including Curtis’s coming together with the characters and subplots evolving through the first two books—thus the title Merging Paths.

Tell us something in your book that is not in the summary.
Like its two parent novels, Merging Paths continues as a “frame story,” that is, a tale within a tale. We find Curtis feeling inclined to share his harrowing Fort Grant experiences with his friend, Vince. It is Curtis who tells the story while it is fresh in his mind, but it is Vince who absorbs the tale and commits it to ink, presumably years later. The tale-within-a-tale device introduces a number of intermittent points of clarification I call “interludes.” These interludes are presented by Vince in the first person, relating his dialogue with Curtis. But when the tale transitions to the narrative, it is offered in the third person. It is still Vince, channeling Curtis, so to speak, but from an omniscient perspective. With this background in mind, the ever-shifting points of view that punctuate the series should be quite simple for readers to navigate.

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?
I try to be subtle in my writing with regard to themes—I don’t think readers need to be hit over the head with pretty platitudes. However, there certainly are a number of recurring themes in the Curtis Jefferson series that run just under the surface. One theme that merits mentioning involves the notion that evil can never really be completely vanquished. We see it all the time: whenever a wicked plot or evil actor seems to be extinguished, it invariably reincarnates itself in some other way. J.R.R. Tolkien said it best in the opening pages of Fellowship of the Ring: “Always after a defeat and a respite, the Shadow takes another shape and grows again.” In order to avoid spoilers in Merging Paths, I won’t cite examples—just a heads-up for readers to watch for it.

Do you plot your stories or just get an idea and run with it?
I have to laugh at myself over this one. As I said, I wrote the trilogy as one epic tome—1,200 pages blooming from the seed of an excerpt from another (ongoing) writing project. I think that effort was fueled in part by a need for me to know what happens next. Clearly, I leave the plotting to my characters, and I seem to have little control over what they do or say.
​
Tell us how you became a writer—what inspired you to write your first book.
​I was always a daydreamer in grade school—these days they’d call it ADD—always scribbling down all the tales and vignettes that my wandering mind would conjure in order to distract me from long division. Later, I took up journaling as an extension of my adolescent scribbling. As a young adult, I authored a number of letters to my local newspaper, taking issue with home-grown matters that struck me as unjust or worthy of comment. Eventually, the paper hired me to pen a weekly column. In time, I began to write for magazines on a freelance basis (I still write a monthly column for a nationally distributed trade mag). I embarked on the Curtis Jefferson journey at the behest of my young sons who convinced me that I was (am) a pretty good yarn spinner.

Peter and his father, Howard, shared more than DNA—they shared a love of film and television and a talent for writing. Indeed, Howard was an award-winning film and TV writer and book author whose credits included such classic series as Columbo, Mission: Impossible, and The Rockford Files. 

Over the years, ​Peter and Howard worked on numerous projects together, but one screenplay stood out among the rest. It was a clever idea about the future of the justice system in America.

In a country burdened with rampant crime and prison overcrowding, ambitious politicians roll out an innovative, but controversial technology called 'TimeLock' that instantly ages prisoners the number of years of their sentence—the ultimate punishment for inmates and the ultimate deterrent for potential criminals.

​Just one problem, though: what happens . . . if you happen to be innocent?

These and other questions about morals, politics, and the danger of power are brilliantly addressed by the authors in this story, along with a plucky hero, a little romance, and lots of action and humor. 
​
Although Peter lost his father, Howard, before translating this exciting story into a novel, the father-son spirit of family and creativity is fully present in this work.

​And the circle continues as Peter now collaborates with his own sons, Jordan and Daniel, on various creative endeavors.

​We caught up with Peter ahead of the TimeLock book release on September 22 and learned more about the origins of this utterly unique story and the authors who created it. 

Why did you pick this particular subject matter to write about?
I always thought the premise of TimeLock was one of my father’s cleverest ideas, so when COVID hit and I was stuck at home day after day like most people, I was inspired to translate the original screenplay we wrote into a novel. Beyond the action and sci-fi elements of the story, however, I always felt the most interesting aspect of the premise was how a young man with his whole future ahead of him is forced to adjust to sudden middle age when he becomes one of the first to undergo the radical and terrifying process that is TimeLock.

What makes you the happiest?
Corny as it is--family, of course, friends, writing (both fiction and music) and tennis--the one sport I’m fairly good at (for my age!).
 
What fact about yourself would really surprise people?
I can’t say this would qualify as surprising info to anyone, but I actually originally planned on becoming a film composer and songwriter. Inspired by such movie composers as John Barry, Jerry Goldsmith, and John Williams, I locked onto writing music as a career as young as 13 years old and thought I’d have my first Oscar by 25. It obviously didn’t exactly work out that way, but to my great pleasure, both of my sons, Jordan and Daniel, are excellent composers and Daniel has already amassed some 75 film, TV and commercial music scoring credits--about 73 more than I ever did!
 
What is your favorite scene in your book? Why?
I have two favorite scenes, actually. The first is an early lighthearted scene at Morgan’s workplace when he and two of his fellow programmers hack into their horrible boss’s car and take over its spoken navigation system. It’s a silly scene that doesn’t advance the plot in any way, but I think it provides some levity before the action kicks in shortly thereafter. It also, I hope, depicts Morgan as the young and slightly immature man he is before TimeLock changes everything. My other favorite scene is in the prison auditorium when Morgan, his fellow inmates and we the readers first truly become aware of what TimeLock is and the horrifying future these prisoners are about to face.
 
What books did you love growing up?
Like many young people of my generation, I devoured the Ian Fleming/James Bond novels, but also gravitated toward sci-fi authors such as Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov, while also taking in such classics as Catcher in The Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. As I got older, I tended to alternate between “fun” reads like some of the ones mentioned above and books about WWII and world history. And of course I can’t leave out my father’s first two novels, The Hero Machine and The Sun Grows Cold.
 
Please tell us something about your book that is not in the summary.
TimeLock actually began life as a screenplay I wrote with my father—and two more of the five novellas planned for the series also originated as movie scripts. In tandem with IngramElliott Publishing, I very much hope to bring some or all of these stories to the big or little screen in the future.
 
What motivates you to write?
The never-ending inspiration of my father, Howard--the best writer I’ve ever known. I’ll  cherish the countless hours we spent writing together and now I can honestly say that thanks to IngramElliott, bringing the projects my dad and I wrote together to life in this series of novellas is easily the most gratifying work I’ve ever done in my life.

Special IE author guest blog post
By M.M Cochran
 
Writers and social media don’t always mix very well. But authors and social media? That’s a must. I know, I know. . . writers of all kinds are typically reclusive when it comes to making private life public. All we ask of the world, with puppy dog eyes and hands in prayer position, is this: “Will you buy my book?”

Here’s a fact: the world just might do that––IF you put it out there for them to see. So, the nagging topic that seeps its way into every author’s life . . . “social media as a new author.” Let’s chat about it.

I’m M.M. Cochran, new author of my debut young adult novel Between the Ocean and the Stars, published by our very own IngramElliott. When I first signed my contract with them, they told me to prepare to do some heavy marketing on social media. And if you’re trying to promote your book, personality/brand is what’ll make you or break you. Seems crazy, right? But as a new author myself, I had to find a way to make myself known, and to tell you the truth, branding myself, which means also branding my book, is really quite fun.

New authors, Instagram is your best friend. (Raise your hand if you want to consider spending hours on Instagram “work”!). My tips and tricks for promoting my book is this:

• Stay active.
• Keep your audience engaged in your life.
• Do you go to coffee shops often? Share that on your story.
• Do you write a new chapter every day? Let your followers know that.

After all, your audience follows you for a reason, and that reason is because they’re interested in seeing your life as a writer. With a debut novel coming out, show them what the publishing process looks like, or the writing process, or the editing process.

My social media development started taking off when I announced on Instagram that I’d signed my first publishing contract. It’s been growing ever since. Here’s some quick tips and tricks that helped me get the ball rolling:

•  Posting consistent content that’s book/writing related
• Familiarizing my followers with my novel/book title/cover
• Staying engaged with my followers (comment and like their posts, respond to their DMs)
• Letting them know they can contact me with questions
• This is an important one: Keeping my page pretty
• Building a community of readers/writers/my fans that support me
• Having longer captions vs. one-liners
• Being honest. I.e., Reflecting the hardships of book writing