My second Saint Francis book, The Shining Man's Wife, is now out in print from lulu.com. It will be available from online venders (amazon.com, etc.) by the end of April. The e-book version should also appear by the end of April 2012.
At the end of Frank, the saint was released from his centuries-long emissary duty to marry Elaine Azerian, a small-town veterinarian. In the second St. Francis book, God recalls Frank to “active duty” to help with a problem at a national park out West. A startling chain of events begins when a herd of bison is caught in a grass fire. Elaine, riding the alpha bull, leads the herd to safety while Frank keeps the herd calm. The dramatic event is filmed by a local TV station and is aired nationwide.
Elaine’s sudden fame threatens Frank’s secret identity. They hire Hilary Bingen, a young lawyer/publicist, to deflect and control the media attention. Back home, strange things are happening to Frank and Elaine’s godson. Little Frank Joseph seems to be performing miraculous cures, and his parents are concerned.
The “Ride through Fire” has changed Elaine’s life. She makes the rounds of the talk shows, and is inspired by Oprah to start a foundation to help the underfunded national parks. Elaine learns that her new agent belongs to a secretive philanthropic organization called Filiae Mundi (Daughters of the World). Frank and Elaine are invited to the Filiae Mundi headquarters in a remote part of West Virginia to find the source of a mysterious environmental pollution problem.
When Frank and Elaine return home, they discover that Frank Joseph’s healing power has disappeared, but God assures Frank that the universe “is unfolding as it should,” and that he and Elaine should carry on. Much relieved, the saint’s normal busy life resumes, and the birth of Frank Joseph’s sisters at Christmas hints at another mission.
Ye Gods!
Also out in print is Ye Gods!, a humorous collection of satirical short stories featuring gods commenting on humans, describing them variously as homo not very sapiens, lungfish, and cockroaches (India Inc, Ragnarok, The Four Horsemen Take a Meeting). The deities shine an unkind light on mankind’s past and present foibles.
The collection’s cast of commentators also includes mythological characters (Icarus, the Kraken, the Tooth Fairy), and characters from real life (Bigfoot, brownies, space aliens). Dinosaurs, elephants, gnus, and crows provide additional discussion of the human condition.
Warning: this collection contains occasional wry humor, biting political commentary, social criticism, and dire prognostication. Side effects include but are not limited to: laughter, head shaking, and 3 AM epiphanies. Occasional tears have been reported. 
Heart Problems
County detective Simone Fitzhugh discovers a series of seemingly unrelated deaths that look like heart attacks but are found to be murders. Her husband, retired detective Michael Demidov, realizes the murders are related and suggests that Simone go to the FBI. Past history with the Feds (The Unlikely Assassin) makes Simone wary, but the FBI surprisingly enlists their help.
Demidov’s innovative interrogation techniques help unravel a tangled web of illegal drugs, a gunrunning militia, and a sinister terrorist plot to bring down the US government, all hatched by a shadowy figure called The Spider. The detectives’ lives are further complicated when Demidov’s Russian mafia family tries to draw the estranged son back into the fold. With Simone’s help, Demidov manages to extricate himself from the clutches of his family, but the consequences prove to be both a great boon and a heavy burden.
