The Blue Men by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 319 pages
Publisher: Cornucopia Press; 2nd edition (August 12, 2023)
Publication Date: July 14, 2023
Language: English
ISBN-13: 978-0997673937

(formerly The Travels of Thurston Powell)

Pale Fire meets Lawrence of Arabia

Published in the United States for the first time, J.G. Sandom’s debut novel is set in Algeria in the early 1980s, when Thurston Powell travels to the town of Tamanrasset in the heart of the Sahara ostensibly to study the poetry of the local Tuareg Berber tribes.

He meets a collection of political defectors, refugees, and smugglers, all of whom have lost faith in something — in love, in science, in the ability to effect political change, in God. Mistaken for a smuggler, Powell is drawn into a deadly cat-and-mouse game with the local police and with an Islamist fundamentalist smuggler named Mustafa, who is also Powell’s rival for the affections of the beautiful poetess Dassina. As each outlandish character struggles to regain their faith in that which they have lost, Powell begins to piece together his own life and heart, and to regain the most important sense of faith of all — his belief in himself.

Part journal featuring the incredible adventures of Thurston Powell as he caravans through the Sahara; part historico-anthropological examination of the Tuareg, a people who have controlled the oases of North Africa since the days of Herodotus and Pliny, and who once served as the shock troops for the Hilalian Moorish invaders that conquered Spain and brought the number zero, pharmacology, and astronomy to Europe; part ethno-poetical analysis of desert verse; and part elegy to the poetry of the famous Blue Men of the Desert (The Tuareg), this literary tour de force is also a paean to writing itself, and the faith required to create a world of fiction and the characters within.

Lastly, the book reveals the inner workings of a talented young writer who has since become an international bestselling author, and whose award-winning work has been listed “Top Ten” by The Washington Post, and celebrated in such journals as Kirkus, Hollywood Reporter, and Library Journal.

To purchase your copy of The Blue Men @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast Ideas: Timothée Chalamet as Thurston Powell and Soufia Boutella as Dassina.]

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dEATH in dAVOS by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 206 pages
Publisher: Cornucopia Press; 1 edition (July 4, 2016)
Publication Date: July 4, 2016
Language: English
ASIN: B01GLM3SDG

Dexter meets Gossip Girl meets Kill Bill

Seventeen-year-old wunderkind Robin Beauvais is a teen dream. She’s earned a scholarship at one of the most prestigious prep schools in the nation. She’s a world-class biathlete. She’s a brilliant hacker and YouTube personality interviewing the rich and famous about tech. In fact, Robin’s just won a trip to Davos, Switzerland, to give a presentation at the World Economic Forum.

While in Davos, billionaires start dropping like golden flies. Robin gets caught up in the investigation after being in the wrong place at the wrong time on more than one occasion. In the midst of global economic giants, celebrities and hangers-on, Robin has to use all of her skills and faculties to make sure she doesn’t end up becoming a permanent guest of the Swiss government . . . in jail.

As the Swiss Inspector working the case narrows down suspects, Robin is also narrowing down her list: a list of powerful men with terrible secrets and hideous lies . . . lies that Robin plans to get to the bottom of once and for all. And as Robin makes her list and checks it twice, the bodies continue to pile up.

If Robin were capable of empathy, she might feel sorry for the dead. If Robin were capable of feeling sorrow, she might fear the consequences. And if Robin were capable of fearing the consequences, she might not be a teen serial killer.

Davos is an opportunity to die for . . . and Robin’s out to make sure at least a few people do.

A combination of Dexter and Gossip Girl and Kill Bill, dEATH in dAVOS brings us a teen female antihero for our times. As Robin herself says, “When it comes to class warfare, as far as I’m concerned, there’s far too much class and not enough warfare.”

To purchase your copy @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast Ideas: Nathalie Emmanuel, Zoe Kravitz, Amandla Stenberg, Tessa Thompson.]

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4o4 by J.G. Sandom

Print Length: 333 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 098569548X
Publisher: Cornucopia Press (November 21, 2014)
Publication Date: November 21, 2014
Language: English
ASIN: B00P8EDHW6

Homeland meets The Matrix

AI or Not to Be

An exciting, fast-paced, well-spun yarn of a patriot betrayed by his wife, his friends, his senses and, ultimately, even himself, 4o4 explores our nation’s vulnerability to cyber-attack and how the United States is coping with the 21st century struggle to balance the right to privacy with our cyber vulnerability.

Here is what the experts are saying:

“Team up with FBI code-breaker John Decker as he tries to stop a mysterious hacker, recently discovered penetrating government defense systems. Now, the cyber villain has set his sights on Decker and his family. As a former Special Agent, I found this novel not only plausible, but riveting and truly alarming. If you care about our nation’s cyber-security, you MUST read this book.”

Ron Jaco, Special Agent (Ret.)
FBI

“After reading 404, you’ll never look at your tablet or notebook computer quite the same ever again.”

Todd Watson
Social Media Communications, Influence, and
Outreach Director for IBM’s $20 Billion software business

“Strap yourself in . . . you’re in for a Mach 2 ride with John Decker. As someone who has worked national security issues for decades, this story is all too scary and all too real. You’ll love it!”

Colonel Jim “Chip” Marchio (Ret.)
US Air Force

Planes crash into one another midair. Nuclear power plants go berserk. Railroad crossing gates rise, letting cars pass just as trains whistle by. Thousands are injured or killed. The only connection between these seemingly unrelated events is that the systems controlling them are all Internet-based.

FBI cryptanalyst forensic examiner John Decker, working at the National Counter Terrorism Center in Northern Virginia, uncovers a deadly plot to sabotage a key U.S. defense contractor.  When the plot leads to an old Islamist adversary, long thought dead, Special Agent Decker has no idea he is about to be thrust into a diabolical conspiracy that winds to the heart of our national defense.

In the course of a week, America is paralyzed by a series of devastating cyber-attacks that cripple the nation’s security, financial markets and transportation systems.  Assisted by beautiful and brilliant computer expert Xin Liu (Lulu), Decker must unravel the mystery behind whoever—or whatever—is taking over the Net.

Who’s responsible for these deadly cyber-attacks? Is it Jihadists of the Crimson Scimitar cell led by Decker’s old nemesis, El Aqrab? Is it North Koreans working out of Dandong, China? Or, is it somebody else altogether instead?

In this chilling new techno-thriller, international #1 best-selling novelist J.G. Sandom grabs the reader by the nape of the neck and never lets go. An exciting, fast-paced, well-spun yarn of a patriot betrayed by his wife, his friends, his senses and, ultimately, even himself.

Ripped from the headlines, 4o4 explores our nation’s vulnerability to cyber-attack, how the US is coping with the twenty-first century struggle to balance the right to privacy with our cyber vulnerability, and the rise of Artificial Intelligence.

AI chatbots were just the beginning.

To purchase your copy of 4o4 @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast Ideas: Decker—Jake Gyllenhall, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, James Macavoy; Xin Liu (Lulu)—Lynn Hung, Bianca Bai, Gong Xinliang, Fan Bingbing.]

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Gospel Truths by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 434 pages
Publisher: CORNUCOPIA PRESS
Publication Date: November 8, 2013
Language: English
ASIN: B005FNYQ52

Sherlock Holmes meets Da Vinci Code

They have been drawn into a plot more insidious than anything they could have imagined—a battle to control one of religion’s greatest secrets.

For English detective Nigel Lyman, it begins with the suspicious suicide of a corrupt Italian banker in London. For French-born Mariane Soury-Fontaine, it starts with the mysterious disappearance of her lover, a construction worker specializing in ancient renovations. For Italian mobster Marco Scarcella, it’s about strengthening his pseudo-Masonic lodge, the P2, used to blackmail and threaten Roman magistrates and politicians. And for American architect/mathematician Joseph Koster (protagonist in the sequel, The God Machine), the search leads through France’s soaring Notre Dame cathedrals in Chartres and Amiens to the baffling labyrinths that Medieval masons once inscribed in their floors.

Booklist called Gospel Truths, “a splendid, tautly woven thriller … (and) an intelligent mystery of tremendous spiritual and literary depth.” 

Library Journal said,” By turns contemplative, descriptive, and emotive, this mixture of mystery and intrigue reveals intense preparation and fine writing.”

And Mostly Murder characterized it, “A fascinating mystery … captivating and engrossing.”

[NOTE: The character of the Archbishop is modeled on J.G. Sandom’s actual cousin, Paul Marcinkus, Archbishop, former head of the Vatican Bank (IOR), and once Mayor of the Vatican City.]

These strangers are about to crack a code that dozens have died for, a puzzle whose power reaches back to the birth of the Christian faith, through the echoing halls of the Vatican, and into the dark, corrupt realms of Italian organized crime.

For each of these characters, finding this ancient text is no longer the ultimate challenge. Now, the ultimate challenge is simply staying alive.

Published a decade before Da Vinci Code,
read the theo-thriller that started it all.

To purchase your copy of Gospel Truths @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast ideas: Nigel Lyman—Martin Freeman, Hugh Laurie, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman; Joseph Koster—Michael Fassbender, Damian Lewis, Joel Kinnaman, Benedict Cumberbatch.]

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Fat Kids Can’t Clean Chimneys by Wicked StepMomster
Print Length: 78 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0985695420
Publisher: Cornucopia Press
Publication Date: October 22, 2013
Language: English
ASIN: B00G49FTR0

MAKES A GREAT GIFT IDEA!

Every Wicked StepMomster knows that the road to hell is littered with minivan-carpooling soccer moms. Instead of flagrantly misappropriating your money, children should be giving back . . . to you. They should be mixing your martinis, waxing your floors and legs, bonding you to your husband until the inheritance or insurance policy is assured, and generally contributing to your 401K.

Fat Kids Can’t Clean Chimneys is the primer for all those parents wondering where the happy in their happy hour went. So kick up your feet, have your free labor force make you a martini and let the mind massage begin.

About the Author
Once upon a time, in a land closer than you think, there was a woman. She spent most of her days shuttling children to and fro. She cooked more than one meal a night because of picky progeny. She did more laundry than Mao’s dry cleaner so that every soccer, baseball, dance, cheerleading, and football uniform was always at the ready. She typed papers, made Halloween costumes worthy of the Metropolitan Museum, and packed nutritious lunches that went uneaten. This woman—we’ll call her Sad Sack Sallie—helicoptered, room-parented and soccer-momed her way to an early streak of grey and an unquiet nervous breakdown. She now spends her days in an institution needlepointing pillows for the ungrateful children that never visit her. That woman was Wicked StepMomster’s husband’s first wife.

To purchase your copy of Fat Kids Can’t Clean Chimneys @ Amazon, click here.

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Collected Poems by Sweet Little Black Kitty
Annotated by James Wynbrandt
Paperback: 54 pages
Publisher: Cornucopia Press (October 11, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0985695447
ISBN-13: 978-0985695446

It is often asked how different would literary history have been were cats able to grasp a quill pen or pound on an Underwood. Now we know. This collection of Sweet Little Black Kitty’s verse represents a milestone in literature and introduces the world to an exciting new poet and species of artist—not literary lion, but literary feline. The first feline artist to embrace computer keyboard technology as a platform for self-expression, Sweet Little Black Kitty’s vibrant pawings and feline haiku reveal a playful and irreverent spirit, simultaneously providing astonishing glimpses into the mind of the heretofore inscrutable cat. Annotated by James Wynbrandt.

MAKES A GREAT GIFT IDEA!

About the Author
Sweet Little Black Kitty was born in St. Augustine, Florida. A black female growing up in the Deep South, abandoned soon after birth, her prospects seemed limited. Yet early on she sought to better her circumstances. The poet-to-be moved in with a tenant in an apartment house she lived under. The tenant, a writer from New York wintering in the historic city, exposed Sweet Little Black Kitty to the artist’s life of indolence and procrastination to which she seemed preternaturally suited. Yet she hardly appeared destined for literary greatness, displaying more interest in the concept of destroying literature rather than creating it; her favorite pastime was shredding 8.5”x11” copy paper into tiny, tiny bits. Still lacking direction but possessed of a fierce desire to leave her native streets, she accompanied the writer back to New York City. New York has long been a magnet and crucible for creative personalities of all stripes, and Sweet Little Black Kitty blended in with the black-clad inhabitants of this eclectic demimonde. She suffered the de rigeur early rejections all artists endure – chased off the keyboard several times when she first began composing verse – but through persistence and the sheer power of her talent, her gifts were ultimately recognized.

This hilarious send-up skewers our obsession with cats, and delivers an insight into the feline psyche that revolutionizes interspecies communication. To purchase your copy of Collected Poems – Sweet Little Black Kitty @ Amazon, click here.

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The Wall Street Murder Club by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 317 pages
Publisher: Cornucopia Press;
First Digital Edition edition
Publication Date: September 14, 2013
Language: English
ASIN: B00F7UH830

Gone Girl meets American Psycho

Five successful New Yorkers out for a bachelor party leave their trendy restaurant in SoHo and go slumming at a seedy local strip club called the Party Girl Lounge. The last bachelor in “The Hunting Club”—as they call themselves after a college excursion—is getting married and there will be debauchery. John Payne would rather stay home with his pregnant wife but Glenn Morrow won’t hear of it. It’s hard to say no to a guy who’s a Prince of Wall Street, who introduced you to your wife, and who helped get you your job as a helicopter traffic radio announcer. Glenn Morrow does not take no for an answer.

One after the other, in a bacchanalian night of drugs and liquor, the five privileged young white men have their way with a willing young Puerto Rican stripper whom they follow home when the Lounge closes. But after John Payne comes to with the girl dead in his arms, Glen Morrow insists that instead of facing the music, they mop up their mess, dump the body into New York harbor, and count on the unlikelihood of anybody caring about some cheap missing hooker. They count wrong.

Scott Turow called The Wall Street Murder Club, “A gripping story, well-told . . . not only a tale of murder and betrayal, but an intelligent exploration of issues of male identity.”

Kirkus Reviews termed the book, “A Big Apple Deliverance, endowing New York culture with all the corrosively dehumanizing power of Dickey’s wild nature … Slickly entertaining right down to the last, inevitable twist.  (Film rights to Warner Brothers — and there’s no mystery why.)”

And Booklist said, “(Sandom) writes with stunning elegance and nearly poetic beauty … A sure hit with any suspense reader.”

Blackmail and murder, loyalty, honor and betrayal — all come into play. Slowly but surely, the ties that once held these lifelong friends together begin to unravel, the bonds of friendship are broken, and the members of “The Hunting Club” start to hunt . . . one another.

To purchase your copy of The Wall Street Murder Club @ Amazon, click here.

This book was originally released by Doubleday/Bantam/Dell under the title, “The Hunting Club,” and was published in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Holland, Germany, England, Japan, and Denmark (including an audio book). Here are the original covers:

[Possible Cast Ideas: Payne—Jeremy Renner, Chris Platt, Jake Gyllenhall, Mark Wahlberg.]

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A is for Asparagus by Holland Dayze
Print Length: 33 pages
Publisher: Cornucopia Press
Publication Date: August 17, 2011
Language: English
ASIN: B005HY1R3S

James Bond meets Chocolat (for kids)

When the asparagus of the world begin to disappear and VIA (Vegetable Intelligence Agency) agents Marc and Marie Couteau fall into a mysterious slumber, it is up to Jacques Couteau, their 10 year old son, to unearth the insidious forces behind the disappearance of one of his favorite vegetables—Asparagus Officinalis.

Jacques confronts the diabolical CLOWN and uncovers a hideous plot:  A mysterious anti-vegetable cabal behind the world’s largest fast food chain—YummyLand—is GMO engineering a new plant with twice the salt, twice the sugar, and three times the fat of ordinary fast food. Worse, each YummyLand product is highly addictive, causing a lifelong craving after only one bite, and transforming people into lazy, obese, do-nothing zombies . . . exactly what’s happened to Jacques’ parents.

Now, only Jacques—armed with his infamous Jacquesknife and aided by May Fourchette, a black-and-blue belt in every Martial Art attainable—can defeat the CLOWN and the mysterious Mr. Bibb, prevent the enslavement of the world, and ensure the survival of asparagus everywhere.

The first in a series (stay tuned for B is for Brussels Sprout), MainSail Reviews called this award-winning children’s book, “A delightful romp that will not only amuse and captivate your child, but may actually get him to eat those green things on his dinner plate rather than throwing them at you.”

This book is perfect to read with your kids at bedtime to encourage them to form an open-minded relationship with vegetables. If you have a picky eater, try this book!

To purchase your copy of A is for Asparagus @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast Ideas: Pierce Gagnon, Griffin Gluck, Eli Baker, Fabrizio Guido.]

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The God Machine by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 482 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0553589970
Publisher: CORNUCOPIA PRESS
Publication Date: January 22, 2011
Language: English
ASIN: B004KABFQ4

 Da Vinci Code meets Mission Impossible

Joseph Koster is not a swashbuckler or ordinary hero. He’s no Indiana Jones, Zorro or Robert Langdon. He was a mathematical prodigy who burned out way too young and who suffers from a mild form of Asperger’s. Now, middle-aged and divorced, he’s a competent architect with a great eye for puzzles and an insatiable curiosity.

It’s this curiosity that his best friend Nick Robinson exploits to entice Koster into the adventure of his life. Nick has come into possession of the coded journal of Ben Franklin said to reveal the location of an ancient Gospel which, if found, could undermine the very foundation of Christianity.

Once before (in Gospel Truths), Joseph Koster unearthed one of the Church’s most deeply buried secrets . . . and it almost cost him his life. But some treasures are too hard to resist. And as Koster puts the pieces of Franklin’s puzzle together, he discovers something even more startling . . . and infinitely more deadly. The Gospel is more than just text; it’s an electrical diagram, a blueprint to a mechanical device that—when combined with other pieces created by Leonardo Da Vinci, Alan Turing and Nikola Tesla—could open a doorway to Heaven.

Caroline Thompson (author of Edward Scissorhands) said, “Move over, Dan Brown . . . All hail J.G. Sandom . . . (The God Machine) is a thrilling and breathless, rapturously-written and mind-blowing read. It’ll keep you up all night, turning pages as fast as your little fingers can manage.”

BookPage said, “Sandom has a knack for combining legendary gospels, ancient secrets, star-crossed lovers and Masonic puzzles to create a simmering stew of conspiracy, intrigue and danger that keeps the plot pot boiling until the very end.”

And the Historical Novels Review said, “History galore, violence, and intrigue fill the pages of this tightly plotted, twisting and turning adventure story . . . Those who love numbers, physics, and a truly unpredictable, suspenseful mystery will relish the facts and ponderings replete in this well-written, mysterious spin-off of The Da Vinci Code. The God Machine is a very impressive historical thriller!”

As the story pinwheels between the present and the past, assisted by beautiful high-tech mogul Savita Sajan, Koster must race against time to decode Franklin’s journal before it falls into the hands of those who would do anything, kill anyone to suppress it. But in a world of secret societies, ancient conspiracies and Masonic puzzles, locating the prize is one thing—staying alive another.

For as Koster and Sajan are about the learn, the same key that unlocks the doorway to Heaven . . . could open the portals of Hell.

To purchase your copy of The God Machine @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast ideas: Joseph Koster—Michael Fassbender, Damian Lewis, Joel Kinnaman, Benedict Cumberbatch; Savita Sajan—Archie Panjabi, Moran Atias, Parminder Nagra, Zuleikha Robinson.]

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Kiss Me, I’m Dead by J.G. Sandom
Print Length: 192 pages
Publisher: Cornucopia Press; 4 edition (September 28, 2010)
Publication Date: September 28, 2010
Language: English
ASIN: B0044XV8QE

(formerly The Unresolved, Dutton/Penguin, released under pen name T.K. Welsh)

Twilight meets Titanic

Mallory Meer is like any other teenage girl. She likes to have fun. She thinks her sister is ridiculous. Her parents drive her crazy. She’s got a terrible crush on a boy named Dustin and follows him everywhere. Mallory even has a summer job—figuring out the truth about the fire on the General Slocum steamship, the disaster that killed her sister. Mallory is determined to find out what really happened, and to bring the guilty to justice.

Sometimes Mallory gets angry, very angry, and strange things happen when Mallory gets angry. Yes, Mallory is like any other teenage girl . . . except Mallory is dead.

Ranked one of the Top Ten Children’s Books of the year by the Washington Post, Kiss me, I’m Dead was named a Notable Book for Teens by the Association of Jewish Libraries Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) Teen’s Top Ten, and nominated for a Cybils literary award. At once a ghost story, a courtroom drama, an examination of immigrant life, and a tale of love, redemption and revenge, The Washington Post said, “(J.G. Sandom) writes with a precision and delicacy unusual for YA fiction,” and called this paranormal romantic teen thriller, “A subtle gem.”

On June 15, 1904, over one thousand German immigrants on a Lutheran Church outing died when the General Slocum steamship caught fire and sank in the East River. It was the greatest disaster and loss of life in New York City history . . . until 9/11. But was it a tragic accident or willful murder?

When her Jewish boyfriend Dustin is accused of the crime, Mallory, risks everything to solve the mystery behind the tragedy. Was Dustin guilty? Or, was someone else responsible for the fire?

As New York City launches an official coroner’s inquest, a secondary one takes place in the community of Kleindeutschland (Little Germany)—with Dustin on trial. Now insubstantial, Mallory uses all the powers of this world and the next to save her beloved, and to punish those responsible. Set against a backdrop of corruption and pervasive anti-Semitism, Mallory finds herself doing things she couldn’t have imagined doing before the Slocum tragedy, and her search for justice leads her to a fundamental truth about herself: Sometimes you don’t really start to live your life . . . until you lose it.

To purchase your copy of Kiss Me, I’m Dead @ Amazon, click here.

[Possible Cast Ideas: Saorsie Ronana, Hailee Steinfeld, Elle Fanning, Ellie Darcy Alden.]

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