Michael A. Ventrella – författare

Billboard magazine named The Beatles the greatest performing musical act of all time, and their albums continue to chart to this day. This is no surprise to the author, who combed through nearly 60 years of the magazine, week by week, to compile a list of every song and album that charted. The end result is an intriguing look at the band's influence, including their solo efforts. The author assigns points to the positions of songs and albums on the charts in order to create a list ranging from the least successful to the most successful. Each entry includes a picture of the album cover or single sleeve, along with an analysis of the song or album. Also provided are introductory chapters about the Beatles and an explanation of how the Billboard charts have been tabulated and changed over the years.

Sherlock Holmes is reimagined in this anthology of 13 new stories by contemporary authors including Gail Z. Martin and Jonathan Maberry. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle''s immortal character Sherlock Holmes has been captivating mystery lovers since his first appearance on Baker Street in 1887. Now contemporary authors take the brilliant detective far beyond his usual stomping grounds in thirteen wildly imaginative stories. In Ryk Spoor''s thrilling "The Adventures of a Reluctant Detective," Sherlock is a re-creation in a holodeck. In Hildy Silverman''s mesmerizing "A Scandal in the Bloodline," Sherlock is a vampire. Heidi McLaughlin sends Sherlock back to college, while Beth Patterson, in the charming "Code Cracker," turns him into a parrot. The settings range from near-future Russia to a reality show, a dystopian world, and an orchestra. Without losing the very qualities that make Sherlock so beloved, these authors spin their own singular riff on one of fiction''s truly singular characters.

Thirteen authors, including Gail Z. Martin, David Gerrold, and Jonathan Maberry, come together to pen short stories innovating Sherlock Holmes, adapting and revolutionizing the iconic character.Sherlock Holmes is one of the most iconic and lasting figures in literature. His feats of detection are legendary, and he continues to capture audiences today in stories, movies, and on TV. In this new anthology, Baker Street Irregulars, authors present the celebrated detective in more than a dozen wildly entertaining new ways. In Ryk Spoor’s thrilling "The Adventures of a Reluctant Detective,” Sherlock is a re-creation in a holodeck. In Hildy Silverman’s mesmerizing "A Scandal in the Bloodline,” Sherlock is a vampire. Heidi McLaughlin sends Sherlock back to college, while Beth Patterson, in the charming "Code Cracker,” turns him into a parrot. The settings range from Russia in the near-future to a reality show, from a dystopian world to an orchestra. Without losing the very qualities that make Sherlock so illustrious a character, these authors spin new webs of mystery around their own singular riff on one of fiction’s truly singular characters.Stories In This Volume:"’Locked!" by Mike Strauss"Identity (An Adventure of Shirley Holmes and Jack Watson)" by Keith R. A. DeCandido"The Scent of Truth" by Jody Lynn Nye"The Adventure of the Reluctant Detective" by Ryk Spoor"A Scandal in the Bloodline" by Hildy Silverman"The Fabulous Marble" by David Gerrold"The Scarlet Study" by Jim Avelli"Delta Phi" by Heidi McLaughlin"Beethoven’s Baton" by Austin Farmer"The Adventure of the Melted Saint" by Gail Z. Martin"Automatic Sherlock" by Martin Rose"The Hammer of God" by Jonathan Maberry"Code Cracker" by Beth W. Patterson

Thirteen contemporary authors—including Narrelle M. Harris and Jody Lynn Nye—riff on the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes in this imaginative anthology.In the first Baker Street Irregulars anthology, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle''s brilliant and beloved character appeared as a hologram, a parrot with great deductive skill, and on a reality show. Now in this second edition, thirteen more authors offer their own highly original takes on the mystery genre''s greatest crime solver.In Keith DeCandido''s "Six Red Dragons," Sherlock is a young girl in modern New York City. In Sarah Stegall''s "Papyrus," Sherlock is a female librarian in ancient Egypt. In Daniel M. Kimmel''s "A Scandal in Chelm," Sherlock is a rabbi. Derek Beebe sends Sherlock to the moon, while Mike Strauss casts him as a comic book character.The settings of these stories range from a grade school classroom to an alien spaceship. While preserving the timeless charm and intrigue of Sherlock Holmes, these authors pen stories of the world''s greatest detective as you''ve never seen him before.

Book 3 of the Tales of Fortannis. One barbarian tribe has a prophecy saying the legendary hero Bishortu will unite the three warring tribes. Another has a prophecy that directly contradicts this, and they want Bishortu dead. And a third, which may or may not be comprised of werewolves, refuses to let anyone know what their prophecy says. Meanwhile, the Duke on whose land the barbarians live wants them all gone. In the middle of all of this is squire Terin Ostler, who has been mistakenly identified as the great Bishortu. Under the Duke's orders to get rid of the barbarians, he heads to their lands without the slightest idea of what to do. Along the way, he has to avoid assassins, werewolves, lovesick barbarian princesses, and confused goblins, while attempting to figure out the meaning of the magical and mysterious Wretched Axes. Nobody said being a hero would be easy. Reviews:"e;Here Michael A. Ventrella takes up the mantle of Christopher Stasheff. Terin's exploits are as entertaining as those of Rod Gallowglass, and fans of The Warlock in Spite of Himself will hugely enjoy The Axes of Evil."e; —Gregory Frost, author of Shadowbridge and Lord Tophet "e;The Axes of Evil is a taut nail-biter of a thriller. Edgy, funny and dark."e; —Jonathan Maberry, multiple Bram Stoker Award-winning author of V-Wars and Rot & Ruin "e;Humor, danger and a twisted tangle of unlikely prophecies make for a page-turning adventure."e; —Gail Z. Martin, author of The Chronicles of the Necromancer series

Making the Mistakes So You Don't Have to He's written more than a dozen books, including the highly acclaimed Terin Ostler/Fortannis fantasy series, the Teddy Roosevelt/steampunk adventure Big Stick, and the horrifically funny Bloodsuckers. He's also edited a slew of great books, including the Fantastic Books anthologies Release the Virgins and Three Time Travelers Walk Into…, and he co-edited Across the Universe and two volumes of alternate Sherlock Holmes stories in the Baker Street Irregulars series… and that's just his fiction output. All of that means he's made—and learned from—the mistakes beginning writers usually make. And now, in Learn From My Mistakes!, Michael A. Ventrella saves you the time of making those mistakes yet again for yourself. This collection of essays—written over several years, usually as he was making the mistake he talks about—give a wonderful overview of the entire process, from idea to writing, editing to publishing, and selling the book and building a career. Told in an accessible style, Ventrella is someone you want to have a conversation with, to pick his brain. And this book offers just those suggestions. Recommended for beginning writers and those who want to level up their writing game.