SEPIESSA PRESS announces publication of The Five Headed Dragon, a Thriller, the 6^th novel from the keyboard of Michael G. West.

This book will make you wonder about the world.

Suspenseful and sexy, The Five Headed Dragon will transport you from an island off the coast of Massachusetts to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.

Dr. Leef Leiden, an aging hit man who kills only sociopaths, wants out of the business. A free-spirited, young reporter named Sarah Benton, investigating unexplained disappearances of prominent people, becomes involved with the hit man unwittingly. S’bu Iredyetha, a mysterious African hermaphrodite educated at Oxford, a concert pianist or so he claims, threatens Sarah Benton’s life.

The story is set against an ancient Japanese myth, Benzaiten and The Five Headed Dragon. Dr. Leiden has spent years translating and lecturing about the story at leading universities and art museums. All the while he’s been crusading against sociopaths, making the world better, one sociopath at a time. Now that he’s met Sarah Benton, all he wants is to make the world safe for her. And him.

Stir it all up, and you have a spicy gazpacho of mayhem and mystery perfect for a summer afternoon in the shade of a beach umbrella.

Sepiessa Press will offer all poetry books for free and fiction for $0.99 this week only.

Beginning on Martin Luther King Day, January 16th and for five days running, the following poetry titles will be free of change on Kindle — The Mango, 52 Haiku, Natural Selection and the latest book from Sepiessa Press, When Stuff Is Not Enough.

Fiction works on Kindle — The Tommy Shakespear mysteries Dutch Reckoning and Misfit Blues and the XOC, BUZZD, BURN trilogy of ecothrillers — will be $0.99 through January 23.

Stock up now for your winter, spring and summer vacations, while prices are at an all time low.

The newest book from Sepiessa Press — The Five Headed Dragon — will appear this summer. Keep an eye out!

A new book of poems from Sepiessa Press features Michael G. West’s zen-influenced explorations into rhythm, image and idea. Renderings of Asian poetry, new haiku, some presented  in narrative and thematic sequences and longer, more discursive expressions fill the book with texture and light. Available on Amazon in Kindle or print format, this limited print run can also be obtained directly from the poet.

Some reviews:

“This is a memorable and original collection of poems from poet/author: Michael G. West.  I was initially drawn to this book by the beautifully designed cover and intriguing title. A collection that spans the gamut of life’s experiences, as seen through the eyes of the author. Evocative, at times haunting, many brought a smile to my face too.”

• Geraldine Helen Hartman, author of the Haiku Reflections series

“This collection… compact, but not like a little car at all, more like the most expensive Ferrari that whisks you away so fast you grip the leather of your seat as you enter a realm where “being” is served up with rarely combined ingredients concocted into revelation to leave you wishing it was as long as “The Goldfinch”. It felt like a consummation of tiny gourmet treats snatched from a drive through dream window for a trip you never planned. I think this is his best yet. I waited a full 12 hours to approach sharing my experience as, I needed to dwell in the absolute admiration of his literary architecture, grounded by the essence that you’d stalk for a Pulitzer, hard core current American life.”

• Lightwright

Winter doldrums? Escaping to somewhere warm? Need a book to take along to pass the time?

Consider my latest thriller –

BURN: A Year-Round Place To Die For.

from Holly Nadler’s review in the MV Times: “…the drama and the action just keep comin’ atcha…unputdownable….”

Available on Amazon in print or Kindle digital editions or directly from me, signed. All sales proceeds will go to the Bernie Sanders campaign. Get it? BURN? Okay…

You also can find it at the Bunch of Grapes under its original title [ROOFS: A Year-Round Place to Die].

On August 1, Sepiessa Press released Part 2 of ROOFS – A Year-round Place To Die on the Sepiessa.com website. The first 21 chapters of the Martha’s Vineyard Eco-Thriller are now online.

ROOFS – A Year-round Place To Die, is the story a security consultant for a vacationing U.S. Senator who’s running for President of the United States. The story is set against the backdrop of islanders – and illegal immigrants — struggling to find a decent place to live.

The island, beautiful as it is, does not present an easy way of life for those who settle and work there. Real estate is expensive, and after all, it is an island, so there is only so much of it. Summer rents are too attractive for those who own houses, and year-round islanders are forced to move twice a year or more as they, and their families, endure the Vineyard shuffle.

Jack Rotenborough, senator from New Jersey, vacations on the island and takes up the cause of those who need a year-round place to live. Senator Rotenborough is also the leading candidate for president among the GOP, opposing CIA director Dr. Kirsten Loring, the Democratic front runner.

Meanwhile, an eco-activist group from the Pacific Northwest, calling itself the Radical Order of Freedom Seekers (ROOFS) has targeted the mega-mansions of Martha’s Vineyard left unoccupied during the winter months, setting them afire and burning them from their roofs down to the ground.

ROOFS – A Year-round Place to Die will appear serially on Sepiessa.com through August where readers will be able to follow the continuing misadventures of Sam Hill on Martha’s Vineyard. Sepiessa Press will publish ROOFS, the third novel in the Martha’s Vineyard EcoThriller series, after Labor Day in trade paperback and digital formats.

Beginning on April 22, Earth Day 2015, Sepiessa has been publishing ROOFS – A Year-round Place To Die in serial novel form on the Sepiessa.com website. The first 14 chapters of the Martha’s Vineyard Eco-Thriller are now online.

ROOFS – A Year-round Place To Die, is the story a security consultant for a vacationing U.S. Senator who’s running for President of the United States. The story is set against the backdrop of islanders – and illegal immigrants — struggling to find a decent place to live.

The island, beautiful as it is, does not present an easy way of life for those who settle and work there. Real estate is expensive, and after all, it is an island, so there is only so much of it. Summer rents are too attractive for those who own houses, and year-round islanders are forced to move twice a year or more as they, and their families, endure the Vineyard shuffle.

Jack Rotenborough, senator from New Jersey, vacations on the island and takes up the cause of those who need a year-round place to live. Senator Rotenborough is also the leading candidate for president among the GOP, opposing CIA director Dr. Kirsten Loring, the Democratic front runner.

Meanwhile, an eco-activist group from the Pacific Northwest, calling itself the Radical Order of Freedom Seekers (ROOFS) has targeted the mega-mansions of Martha’s Vineyard left unoccupied during the winter months, setting them afire and burning them from their roofs down to the ground.

ROOFS – A Year-round Place to Die will appear serially on Sepiessa.com through August where readers will be able to follow the continuing misadventures of Sam Hill on Martha’s Vineyard.

Su Halfwerk, author and cover artist extraordinaire, who lives in Dubai, just sent me this latest draft of my latest book’s cover. ROOFS – A Year-round Place To Die will be released in the fall.

Three new Poetry Books by Michael G. West from Sepiessa Press in 2014

If you are a Kindle reader, here are links to 3 new books of poetry I am releasing from Sepiessa Press in 2014.

The Mango – 32 Poems of Spiritual Journey

THE MANGO – These thirty-two poems follow the arc of the seasons and chart themes that have been important in my inner life. I am at this stage a regular meditator, which provides me a kind of nourishment by subtraction. Meditation helps me to remove from my attention things that would jeopardize my spiritual health and to expand my frame of reference to encompass more than narrow self-interest. When a mango falls into the pool of my consciousness, as it certainly will, I would rather experience ripples than big waves.

52 Haiku – from  the Late Fall, Winter and Early Spring

52 HAIKU – These fifty-two poems arrived more or less intact over the course of the late fall, winter and early spring months, as the island transformed, and I observed how life’s changes affected me. Many of these tiny, seventeen syllable poems went through dozens of iterations, while others changed not at all from their first incarnation. Each one of them is like a single breath cast against a cold windowpane. As you read them, I invite you to write  your initials on the ones that speak to you and watch them fade away.

Natural Selection – 24 Selected Longer Poems

NATURAL SELECTION – The two dozen poems in this collection are the ones that seemed to fit together best. I did not deliberately construct a sequence or an arc or an overall theme. These poems just seemed to call out to me for inclusion. Some were written twenty or thirty years ago, some a decade back, some in the past few months. All of them still sing to me, and I hope they will to you.

All three poetry books will be available in print in another week or so on Amazon or at the Bunch of Grapes Bookstore in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts Massachusetts.

Skye Botanicals has launched a promotion featuring a pink grapefruit honey inspired by BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy. Here’s the behind-the-scenes story.

The night before Islanders Write, Monica Miller of Skye Botanicals messaged me on Facebook, asking if I’d like to give out pink grapefruit honey with BUZZD, as a promotional incentive. Somehow she’d created the most delicious honey anyone has ever tasted. At the Islanders Write event, people sampled the honey, and they immediately ordered the book. Monica Miller is now offering both the book and the boutique honey together as a package from Skye Botanicals on Etsy — and on island at the Chilmark flea on Saturdays and the Oak Bluffs market Sundays. You can’t get her Forbidden Pink Grapefruit Honey without BUZZD.

It’s not just about books and honey though. We want people to think about bees and what we are doing to the planet’s — and our island’s — ecology with herbicides, fungicides, pesticides and GMOs. That’s why I wrote BUZZD.

Happy National HoneyBee Day!

8.16.2014 — Just submitted a special price to Kindle for BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy for National HoneyBee Day. Should go live soon. $0.99 on Kindle.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LTXGAT2

Set in the scenic natural beauty of Martha’s Vineyard, BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy tells the story of corporate greed, mercenary killing and a new agricultural chemical that endangers the island ecosystem. Afghan war vet and special ops marine, Sam Hill uncovers the truth about the death of an EPA official, swarmed by killer bees. Sam finds a single loose thread and pulls on it until he unravels a national conspiracy that could threaten the entire planet.

This week is Shark Week on Discovery Channel. In order to present another view of sharks and to promote entertaining beach reading, XOC – The White Shark Murders will be

– Free: digital edition for Kindle free on Amazon for the next 5 days only. I’d make it all week, but Amazon has its limits

– On sale $14.55 in print on Amazon for a limited time. The price will return to $1795 on August 15th

XOC – The White Shark Murders

http://amzn.to/VaADgk

BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy was released for Print and Digital on Amazon today.

Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

In an special promotion, BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy is FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY on Amazon for Kindle digital editions (Fire, Kindle, Paperwhite, iPad- and iPhone-Kindle compatible, plus Kindle for Mac and PC).

BUZZD is also available as a print book on Amazon, trade paperback, 390 pages $17.95. Signed First Editions will also be for sale at the same price at the Bunch of Grapes bookstore in Vineyard Haven, Mass by the middle of next week.

Set in the scenic natural beauty of Martha’s Vineyard, BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy tells the story of corporate greed, mercenary killing and a new agricultural chemical that endangers the island ecosystem. Afghan war vet and special ops marine, Sam Hill uncovers the truth about the death of an EPA official, swarmed by killer bees. Sam finds a single loose thread and pulls on it until he unravels a national conspiracy that could threaten the entire planet.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LTXGAT2

Last Thursday I packed 18 signed copies of my books into a cardboard box to take to the Bunch of Grapes bookstore. I guess the last batch had sold out, so I drove down on Main Street to deliver the goods.  The loading zone spot across from the bookstore was open, so I pulled in and left my flashers on, grabbed the box, dashed across the street and delivered the books to the buyer, who had an invoice printed and ready. In and out in under three minutes.

When I got back to my car I saw the rather unkempt and pudgy exterior of a local constable waddling toward the new coffee place where a place called Che’s Lounge used to be. I saw a piece of paper flutter to the ground and picked it up. A punch card for frequent coffee drinkers.

While I was waiting for the cop to emerge from the coffee bar, so I could return his punch card, I noticed he had left a parking ticket for $25 on my windshield.

Hey! Loading zone, flashers, in and out in three minutes…how can that be cool? When he waddled back into view, I asked him.

“No commercial plates,” he said. “You can argue that until the cows come home and you won’t get anywhere.”

And I was giving him back his coffee punch card? Fine. Some people are just plain jerks, but at least, I thought, it’s cool that people are already asking at the bookstore for my new book, BUZZD – The Bee Kill Conspiracy.

Come to the Oak Bluffs Library on Saturday, July 5 to learn the beautiful truth about sharks and why they are vital to our planet, our oceans, our lives. There will be a panel discussion following the film, and I will participate and share what I came to know while writing XOC – The White Shark Murders. Please come if you care about the sustainability of our planet.

Dutch Reckoning is now available on Nook, Kobo and iBooks, in addition to Kindle. One interesting irony: The Nook site was not be available between 11 pm, tonight, March 17 and 2 am March 18. This is the time when, twenty-four years ago, those thieves masquerading as Boston police officers stole priceless art from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It is still an unsolved art theft…Except…

Dutch Reckoning is a mystery thriller featuring Tommy Shakespear, a somewhat reluctant sleuth who  leaves his surfboard and his mountain bike behind at the request of an old friend and travels from Santa Cruz, California to Boston and to Barcelona in search of the elusive gang of thieves responsible for the art theft. Shakespear also leaves behind his budding romance with Shiva, a successful video game developer, and ventures a little too close to the heat of his former flame Elaine, as he dodges bullets and bedroom encounters on his way to solving the mystery of “Who did the Butler?”

Nook users may learn the answer and enjoy a “fun story about a sometimes-bumbling detective who refuses to admit that he’s in over his head,” as Vineyard author Amelia Smith observed.

And as noted Vineyard artist, Thaw Malin said, “Once the story started rolling, I found I couldn’t stop. Plot twists and surprises kept me turning pages until the end…”

Kudos to Su Halfwerk for this great cover design!

BUZZD will appear in the summer of 2014.

.

From the review of Xoc – The White Shark Murders

 http://www.mvtimes.com/2014/01/27/mayhem-in-cottage-city-poet-turns-novelist-pens-marthas-vineyard-thriller/

MV Times,1.27.14, Matt Pelikan

“…you’ll find all the furnishings you expect in a thriller: thick-skulled thugs, weapons, and electronic gizmos abound. The women are mostly beautiful and hot to trot; the men, mostly tough and either conflicted but good-hearted, or utterly depraved. The protagonist, though, is a notable exception to the book’s rather conventional characterization: Sam, a likeable war criminal, is complex and believably human, and his first-person narration supplies an engaging voice and perspective.

“The final chapters of this book kept me up past bedtime, and the twists aren’t quite over when you think they are.

“Interestingly, though, it wasn’t the Vineyard lore, the eco-activism, or the thriller elements that stuck with me most as I put the book down. While delivering on expectations for a fun read, Mr. West explores a serious human theme, and explores it quite thoughtfully. What is trust? How can we tell who deserves it, and how can we regain the capacity to trust when life has whacked it out of us?

“Mr. West set a stiff challenge for himself with Xoc, and he acquits himself honorably. If you’re a fan of thrillers, or of novels set on the Vineyard, this book is worth a read. You might even learn a little about sharks — or humans.”

Thursday January 23 at 6 pm, Oak Bluffs Library

The Oak Bluffs Public Library agreed to host me in an Author Talk on Thursday January 23 at 6 pm. They’re saying this in the press:

“Noted island poet and author of murder mystery / thrillers will read from and discuss his two most recently published books, Dutch Reckoning (a spellbinding whodunnit about the Gardner Museum art theft) and Xoc – The White Shark Murders (about the annual Monster Shark tournament in Oak Bluffs in July).”

The books are on sale at the Bunch of Grapes, and if you’re off-island, you can find them on Amazon, both print and digital. If you can’t find one at the Bunch of Grapes – they do sell out there from time to time – I will bring a few copies, strictly emergency supplies, which I will gladly sign. Hope to see you there!

Dutch Reckoning – Out of the Basement and Into the Bunch of Grapes

 I picked up the phone and … called home.

 I was at SFO enroute to a mystery writer’s conference in Boulder, where that weekend I would meet the incomparable Kinky Friedman, who had a band called the Texas Jewboys. Kinky wrote mysteries like Elvis, Jesus and Coca-Cola, played host at his ranch to Abbie Hoffman, hiding him for two years when the 60s Yippee went underground on the run from the FBI. Later on Kinky ran for governor of Texas. I still have the autographed flat pick he gave me. On the phone my now ex-wife, well, one of my now three ex-wives, but my wife back then Cindy told me, “Your agent called, and Avon wants to do a three-book deal. She will fill you in on Monday.”

I had started writing Dutch Reckoning the previous summer on the Vineyard in a rental house on Crow Hollow Road in West Tisbury. I’d researched the Gardner Museum theft at the West Tisbury and Vineyard Haven libraries – this was 1994, and we didn’t have the Internet, most of us, anyway. I did have a reluctant sleuth, Tommy Shakespear, chasing bad guys from Boston to Barcelona and back to Santa Cruz, California, where we were living that winter.

Monday came and my agent called in the afternoon with the bad news. Avon had been acquired in a still-famous publishing industry merger. My soon-to-be editor had been shown the door. The three-book deal evaporated, and shortly after that my agent died of congestive heart failure.

Boxes of the Dutch Reckoning manuscript went into the basement, where mold soon worked its magic. Life went on, and got more complicated with job change, divorce, marriage, and more divorce. Then somehow this past fall I resurrected Dutch Reckoning on Amazon. That’s another story, but the beauty part is now my book is in print, on sale at the wonderful Bunch of Grapes bookstore, and if my dreams have lost some grandeur coming true, at least I get to talk to my handful of readers at Cronig’s Market in the produce aisle.