News & Notes
Shattering the silence: It’s No Fun Anymore by Brittany Micka-Foos shines a light on women’s resilience

Former victim’s rights lawyer Brittany Micka-Foos is releasing her newest release, It’s No Fun Anymore, a collection of powerful short stories, on June 17th, 2025.
Micka-Foos, a published short-story writer, stuns readers with her stories that survey the dark, but impactful, minds and issues faced by women. She weaves her stories in a way that makes you question your own experience and perspectives on topics you thought you were sure about previously.
“Alternating between poignant, grim, and sometimes haunting stories, It’s No Fun Anymore cuts to the core of all our deepest fears on being a woman in the 21st century. In stark prose, Micka-Foos makes you feel the immediacy of her characters’ experience as they navigate motherhood, career, love, and getting out of bed each morning. Every story invites you to wrestle with the choices you’d make in the same situation, and that’s where the real fun begins,” says Alexandria Faulkenbury, author of Somewhere Past the End.
It’s No Fun Anymore is available at your local bookstore, in addition to Amazon.
Description:
“It’s No Fun Anymore” is a collection of eight stories that explore the politics of victimization, the sites of trauma on women’s bodies, and their attempts to divine meaning from suffering. In “The Experiment,” the murder of a young girl prompts a stay-at-home mother to undertake a desperate bid for agency, drawing unlikely inspiration from a 1950s self-help book. An MLM saleswoman in “Border Crossings” is held captive at the Canadian border, and in her marriage. And “Thumb Stump” introduces a new mother, who worries her baby will inherit both her perceived deformity and generational trauma. These stories examine the double binds of motherhood, the sham of “having it all,” the daily struggles. The centralizing thread is the question: How can trauma be transformed?
About the author:
Brittany Micka-Foos is a writer and stay-at-home mom living in the Pacific Northwest. Her shortstories, essays, and poetry have appeared in Ninth Letter, Witness, Hobart, Literary Mama, CALYX Journal, Briar Cliff Review, and elsewhere. To read more visit: www.brittanymickafoos.com.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process. As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion. Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
Winners and Losers Explores Family Secrets and Emotional Healing in New Novel from Marina Cramer
Baltimore, MD — Apprentice House Press is proud to announce the upcoming release of Winners and Losers, the latest novel by author Marina Cramer. The novel will be available for purchase starting May 13th and will be available at major bookstores and online retailers nationwide.
Winners and Losers delves into the intricate dynamics of family relationships, revealing the emotional challenges and healing processes that often accompany personal and familial struggles. The story follows Lily, a fourteen-year-old girl on a mission to understand the cryptic postcards sent by her estranged father. Leaving her ill grandmother home behind, Lily embarks on a cross-country journey to find her great-uncle Herman, a reclusive man she barely knows, in hopes that he might hold the answers she’s been searching for. As the two come to understand each other, they both learn that uncovering the past doesn’t always lead to the answers they expect, and that family connections can be far more complicated than they imagined.
“Winners and Losers offers readers a deeply emotional look at family, love, and the journey to find one’s place within it,” said Kevin Atticks, Apprentice House Director. “Through the characters of Lily and Herman, the novel explores the difficult balance between obligation and love, and how healing often requires confronting uncomfortable truths.”
Winners and Losers will be available for purchase at major retailers and independent bookstores starting May 13th.
Wonder into the woods of philosophic and literary exploration with Yonder, a creature that defies expectations

Richard Martin’s, I Inherited a Mixed Animal from Uncle Living in Woods, will be released June 10, 2025, on all platforms where books are sold. Martin is a second time author and will release this work after developing it for over a decade online. This exciting story has been developed bit by bit from an online forum to page, where Yonder and Lemuel travel through their journey at last.”Richard Martin’s, I Inherited a Mixed Animal from Uncle Living in Woods is strange, brilliant, unique, and hilarious. There are so many moments of brilliance in this book. Byway of Lemuel, Shane, Yonder, and the ragtag citizens of Hmm, Martin draws us in to a place we don’t recognize at all until we recognize it so completely we come to think of it as home. Somehow infusing beauty and humor into each page, if not every sentence, Martin reminds us the world is not to be taken lightly, except when it is. Simple and complex, ludicrous yet authentic, and utterly, painfully relatable, it reminds one of the old theatre of the absurd. Ionesco. Ibsen. A tale about finding our people in this often-lonely and messed up world, this book is nothing short of incandescent. I hope the Pulitzer folks take note.” said Gae Polisner, author of In Sight of Stars and Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me.
“Brilliantly creative and utterly hilarious, Richard Martin’s I Inherited A Mixed Animal From Uncle Living In Woods is a masterpiece. This wonderful novel is consistently laugh-out-loud funny, but in a loving way. The author through his sardonic narrator, Lemuel, isn’t shy to point out that the human flaws and frailties we find amusing can be found in all of us if we look hard enough. The oddball yet incisive and warm humor make us care about Yonder and his bewildered keeper. Filled with colorful and memorably unexpected prose to match its characters, the novel’s humor is reminiscent of T.R.Pearson’s A Short History of a Small Place; its delightfully original settings and cast recalling Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love; its gentle yet incisive satire resurrecting memories of the canon of Kurt Vonnegut; its homespun wisdom walking in the footsteps of John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row.
However, it is by no means derivative. This book, like Dunn’s Geek Love, has no siblings. It is anonly child.” said, Steven Mayfield, award-winning author of The Penny Mansions.
Available wherever books are traditionally sold.
Description:
I Inherited a Mixed Animal is the story of a young misanthrope who is forced to decide if he will sell (for one million dollars) about the only thing he loves in the world, in order to save the same whole stinking world. It is a novel of wonder, happiness, joy, and rampant political village tyranny. Young Lemuel Washington is a self semi-educated fix-it man/inventor in the village of Hmm, where he resides in mutual deterrence with his fortune-telling mayoral candidate sister Shane. Hmm is aquaint, lazy, and idyllically corrupt hamlet located in the Distant Northern Parallel. Lemuel is a fellow at the height of his powers minding his own business and encouraging others tomind theirs. Fixing and inventing are his passions. He is working, for example, on a village-circling treadmill on which the population will exercise and simultaneously generate green power for Hmm. Furthermore, he rigs Lottie Engram’s tea kettle to mimic her dead husband Rudolph whistling their song, ‘You Give Me Fever.’ Keeping Lemuel company at night is his collection of Reader’s Digest Condensed World Literature. His favorite authors are Kafka and Lao Tzu. Still, something is missing from Lemuel’s consummate existence. Lem’s hermit uncle Leonard perishes under violently mystical circumstances in the Unconscious Forest and bequeaths him the creature in question. Lemuel’s nirvana is instantly upended. He is forced to caretake the inexplicable beast, root out its elusive origins, and safeguard it from its nemeses: the looming Strangitor, Mabelthe mountain woman, and Sister Shane, all while trying to make a dollar or two off the animal himself.
About the author:
Martin’s work has appeared in Virginia Quarterly Review, North American Review, Chicago Review, Night Train, Wind, Greensboro Review, Adirondack Review (Fulton Prize Winner), and elsewhere. Martin’s first novel, Oranges for Magellan, was published in 2022 by Regal House Publishing, an indiepress in North Carolina. He lives in Santa Monica with his wife Paris and their two abandoned cats, Slim and Martin, who wandered into their yard one day and adopted them.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process. As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion. Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
It’s never too early for Breakfast Wine! Alex Poppe is back it again with her new book, Breakfast Wine!

Award winning writer, Alex Poppe is coming out with her next award-winning book, Breakfast Wine, a personal, enticing memoir with all kinds of emotional adventured.
A chance encounter with an acclaimed journalist encourages Alex to accept a teaching position in northern Iraq. One crazy event after the next, from being thrown off the back of a truck to working alongside Sweden’s most notorious sex offenders, she discovers colored-glass pieces of information that fall together in a turn. Alex becomes educated in Kurdish culture and politics beyond the classroom and her experiences living in the Middle East before and during the COVID lockdown before her father’s passing. This is a story of pursuing an unconventional life and finding a way home.
“This is Poppe’s most enticing piece of work yet!” said Kevin Atticks, Apprentice House director.
This book is available on June 10th, 2025, on Amazon, bookshop.org, Barnes and Noble, and wherever books are sold.
Description:
Dress-obsessed and directionless, 44-year-old Alex Poppe can’t get her life together. A business analyst, turned actor, turned teacher, she works a dead-end marketing job under a mammary gland-fixated man and still waits tables to make ends meet. A chance encounter with an acclaimed journalist encourages her to accept a teaching position in northern Iraq, which charms with a heart and a fist. Dining with a pistol-packing hitman, being thrown off the back of a truck during a humanitarian aid drop, and unknowingly working alongside one of Sweden’s most notorious sex offenders are colored-glass pieces of information that fall together in a turn, educating Alex in Kurdish culture and politics beyond what her students teach her in the classroom and what she experiences as a Western woman living in the Middle East. There are earthquakes and building fires and a small war juxtaposed against the senseless, drug-fueled death of a good friend and the bone chilling aftermath of the security police’s investigation. Alex navigates teaching online during the COVID lockdown with the help of WhatsApp before her father’s unexpected passing pushes her to return to the US. Blending memoir, personal essay, local topography, and culture, Breakfast Wine is a frank, human story of pursuing an unconventional life and finding a way home.
About the author:
Alex is a business analyst, turned actor, turned teacher/humanitarian aid volunteer, turned author. Living in places such as Iraq, the West Bank, and Ukraine shaped her understanding of privilege, hegemonic legacy, resilience, and the power of kindness. Her fiction illuminates fierce and funny women overcoming adversity in the aftermath of violence.
Three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee Kathy Kelly has praised Alex’s writing: “Care about these characters and you might help build a warmer world, a less predatory world. The stories seem to unfold effortlessly, but at a deeper level, Alex takes truths that everybody knows and makes them into truths no one can ignore.”
Booklist has called Alex’s writing “brisk, raw, and unflinching.”
Alex Poppe is the author of four works of literary fiction: Duende by Regal House Publishing (2022), Jinwar and Other Stories by Cune Press (2022), Moxie by Tortoise Books (2019), and Girl, World by Laughing Fire Press (2017). Duende won the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards in the novella category, the 2023 International Book Awards in the novella category, and was a 2023 Spring Readers’ Choice Book Awards finalist. Jinwar and Other Stories won the 2023 Spring Readers’ Choice Book Award in the adult book category and was a 2022 International Book Awards finalist. In 2018, Girl, World was named a 35 Over 35 Debut Book Award winner, First Horizon Award finalist, Montaigne Medal finalist, Eric Hoffer Grand Prize finalist, and was awarded an Honorable Mention in General Fiction from the Eric Hoffer Awards. Her short fiction and nonfiction have been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and commended for the Baker Prize among others. In 2021, Alex was an artist-in-residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, where Breakfast Wine began.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process.
As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
Buckle In and Get Ready to Experience What Reviewers are Calling an “Inspirational” and “Exhilarating” Memoir.

How Not to Fly an Airplane: A Female Pilot’s Journey, a memoir by Shirley Phillips, hits shelves on May 20th, 2025.
From former pilot and first-time author Shirley Phillips comes a thrilling memoir about life in the air, single motherhood, and never giving up, even when your dreams seem impossible. Join Shirley as she shares her experience and answers all those questions you didn’t know you had – why are there so few female pilots? What is it like to be on a plane when the engine suddenly gives out? What are pilots really thinking during those long flights? Is it possible to pursue a career, chase your dreams, and be a single parent? Filled with anecdotes – from her childhood in a small town, to being her airline’s first pregnant pilot, to becoming a single mother to two girls, to her own battle with chronic illness – Shirley pens a compelling picture that speaks to mothers, daughters, sisters, and any woman who dares to fly.
“Truly an inspirational story of courage and perseverance against all odds” said Laurie L. Gordy, PhD, Higher Education Administrator.
‘How Not to Fly an Airplane‘ is an exhilarating book… filled with white-knuckle moments and twists and turns” said Kathleen Fitzpatrick, Professor of History.
How Not to Fly an Airplane: A Female Pilot’s Journey is available wherever books are sold.
Description:
Shirley M Phillips knew she wanted to be a pilot when she was fourteen years old, thanks to an introductory flight in a Cessna that her father gave her and her twin sister at their local airport. Living in a small New England town where no one in her family had aviation experience, and at a time when only two percent of professional pilots were female, her decision to pursue aviation from the moment she left the ground set her on an unexpected path. How to Not Fly an Airplane is about learning to fly before you are old enough to drive a car, and teaching others when you are nearly always mistaken for being the pilot’s girlfriend, wife, or daughter. It’s about the many mistakes you can make in an airplane, and what it’s like to solve them, thousands of feet in the air or just a few feet above the trees. It’s about finding a sense of identity as a twin, becoming the first pregnant pilot at an airline, and losing a friend and former student in an infamous plane crash. What happens when a student pilot freezes on the flight controls just a few hundred feet in the air? How do you deal with a flight instructor who takes out a runway light during a botched landing and then let’s go of the stick? What’s it like to have an engine failure when your airplane only has one engine? Told through Phillips’s wide-ranging experience in over four decades of flying, How to Not Fly an Airplane is a memoir for anyone who has ever wondered what it’s like to fly, and inspiration for anyone who has felt compelled to do something nobody thought they could do.
About the author:
Shirley M Phillips lives in southern New Hampshire so close to an airport she can critique all the landing approaches from her deck. She shares her home and keyboard with her cat, Amina. Her writing has been published in The Atlantic, Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Review, Ravens Perch, and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Cat, among other publications. More information can be found at her website at shirleymphillips.com.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process. As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Venture to new and undiscovered places with Somewhere Past the End by Alexandria Faulkenbury

New author Alexandria Faulkenbury is releasing her debut novel, Somewhere Past the End, May 20th, 2025
Somewhere Past the End offers a panoramic view of an intense cult and how one involved family and how the repercussions of their choices muddy the lines between truth, belief, and delusion.
“Written with sureness and visceral emotion, Faulkenbury gives us a tense, close up view of the formation of a cult and one woman’s courageous escape, all wrapped around a gripping mystery that will have you questioning what is real. Both a vivid page-turner, and a nuanced examination of human nature, Somewhere Past the End, is a nourishing read. I highly recommend it,” said Sara Read, author of Johanna Porter is Not Sorry and Principles of (E)motion.
Somewhere Past the End is available in your local bookstore, in addition to Amazon.
Description: Alice Greene knows it’s a hoax when the leader of the cult she’s been raised in announces the end of the world. She also knows it’s the perfect chance to escape before he finds out she’s pregnant with the baby she’s not supposed to have. But as she watches his prophecy come true and over 100 members of the group disappear into a plume of smoke and light, all her plans crumble. Still reeling from the disappearance, Alice finds the other survivors and reconnects with her childhood best friend, Edwin. He’s got a message from their vanished leader: He and Alice will shepherd the remaining members. Certain she’s the wrong person for the job, but terrified she’ll lose the only family she has left, Alice struggles to find a way forward until she discovers her mother’s hidden journal. In it, she learns the secrets and lies that built their community, including one that will change her friendship with Edwin forever. As the consequences of these revelations come to light and Edwin’s convictions grow feverish, she must confront the faith of her past or risk losing the future she longs for.
About the author:
Alexandria Faulkenbury’s story was inspired, in part, by her departure from evangelicalism and the deconstruction that followed. Her work has been featured in The Maine Review and Mom Egg Review, among others. She lives in South Carolina with her husband, two rambunctious kids, and one ornery dog. Read more of her work and stay updated on her writing journey atalexandriafaulkenbury.com.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process.
As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
All That Remains by Author Jane Darby Released

Baltimore, MD – Loyola University Maryland’s Apprentice House Press is proud to announce the release of All That Remains, the debut novel by Connecticut-based author Jane Darby, available on May 27, 2025. The novel offers a poignant and compelling exploration of the complexities of grief, loss, and family dynamics.
All That Remains delves into the lives of Anna and Richard, a Manhattan couple who are struggling to cope with the violent death of their adult son. As they navigate their vastly different grieving processes, their marriage begins to unravel, revealing long-buried secrets. The couple’s journey of healing takes unexpected turns when they meet two young people grappling with their own traumas. Over a shattering weekend, Anna and Richard are forced to confront their darkest fears and face devastating truths about themselves and each other.
“Jane Darby’s debut novel is a powerful testament to the emotional depths of loss and the healing power of vulnerability,” said Kevin Atticks, Apprentice House director. “We are thrilled to bring this gripping and beautifully written story to readers.”
All That Remains is now available for pre-order and will be released May 27, 2025.
About the author:
Jane Darby’s short stories, essays, and articles have appeared in Lynx Eye, Washington Square Review, Storyglossia, Feminine Collective, New York Runner Magazine, and This One Has No Name. Recently she worked as a creative consultant and researcher for the documentary film, The Art of Eating: The Life of M.F.K. Fisher. All That Remains is her first novel(la). She lives in rural Connecticut.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process.
As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
Amy Mackin to Release her Memoir with Apprentice House Press

Writer and researcher Amy Mackin will release her memoir, Henry’s Classroom: A Special Education in American Motherhood, on May 6, 2025.
Henry’s Classroom follows one mother’s tenacious commitment to ensure the best outcome for her child while revealing a larger story of ineffective systems that are failing millions of families across America.
“It’s a love story, a story about raising children with disabilities, and a beautifully written story about a mother’s quest to ensure that her son receives the education he deserves.” —Linda Murphy Marshall, author of Ivy Lodge: A Memoir of Translation and Discovery.
Available wherever books are sold.
Description:
Over 7 million students ages 3-21 across the United States receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Amy Mackin’s son, Henry, is one of them. As she navigates the medical, social, and educational systems that are designed to help families like hers, she discovers that staffing shortages, budget restrictions, ineffective communication practices, and a resistance to innovative ideas all threaten her son’s ability to reach his full potential.
Henry’s Classroom takes readers on Amy’s often frustrating, sometimes funny journey with her son—from the initial stages of a developmental delay, through early intervention, eventual diagnosis, and Henry’s challenges within the public education system—until they finally turn away from traditional structures and create something new instead. As much a work of cultural criticism as it is a memoir, Henry’s Classroom argues that an expanded, more flexible vision of American schools and workplaces is essential for our society to realize true equity and inclusion.
About the author:
Amy Mackin writes at the intersection of education, cultural history, public health, and social equity. Her work has appeared in outlets such as The Atlantic, Chalkbeat, The Washington Post, Witness, and The Shriver Report. She earned her MA in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts and her MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Over the last several years, she has held leadership roles in the public health, science, and higher education sectors. Amy loves the fickle weather and spectacular landscapes of New England, where she resides with her family and always at least one friendly feline.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process.
As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
Award-Winning Author Jean Ende Debuts Powerful First Novel Houses of Detention

Jean Ende, celebrated for her award-winning short stories, now captivates audiences with her first full-length novel, Houses of Detention.
Set in the Bronx, N.Y., the novel follows the Rosen family, a multigenerational Jewish family that escaped persecution under the Nazi regime to build a new life in America. Their hard-won stability is shaken when Rebecca, a rebellious teenager, finds herself in the Bronx House of Detention, forcing the family to confront secrets, struggles, and survival in a changing world.
“Houses of Detention is a story that not only reflects Ende’s upbringing but is also relatable to many different audiences,” said Kevin Atticks, director of Apprentice House Press.
Mark your calendars for May 2025—Houses of Detention will be available on Amazon!
Description:
So, what’s a nice girl from a good family doing in a place like the Bronx House of Detention? Like all immigrants who flee persecution, when the Rosens escaped the Nazis they thought life in America would be perfect. And for a while it seemed like it was. The men started businesses and provided comfortable homes with a mink stole in every hall closet, the women served abundant helpings of high carb food and offered Nobel-worthy diplomacy and grandma preserved traditions while finishing a bottle of whiskey every week. But then cracks began to appear and the whole structure became shaky. American born, teenager, Rebecca, pushed boundaries so far the family story suddenly included the police and juvenile justice system; her father, a formerly revered Talmudic scholar mourned his loss of status in this money-grubbing society, and a woman with stricter religious beliefs married into the family causing near catastrophic rifts. Although the shadow of the Holocaust in always present, this is frequently a humorous book. People who eat frozen, pre-packaged bagels are condemned, Cossacks with fiery swords who once burned peasant villages are now Bar Mitzvah waiters carrying flaming cherries jubilee, the blonde chippie who’s dating the synagogue president has a poodle-shaped purse that barks in French and no one understands how WASPs can wear leather loafers without socks. This book has enough twists and turns and turmoil to make anyone, from any group, immigrant or Mayflower descendant, cry, Oy Vey!
About the author:
Jean Ende is a native NYer who is trying to exorcise her background by writing fiction influenced by her Jewish family in the Bronx, NY. A former reporter for daily newspapers in Westchester, NY and Jersey City, NJ, she was a press secretary in the NY City government and for several political candidates. When she left politics, Jean spent several years doing communications work for public service organizations which led to her decision to go over to the dark side. An English major with a degree from CCNY, Jean got an MBA from the Columbia University School of Business. She became a VP at a major commercial bank, wrote for business magazines and taught marketing in college management departments. Jean has had two dozen short stories published in print and online magazines and anthologies in the US and England and her work has been recognized by major literary competitions. This is her first novel. Jean and her dog now live in Brooklyn which is a foreign country to anyone from the Bronx.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process.
As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.
Right-Wing Violence. Hate Crimes. Tensions in 2019 America Reach a Breaking Point in this Literary Crime Thriller from Immigrant Author A.Molotkov.

On April 29th, 2025, dive into the gritty underbelly of Portland, Oregon with A. Molotkov’s new crime thriller, “A Bag Full of Stones”.
In 2019 Portland, Oregon, someone is targeting immigrants – someone who calls himself The Corrector. Fueled by the hate filled rhetoric and right-wing violence on the rise in a post-2016 America, The Corrector sets out to cleanse the city of all those he blames for his problems. His steps are dogged by Detectives Brenda Smith and Dmitry Volkov. When Iranian college student Azar Bayat is kidnapped, it becomes a race against the clock – will Detective Smith and Detective Volkov catch The Corrector before he makes his next kill? Will Azar outsmart her kidnapper? Or will The Corrector succeed in his hateful mission? Molotkov writes about the hatred bubbling over in America with the deftness that only someone who has truly experienced it can in this riveting novel set against the animosity of present-day America.
“Insanity is America’s default mode. And justice, like sports, is about scoring points. Taste it all in this savvy, thought-provoking detective novel about ghosts in which a Lesbian and a Russian immigrant are the investigators and an Iranian exchange student must confront her kidnapper. Ay, ay, ay: it is all a farse,” said Ilan Stavans, Lewis-Sebring Professor of Humanities, Latin American, and Latino Culture, Editor of Restless Books (where the novel was a finalist)
“In A Bag Full of Stones,” A. Molotkov has rendered a complex world that is as tender as it is dangerous. The multitude of voices in this novel are both human and monster, both flesh and ghost. Through the eyes of these characters, Molotkov shows us a society unsettled by violence, hatred, dishonesty, and political strife. Yet a path through these myriad narratives is forged with determination, love, and our undeniable need for connection with others. Rocked with tension, mystery, and unexpected twists, “A Bag Full of Stones” is a new take on the crime genre, one that readers won’t want to put down.” said Brittney Corrigan, author of The Ghost Town Collectives.
Description:
“A Bag Full of Stones” is a literary crime story that examines right-wing violence in 2019 America. Immigrants and minorities are the vehicle of humanity that animates the novel. Naseem Nazari is an elderly engineer from Yemen, his partner Yasmin Haddadis Palestinian, while Sania Jamison is an American Muslim and Azar Bayat is secular social sciences student from Iran. Detective Dmitry Volkov is a Soviet immigrant embroiled in his own gambling issues and sliding into crime. Detective Brenda Smith is distracted by her new relationship with Mary, a vet assistant. The book investigates the volatile mix of political views and strata in Portland, Oregon, and contrasts the choices characters face based on their background and degree of privilege. Will Azar outwit her kidnapper and survive?
About the author:
A. Molotkov is an immigrant writer. His poetry collections include, “The Catalog of Broken Things,” “Application of Shadows,” “Synonyms for Silence” and “Future Symptoms“. His novels, “A Slight Curve” and “A Bag Full of Stones” are forthcoming in 2025. His album, “Can You Stay Forever” was released in 2001. He co-edits The Inflectionist Review, loves to take photographs with dogs and mirrors, and plays + the Armenian duduk in his free time. In the late 1990s, he was part of the San Francisco multi disciplinary group, Discord Aggregate.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process. As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion. Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.