Fictional tough guys abound, but few are based on actual people like Adelaide author JAMES HOUSTON TURNER'S signature hero, the "dark and sexy" Aleksandr Talanov, who returns in Greco's Game, sequel to his "Ludlumesque" bestseller, Department Thirteen. And while the story is fiction, Turner framed it against the real world of black market human trafficking operating beneath the glitz and glamor of Hollywood, where he once worked as a journalist interviewing victims at an inner city rescue mission. "I've met people like Larisa," he explains. "But it wasn't until my research for Greco's Game that I knew this was something [...]

The Champagne was flowing freely on June 4th when James joined other distinguished authors at New York City's legendary Plaza Hotel for the 2012 Indie Book Awards ceremony. Holding the distinction as the largest not-for-profit book awards program in the world, The Indie Book Awards boasts 240 awards for thousands of entries. Cash prizes total over $12,000, with judges that include "seasoned book editors (including many who have worked with major publishing houses such as Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Penguin Books, Bantam Books, Dell Publishing and Avon Books) as well as designers, book buyers, agents, book reviewers, publishing executives, [...]