New Releases by Fred Yager

What if we could communicate with the secret world of plants? What do you think they''d tell us about the planet they share with us? In this environmental thriller, biogenetics engineer Jason Woods finds that he''s able to do just that after he''s blasted with plant DNA in an accident involving a Gene Gun explosion in an R&D lab where genetically modified plants are created. One of the after-effects is that he''s able to plug into the vast network through which plants communicate. He enhances this communication through psychedelic mushrooms he buys at a Botanica. When he''s plugged into the plant network, where the oldest living creatures, the trees, seemed to be in charge, Jason realizes one thing is clear. They were not very happy. Visions of rain forests being destroyed and uprooted by giant earth-moving machines filled his mind''s eye. Forests were set ablaze, and the sky was filled with embers. The trees warn Jason that the earth is on the brink of another mass extinction event, like what happened to dinosaurs, and that the world of plants is using some lethal methods to stop it. Jason tells the plant world that he''ll do whatever he can to help get the word out. Joining Jason on this amazing journey are Carter Wiseman, a befuddled FBI Agent investigating a series of plant-related deaths, Dr. Julie Green, a botany professor Wiseman recruits to help him, Sal, a son Jason never even knew he had, and a hitch-hiking environmental activist named Gypsy, not to mention a world of plants led by General Sherman, the oldest and tallest redwood in California''s Sequoia National Park. Welcome to BOTANICA, where you will never look at plants the same way again. Praise for BOTANICA: "I just finished BOTANICA. Loved the book. Kudos to the authors. Such talent! Such wisdom!! Inspiring as well." -Sue M., teacher, book club member/organizer "Enjoying BOTANICA a lot! I love the way the novel unfolds, taking a subject like plants and weaving a plausible and intriguing plot that keeps you reading. Also, the supporting characters make a great ensemble and propel the storyline along."-Marie Florio, publishing company executive "Botanica is an electrifying, high-wire eco-drama that defies the lines between science and nature''s wrath. It is a gripping and timely tale that will keep you hooked until the last page." -T.K. Peoples, award-winning librarian and author "I loved reading BOTANICA! This captivating novel craftily takes a subject like plants and weaves an intriguing plot that makes you think differently about things such as electric cars, wildfires, etc. In summary, BOTANICA takes you on a wild journey that I strongly recommend!" -Greg Davis, author, Checkmate About the Authors Father and son, Fred Yager and Jeff Yager, are well-regarded published authors with numerous novels to their credit. Fred Yager, who worked at the Associated Press, CBS News and Fox Television, following a stint as a Vietnam War Correspondent for the U.S. Navy, has published thrillers, sci-fi, and historical novels. Fred''s novels include UNTIMELY DEATH, SOUND FROM A STAR, CYBERSONA, REX, and THE ASIAN QUEEN. Jeff Yager, who is a wrestler, rapper, and restauranteur, is the author of the YA novel, ATOM & EVE, about a pandemic that is a global threat and the fast-tracked vaccine that has unintended gender-bending consequences, as well as I LIKE GOD, with Skye Bynes, SEVEN DAYS IN VIRTUAL REALITY, and the forthcoming STUNT DOUBLE.

A collection of poems by a husband and wife, writing separately although several of the poems are about each other. It covers all types of love, from romantic love to the love of a parent, sibling, child, grandchild, pet, and friend, to work, whether that work is serving in the Navy, witnessing the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the way to work, writing, being an artist, and more. There are poems in celebration of birthdays, Valentine''s Day, and wedding anniversaries. The styles of the poems range from free verse to rhyming, from solemn ("The Victim") to more whimsical ("Children''s Day"). The anthology includes an essay by Jan Yager about the evolution of the collection as well as Fred Yager''s essay reflecting on the ten year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. About the Authors Fred Yager is the author of eight books including 5 novels and two career books. Jan Yager is the author of more than 30 books including 3 novels and one children''s book with two more in preparation. Several of their earlier poems on dealing with loss and grief were collected in The Healing Power of Creative Mourning: Poems. For more on the Yagers, go to: www.fredandjanyager.com For more on Jan Yager, go to: www.drjanyager.com Here''s advance praise for this collection: "This beautiful book of poems is a peek into the lives of a loving couple. The poems are a diary of feelings before and after Fred and Jan Yager became husband and wife. Some poems are fun and light hearted, others are heart wrenching. This is the case in Fred''s story of witnessing 9/11 firsthand. Reading these poems will take you through a range of emotions. In the end, you will be glad to have met the Yagers if only through their words." -Beverly Solomon, creative director for artist Pablo Solomon

The Asian Queen tells the compelling and poignant story of a war-torn Cambodia following the aftermath of the Vietnam War. In this work of historical fiction, Esther Brafford is a young American volunteer for the United Nations who wants to have a positive impact on the lives of Cambodian refugees seeking asylum in US camps. Each day, she witnesses the horrific injuries that many Cambodian natives are left with - if they are lucky enough to escape with their lives - and she wishes she could do more to help them. However, after discovering that there might be incriminating evidence against Pol Pot, head of the Khmer Rouge, for leading a mass Cambodian genocide, Esther knows this is her opportunity to bring about real change. She decides that she must venture into Cambodia to find the proof and bring it to the United Nations in an attempt to put an end to the slaughter. With the help of Heng, a former member of the Khmer Rouge, and Monty Tipton, an American Vietnam War deserter manning the riverboat The Asian Queen, Esther must make the perilous trip back into Cambodia to retrieve the evidence and bring to light the horrors happening in that country before it is too late. Will Tipton help her? If he does, will they make it out of there alive?

Along with Medicare, Social Security is one of the "rites of passage" older Americans experience. After contributing funds to this program their entire working lives, people are anxious to start cashing in on their monthly benefits. Idiot''s Guides: Social Security offers simple and clear explanations of the history of the program, the traditional age requirement, disability and survivor benefits, and the future of Social Security. A bonus decision tree helps recipients maximize benefits based on such factors as how and when benefits are filed, marital status, and future plans.

Fifteen-year-old Devon Turner, a junior in high school, thinks he''s picked up music from outer space on his satellite dish. He records the sound, takes it to an astronomer who shares it with a musicologist. Within 24 hours, the sound is being played on radio stations everywhere. The music has a powerful vibration that can be used to heal or to destroy. Where is the music coming from?

Examines occupations in the area of films, discussing requirements, education, salary, and prospects.

Explores career opportunities within the publishing industry, examining employment options in newspaper, magazine,and book publishing.

In an extreme case of identity theft, a computer genius who has recently become a quadriplegic when caught in the crossfire of a gang shootout uses an Internet game called "Cybersona" to take over the body of another player, a recently-fired science teacher, to get revenge on those responsible for his paralysis. In an effort to get his body back, the teacher takes over the body of the next player who signs on; that player turns out to be a ten-year-old boy.

An adventure about an unusual friendship in which a young boy, whose paleontologist parents are missing, finds himself in possession of something long believed to be extinct.

"The friendship between two married couples begins to unravel when one of the wives seduces a stranger in a bar. Blackmail, betrayal and murder ensue, and the danger seems to come from all directions."--PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, Mystery NOTES

Untimely Death moves with the non-stop power of New York City itself, with characters guaranteed to hold the reader to the page all the way through. Detective fiction has an exciting new voice in the Yagers. -- William Parkhurst, author of True DetectivesThis is a tightly plotted, tautly written novel that smacks of authenticity. The Yagers are well worth reading. -- John Lutz author of Single White FemaleI enjoyed every word. I couldn''t wait to turn the pages as the characters came alive in their search for the killer. -- Lucy Freeman, author of BetrayalA novel of steadily mounting psychological suspense. Altogether engrossing. -- Thomas Chastain, author of Perry Mason and The Case of the Burning BequestIn Untimely Death, an electrifying, suspense-filled novel, a vicious killer sets out to silence anyone who might know the secret behind the murder of Joan Walsh, an attractive and well-liked criminal justice professor, whose nude body is found in her Greenwich Village apartment by her best friend and co-worker, Dr. Kimberly Stone.Within a week of Joan''s death two other women are also murdered. The only living link to all three women appears to be Kimberly Stone. Homicide detective Alan Blake doesn''t know whether to treat her as the primary suspect or another likely victim.Driven to find her best friend''s killer, Kimberly joins forces with a reluctant Detective Blake as they scour Manhattan''s netherworld of kinky sex and dark secrets, following the trail of a devious psychotic, a killer who has already chosen Kimberly as the next target.In the tradition of Silence of the Lambs and Loves Music, Loves to Dance, this new thriller probes the darkest reaches of the human psyche to show how a nightmarish world of twisted sexuality can explode into a murderous rage.