Bookshelf
Jericho
Librarian Syd Murphy escapes a failed marriage by moving to Jericho, a small Appalachian town. After a flat tire introduces her to Maddie Stevenson, the town doctor, the two form a close friendship that soon deepens into something more. As their bond grows, they confront hidden desires and emotional baggage, learning that love can surprise you—and sometimes, the right person is the one you never saw coming.
Aftermath
Maddie and Syd are content on the farm, raising foster son Henry while his dad is deployed. David and Michael run their cozy B&B, and Roma Jean Freemantle is set to graduate. But everything changes when a massive storm hits Jericho, shaking the quiet town to its core. As lives intertwine and secrets emerge, the townspeople must come together to heal, rebuild, and rediscover what truly matters.
Goldenrod
In the quirky Appalachian town of Jericho, life is anything but quiet. Maddie and Syd adjust to life without Henry, now reunited with his father. Henry bonds with Buddy, a math whiz, and Dorothy, who hides deep wounds. Meanwhile, David runs for mayor, and Roma Jean wrangles a rogue bookmobile—and her heart. Through every twist, hope blooms like goldenrod in midsummer.
Covenant
In the Appalachian town of Jericho, secrets smolder as summer turns to autumn. Six weeks after the mysterious death of Gerald Watson, suspicion grips the town. Was it an accident—or murder? As old loyalties strain and hidden truths emerge, Syd, Maddie, David, and Roma Jean must confront the covenants they’ve made—and the lies that could shatter their fragile peace.
Backcast
Sculptor Barb Davis hosts a two-week retreat for twelve renowned lesbian writers at Vermont’s Lake Champlain, pairing feminist sculptures with personal essays. Amid happy hours and writing, they compete in a bass fishing tournament, meet Phoebe—a wisecracking fish life coach—and uncover hidden desires beneath the surface. Backcast blends humor and heart, exploring women’s transitions, creative struggles, and unexpected connections in a vibrant, heartfelt story.
Beowulf for Cretins: A Love Story
Grace Warner, an English professor at a New England college, teaches “Beowulf for Cretins” while recovering from a painful breakup. After a passionate, no-strings encounter with the mysterious Abbie on a cross-country flight, Grace’s life is upended by a new college president, a rival vying for tenure, a neurotic dog named Grendel, and a woman named Ochre—offering Grace a chance at unexpected happiness and change.
Hoosier Daddy
Jill “Friday” Fryman, a line supervisor in a small Indiana truck plant, struggles with love and life’s predictability. When El, a passionate UAW organizer, arrives to unionize the newly Japanese-owned plant, their fiery clashes spark unexpected attraction. Amid monster trucks, fried catfish, Pork Day USA, and the local bar Hoosier Daddy, Friday must navigate loyalty, passion, and change in her tight-knit town and heart.
Sidecar
Sidecar by Ann McMan is a fast, funny short story collection featuring beloved characters from Jericho and new ones like Diz and Clarissa. Filled with witty humor, sharp dialogue, and rich detail, it includes the novella Bottle Rocket, a prequel to her award-winning novel Backcast. With an introduction by Salem West, Sidecar offers a joyful ride through love, friendship, and fierce verbal jousting.
Three (plus one)
Diz and Clarissa are back for a snowy Baltimore Christmas filled with quirky family, mischievous dogs, and chaotic holiday fun. This festive omnibus includes the original three stories—Nevermore!, A Christmas Tree Grows in Baltimore, and Blended Families—plus the new fourth tale, ’Twas the Nightmare Before Christmas. Ann McMan’s romantic comedy classic is perfect for anyone who loves laughter, love, and holiday mayhem.
Dust
Evan Reed is a tough, foul-mouthed ex-Catholic and single mom who works as a political “dust-buster,” digging up dirt on candidates. Hired to investigate a charismatic junior senator, she uncovers a murder instead. As she digs deeper, Evan’s life complicates further when she meets the senator’s secretive, reclusive wife—whose own hidden past threatens to unravel everything. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Galileo
Evan Reed, a tough political operative, is hired by the DNC to dig up dirt on a fast-tracked Supreme Court nominee. Haunted by a past vetting gone wrong, she uncovers links to a disgraced senator and a web of lies involving dark money and private rituals. As danger closes in, Evan’s personal life, faith, and relationships unravel, threatening everything she’s fought to protect.
The Big Tow: An Unlikely Romance
Overworked attorney Vera “Nick” Nicholson loses her job and joins Fast Eddie’s quirky National Recovery Bureau in K-Vegas, NC. Teaming up with schoolteacher-turned-car-jacker Frankie Stohler, they dive into a wild world of asset recovery, chasing a missing luxury car and its secrets. Their misadventures across North Carolina spark legal trouble, financial freedom, and unexpected love in this fast-paced, hilarious Southern romp.
Dead Letters from Paradise
In 1960 North Carolina, EJ Cloud, a quiet spinster managing the Dead Letter Office, receives mysterious letters addressed to no one. As she investigates their lyrical, forbidden tales, she’s pulled into a deeper mystery tied to racial injustice and her town’s hidden past. With the help of ten-year-old Harrie Hart, EJ embarks on a journey of truth, transformation, and unexpected courage.
The Black Bird of Chernobyl
In The Black Bird of Chernobyl, two-time Lambda Literary Award-winner Ann McMan delivers a darkly comic, unforgettable romance set in a family funeral home. Lilah Stohler, gloomy and morbid, inherits the business—until Sparkle Lee Sink, an irrepressibly sunny marketing guru, shakes things up. As viral fame and unexpected attraction collide, Lilah must confront love, life, and death with deadpan wit and existential charm.
Switch
In Switch, two-time Lambda Award-winner Ann McMan introduces Izzy Lebrun, a witty train conductor juggling grad school, a demanding job, and a disastrous love life. Caught between romantic fiction clichés and real-life letdowns, Izzy’s quest for a Ph.D., a cat, and true love leads to comedic misadventures. Will Izzy ever reach the end of the line and have her ticket punched for a HEA or is this the end of the line for her?
The Malign Ghosts of Summer
Two-time Lambda Literary Award winner Ann McMan returns with The Malign Ghosts of Summer, a lyrical, sapphic novel told through four interwoven voices. As Meg rebuilds her life after sudden loss and illness, friendship, love, and memory guide her path. Spanning decades and continents, this richly layered story explores reinvention, chosen family, and the enduring power of becoming who you were always meant to be.
