At FriesenPress, we celebrate each and every book we help our authors publish. Here are some of our team’s recent favourites – happy reading!
Once Second Prince of the mightiest kingdom in the known world, Othrun now leads the last survivors of his exiled people into an uncertain future far across the Shimmering Sea from their ancestral home, now lost beneath the waves. With his Single God binding his knights to chivalric oaths, intent on wiping out idolatry and pagan worship, they will have to carve out a new kingdom on this mysterious continent―a continent that has for centuries been ravaged by warlords competing for supremacy and mages channeling the mystic powers of the elements―and unite the continent under godly rule. With a troubled past, a cursed sword, and a mysterious spirit guiding him, Othrun means to be that ruler, and conquer all. But with kingdoms fated on the edge of spears, alliances and pagan magic, betrayal, doubt, and dangers await him at every turn. Othrun will be forced to confront the truths of all he believes in on his journey to become a king, and a legend. When one kingdom drowns, a new one must rise in its place. So begins the saga of that kingdom, and the man who would rule it all.
Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast is the sequel to the best-selling Red Robinson: The Last Deejay. It details the legendary Canadian deejay’s last radio broadcast in the summer of 2017, and provides an in-depth look at the careers of his equally colourful friends and colleagues in the broadcasting industry. Over a career that spanned six decades, Red’s colleagues include Doc Harris, Stirling Faux, Fanny Kiefer, Gloria Macarenko, Wayne Cox, and many others. Robinson was the first DJ to play rock ‘n roll regularly in Canada. He also emceed live concerts by Elvis Presley and the Beatles. With humour and candour, Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast explores why the old days of working in radio were far more fun, daring, and innovative than in today’s environment of media concentration. This blast from the past will entertain readers both old and young and give an emerging generation of broadcasters a sense of why theirs is a profession worth preserving through stubborn persistence, endless curiosity, a dash of hubris, and a strong dose of old-fashioned chutzpah.
Darkness is always with us, just behind the brightness of day. It’s beyond the sun in the sky, beyond the overhead lights in our houses … beyond the night-lights that keep darkness at bay when all the other lights go out. Does that scare you? Inspired by dreams, as well as the fear of darkness and the unknown, Where the Light Doesn't Go is a dark and whimsically unconventional book, with illustrations that show the dramatic contrast between the darkness and the light. This adventure captures that instinctive fear we all experience when the light goes out, and counsels us to find the strength and focus to overcome it, together.
When Mei was eight years old, her aunt tried to sell her to a strange man with a foreign accent. Betrayed amongst the backwater villages of Cambodia, she ran for her life. When she was found, grass-stained and teary-eyed in a ramshackle orphanage, security consultant Quinton Mills fell in love with her fiery spirit and dogged will to survive. Now, years later, Mei has gone missing and this time, Quinn fears the worst. When the head of a victims' shelter informs him that Mei and several other girls have been abducted in the night, he sets out against all odds to find her and bring her home. Unraveling the mystery of Mei’s disappearance takes him from the jungles of Cambodia to the seedy back alleys of Bangkok's notorious red-light district, and onwards to Cairo, a city consumed by corruption and political tension, the beating heart of North Africa on the brink of revolution. As clues to Mei's whereabouts continue to fade among the shadows, his desperate search for an innocent child drags him ever deeper into the clandestine underworld of the modern slave trade.
When partners in crime-reduction Jerry “Leafy” Green and Bill “Beefy” Goodness — two of the LAPD’s most skilled homicide detectives — investigate the bizarre killing of a fashion model at the Hollywood Sign it soon becomes clear that this murder is part of a much larger conspiracy that threatens not only the people of America, but the entire population of the planet. As the case progresses, they recruit the help of a Jesus-lookalike ufologist, a streetwise Goth graffiti artist, a world-renowned geneticist, a super-nerd cyber investigator, and a fire-and-brimstone inner city reverend. The detectives and their motley crew of improvised freedom fighters must work quickly to take down the tainted global elite and avert the merciless enslavement of humanity that looms large on the horizon.
Many people believe that racism and discrimination against those of African descent was primarily an American experience. However, this book dispels that myth by recounting Leonard Albert Paris’s first eighteen years (1948–1966), growing up as a Black youth in rural Nova Scotia, Canada, a province that was at the time, home to about 36 percent of Canada’s Black population. Structural racism, community isolation, and generational poverty affected every aspect of his life, creating challenges and misery for him, his family, and the entire Black community—an experience that continues to affect him emotionally many decades later. While not as extreme as it was during the author’s formative years, racism and its effects continue into the present. Leonard wrote Jim Crow Also Lived Here in part to create awareness of this problem and also to inspire change.
Winnipeg’s The Guess Who are Canada’s original international rock n’ roll superstars. But despite the band’s enduring popularity, no one has assembled a comprehensive history of their recording career… until now. In exquisite detail that serious fans will appreciate, Wheatfield Empire: The Listener’s Guide to The Guess Who goes through the band’s evolution, album by album and song by song. Nothing is left out. Wheatfield Empire covers the complete discography, singles chart action, international releases, important concerts, significant TV appearances, radio broadcasts, and even a selection of unofficial live bootlegs. The book also discusses the solo careers of both frontman Burton Cummings and guitarist Randy Bachman. Written in clear prose with a touch of humour, this book’s encyclopedic detail is supported with excerpts from first-hand interviews with band members and input from top authorities on the Canadian music industry. Looking beyond the radio hits, Wheatfield Empire documents The Guess Who’s musical output with the loving attention they deserve as Canada’s first band to achieve major international success. This book is a must-have for any serious Guess Who fan.
When a small blue cloud, aimlessly floating up in the sky, gets sent to Earth on a mission to help children with upsetting problems, he doesn’t know what he could possibly do to help. Feeling lonely himself, he is unsure if he can make a difference. But can he? As he interacts with the children, he learns that empathy and compassion are gifts we all have in abundance. We just have to learn how to find them inside … and then be willing to share them with others. Fill your heart with The Lonely Cloud, as he journeys from Heaven to Earth to learn the power of empathy and compassion. By comforting his new friends, he begins to feel less lonely himself. That is the true nature of empathy. It can make others feel loved and understood but can also help the giver experience gratitude and a sense of purpose. We may not be able to solve other people’s problems, but we can make a difference by recognizing, listening to, and caring about the struggles they face.
