JEFF FLEISCHER

Art and business collide in this tale of a hapless artist and a very shrewd, if not entirely scrupulous, marketing executive. A struggling creator of sculptures made from pieces he’s foraged from dumpsters, is just barely getting by when he receives a mind-boggling offer that he can neither believe nor refuse. Will he or won’t he accept it? Art “gets the business” in a story that begs the question: What makes a piece of art worth anything?

ROBERT SHUSTER

A writer of thrillers encounters a woman who claims to be the clever central character from his first novel. He plays along for a while, enjoying her witty company and the social boost she gives to his fading renown, but when she demands his involvement in a scheme to steal millions, he starts to wonder if she has, in fact, emerged from his fiction. As the situation becomes increasingly dire, he struggles to outwit her double-crossing skills.

SARAH BLANCHARD

When Kilauea Volcano erupts in May 2018, back-to-the-land farmers June and Lani must decide whether to stay and protect their Big Island homestead against everyday threats like feral pigs and potential looters, or evacuate and flee the dangers they cannot control. In the process, they learn where the fault lines are in their own relationship, and whether they can survive a disaster that may be immediate and cataclysmic.