From the Author

Alien Librarian Snatches Atomic Sunset — No Late Fees on Mars

Posted by BackPack Books on

Alien Librarian Snatches Atomic Sunset — No Late Fees on Mars

 If you’ve been waiting for a sign from the universe, this is it. Aliens have landed in Radio Springs — or at least, they’re stocking up on reading material before heading home. I caught them mid-abduction of Atomic Sunset (see photographic evidence below). Can't blame them. The soda's radioactive, the librarian’s suspicious, and the donkeys are smarter than half the town. So if you’re looking for a weird, witty, small-town mystery with a dash of government cover-up and a possibly psychic coyote… grab your copy before the mothership runs out of cargo space. Atomic Sunset by Janice Garden Macdonald writing...

Read more →

Desert Heat and Sharp Turns

Posted by BackPack Books on

Desert Heat and Sharp Turns

 This is an adult mystery book! (writing as J.G.Macdonald) Sometimes the best reviews are the ones that surprise you. One recent reader wrote: "Radio Springs is the kind of book that sneaks up on you—quirky, smart, and full of desert heat and sharp turns. At first, it feels like a cozy mystery with a touch of road trip charm, but it quickly veers into something far more bizarre and addictive." And honestly? I couldn’t ask for a better summary. Atomic Sunset (yes, that’s the real title) started as a story about a woman stranded in a dusty town off Route...

Read more →

Welcome to Radio Springs

Posted by BackPack Books on

Welcome to Radio Springs

Ts is an adult mystery title (writing as J.G. Macdonald) Where the soda’s suspicious, the donkey has a fan club, and Jane just wants to photograph some lizards. Jane Dougherty never meant to stay long in Radio Springs. She was heading through the Arizona desert with a camera and a plan—stop for a day or two, snap some wildlife photos, maybe help her cousin catalog lizards for a biology grant. Instead, she ends up in a town that feels like a time warp on the fritz. There’s a suspicious librarian, a mechanic with too many maps and a sheriff who's itching...

Read more →

Atomic Sunset Has Landed!

Posted by BackPack Books on

Atomic Sunset Has Landed!

This is an adult mystery title (writing as J.G.Macdonald) I’m thrilled to announce that Atomic Sunset is officially live! This book has been a labor of love (and mystery… and maybe a touch of radioactive soda). It’s set in a strange little desert town along Route 66, where the sunsets are suspicious, the locals are quirky, and there’s definitely something humming under the surface.If you enjoy cozy mysteries with a retro twist — think coyote footprints, motel gossip, and government secrets — I hope you’ll check it out.It’s available now in Kindle and paperback, with the audiobook hopefully not far behind.Thanks...

Read more →

Stranger Than Weird: The Billy Smudge Experiment

Posted by BackPack Books on

Stranger Than Weird: The Billy Smudge Experiment

Don't miss this hilarious cartoon adventure for kids 8 to 12 years old. Middle school will never be the same. Billy Smudge and his best friend Shamus McNutt think their  science teacher is living a double life and that after school, he's a mad scientist.  Stranger Than Weird will be sure to delight even the most reluctant readers. 

Read more →