The PennZone

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - PennZone -- Milford House Press, an imprint of Sunbury Press, is set to publish Controlled Conversations, a literary thriller set in Poland under martial law and the debut novel by prize-winning author Karol Lagodzki, on August 20.

Set in a rarely-explored place and time, by a Pole who witnessed martial law first hand, Controlled Conversations hews mostly to historical reality and asks readers to ask what they would do in situations when each choice carries real, life-or-death risks.

Emilia, a telephone operator under orders to monitor the calls she connects, overhears a mysterious conversation. The conversation continues to distract her, but not as much as the realization that she's falling in unsanctioned love with her best friend, Kalina. Meanwhile, outside the city of Frombork, Antek, a shipyard engineer and Solidarity treasurer, escapes from prison and works to recover the labor union's money, a task which in time leads him to Emilia's town. In the metropolitan city of Gdańsk, Roman, secretly a police major, wants the money for himself so he can fulfil his dream of escaping to the magical beaches of Rio de Janeiro. The only daughter of a local Communist Party apparatchik, Emilia has enjoyed a sheltered life, but with the advent of martial law, her mother's influence can no longer shield her. She faces choices she never expected to make when she discovers her best friend and lover is involved with the resistance. With new allies and enemies in town, the time to choose a side is now.

More on The PennZone

• Contracting Resources Group Named to the 2026 Inc. Regionals: Mid-Atlantic List
• Bishop Mary's WWDB 860 AM Show Nears Historic 250-Episode Milestone
• Dividend Stock Guru Unveils High Yield Dividend Stock Research Reports
• New Bethany Hosted "Food is Medicine" Roundtable with Community Leaders on April 1
• Charging Into the $30 Billion Heart Failure Market with Late-Stage Momentum, Breakthrough Data, & Strong Financial Backing: Cardiol Therapeutics $CRDL

"At this time of threats to democracy in Poland and globally, Lagodzki's novel reminds us of the precariousness of personal liberty," Lee A. Feinstein, President Barack Obama's Ambassador to Poland, says. Steve Yarbrough, the acclaimed author of The Unmade World, Stay Gone Days, and many other novels, says: "The book is riveting, and I loved reading it. I seldom find a contemporary novel this engrossing."

Controlled Conversations is available to book trade from Ingram Content Group or directly from Sunbury Press (https://www.sunburypress.com/). Readers may preorder the book before the August 20 publication date from most outlets, including Sunbury Press, Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, and Barnes & Noble.

Karol Lagodzki, a native of Poland, is an exophonic, English-language author of fiction. His stories have appeared in literary journals, and he has won Panel Magazine's Ruritania Prize for Short Fiction. Controlled Conversations is his debut novel. Karol lives halfway down a Southern Indiana ravine with his family, including a large dog.

More on The PennZone

• Eastern Adjustment Group, LLP Provides Property Loss Advocacy and Claim Support
• All American Home Renovators: Transforming Bathrooms into Masterpieces, One Home at a Time
• Bold Beauty Project Celebrates Anniversary with Collaborative Exhibition at FIU's Miami Beach Urban Studios
• Pacific Emblem Company Launches "Happy 250th Birthday America" Collection and Proud Supporter of the Gary Sinise Foundation
• Black Lion Indie Film Festival Returns May 1–3, 2026 with Film, Art, Networking, and Opportunities for Emerging Creatives

For more information, please visit https://klagodzki.com.