Jennifer Ashley's Blog, page 2

Continuing the Kat Holloway series

I realized this summer that my publisher has scheduled the Below Stairs Mysteries books quite far apart (next one, A Silence in Belgrave Square, is August 2025), so I decided to write two new novellas to fill in the gap.

The first one: A Measure of Menace, is finished and ready for release over the next two weeks.

E-books ordered directly from my web store drop on September 23: https://geni.us/QUfeS9B

Print books (signed or unsigned) can also be ordered on my site (same link), but I can only ship those out as soon as they are shipped to me.

The book is out at all other vendors on September 30:

Amazon: https://geni.us/PX44WA (print and ebook)

Apple: https://geni.us/s5TZXl3

Google: https://geni.us/wQcSQ

Kobo: https://geni.us/Zmt8

B&N: https://geni.us/MD7F2 (print and ebook)

More about the book plus an excerpt on my website:

https://jenniferashley.com/jennifer-ashley-books/below-stairs-mysteries/a-measure-of-menace/

A Measure of Menace takes a closer look at Lady Cynthia and her family (mostly her father), when Lord Clifford is in danger of being framed for murder. A few nice Kat and Daniel moments as well.

The second novella will be A Moveable Feast, out in spring (probably April). As the name suggests, the story revolves around a disastrous Easter dinner.

Side note: I have to thank my husband for the title A Measure of Menace. I thought of A Moveable Feast first, but I couldn’t announce the two novellas until I had a title for the first one. I was considering all kinds of things cooking / measuring related, and my husband, standing in the hall outside the kitchen just says, “A Measure of Menace?”

“That’s brilliant!” I cry. “Do you mind if I use it?”

He shrugs in his typical, stoic manner, a bit bewildered by my enthusiasm. “Sure. Why not?”

So, he gets all the credit for the title, for better or worse.

I’ve decided to do a deeper dive into selling directly from my site, which is much easier these days, thanks to BookFunnel. When you buy any e-book, BookFunnel sends an email with a link that takes you right to the book. You can either read on the BookFunnel phone app (which I am loving! it’s a great app!), or sideload to your Kindle / Kobo / Nook. Or, you can read on the BookFunnel site under your (free) account. Any problems? Bookfunnel has a help email and a help page, and they are great at walking your though how to access the book

The pre-order of Wing Dancer on my site worked well, so I am going to offer pre-orders of all my books (except my Berkley ones) via my own site, having them drop a week earlier than on the other vendors.

The print pre-orders still have kinks on my end, but I am researching better shipping options, that won’t be too expensive either for me or you.

Why are authors suddenly obsessed with selling direct? Because all vendors take a chunk of the book’s price for hosting / selling / delivering the e-books. While better than the still more massive chunk traditional publishing takes, still we lose some, plus we can do things on our sites that vendors don’t allow (large book bundles, free books whenever we wish, pre-orders without penalties). There are fees involved in selling directly, but far lower ones (at least right now) than we deal with at vendors.

Now you know.

If you read this far, thank you! That’s the story of how A Measure of Menace came to be. If you choose to partake, I hope you enjoy it.

(BTW, I’m working on having all the Kat Holloway novellas put into audio, maybe as a collection. More on that when things progress.)

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Published on September 17, 2024 08:54

Wing Dancer

Wing Dancer, the latest release in the Stormwalker series I write as Allyson James, released this morning! (For info, excerpt, and where to purchase, see: https://geni.us/Mdsge)

I am thrilled be back in this world. I wrote the first book (Stormwalker), a while ago, inspired by the landscape of Northern Arizona. It’s beautiful here, with vistas ranging from tall mountains (at 12,000 feet and change), to the stark beauty of Glen Canyon, the Grand Canyon, and Canyon de Chelly (pronounced de Shay), the bands of the painted desert, the monoliths of Monument Valley, intriguing slot canyons, and vast stretches of red-earthed desert.

The lands are a kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors as sun and clouds play their effects over the landscape. I imagined a small town in the middle of this emptiness, an intersection of two highways I called the Crossroads. Because I have a wild imagination, I decided the Crossroads would also exist between the real world and a supernatural one.

I invented an entire county and called it Hopi (there are Navajo and Apache counties nearby, so why not Hopi?), and put in two towns, Magellan and Flat Mesa. Magellan is not named, incidentally, for Ferdinand Magellan, but because of the nearby Mogollon Rim (the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau). I pretended it was the first settlers’ attempt to spell and pronounce Mogollon (which is actually like Muggy-on). If you want to go to the area in real life, take the 99 about twenty miles south of Winslow. I made up another highway at that point that goes another fifteen miles to Magellan.

The first story in this world was actually in an anthology my publisher was putting together. “A Little Night Magic” is the tale of Jamison Kee, Janet’s longtime friend and Navajo storyteller, who discovers to his surprise that he’s a shape-shifter (he changes into a mountain lion).

I didn’t want to introduce Janet Begay, the heroine of the Stormwalker series in a novella that might be lost in an old anthology, so I don’t mention her until she appears in Book 1. Jamison Kee suggests Janet, who is good at reading auras of places, to try to locate the missing daughter of Magellan’s chief of police.

Janet has seen an old hotel at the Crossroads (which was inspired by one in Gila Bend, south of Phoenix) that she feels drawn to, and decides to buy and renovate it. She’s there for other reasons that have to do with her past, and figures she’ll use the hotel as her base to find the chief of police’s daughter and deal with her own problems..

I hadn’t actually cast Mick when I started the first novel. I wanted Janet to find a love interest, but I wasn’t quite sure who she’d end up with.

Mick just walked in, announced he was Janet’s ex-boyfriend, and took over. Mick is like that. Naturally, he was a dragon shape-shifter, though he liked to keep that under wraps.

From there, the first book and the whole series mushroomed. I rarely sit and plot a story and all the characters all the way out before I start writing. I’m a “discovery” author (also known as a pantser, because we write by the seat of our pants). I put the characters on the page and watch what they do. Most of the time they surprise me!

So, from Mick came all the dragons (Colby, Drake, and now Titus), the dragon council, and Mick and Janet’s complicated past relationship. Janet’s family–her dad and grandmother, who live in Many Farms–also walked in and introduced themselves.

In Wing Dancer, I have Janet interacting more with her family, including her many cousins, and added a new friend for Janet’s grandmother. (But is he friend or foe?) The story is also very dragon-y, and I added to some of the dragon lore of this world.

The one character who has appeared in all the books and novellas is Coyote. I read everything I could about this trickster god who can be both evil and good, but he’s always unpredictable. He’s another character who walked in and said, “Here I am! Deal with it!” I love writing Coyote’s scenes!

This series is one from my heart. When it was first published, my trad publisher really didn’t know what to do with it. Sometimes it showed up in bookstores in the romance section, sometimes the fantasy section, and it didn’t get much marketing or publicity. Because of all this, I don’t think readers could find it, or knew what to make of it, and the publisher dropped it after book 3. (A similar thing happened to my Captain Lacey series).

I waited for years before I was able to regain the rights to Books 1-3 (I have them now, and they have been republished). For that reason, I had to stop writing the Stormwalker series altogether, because I could only retrieve the rights when the sales dipped below a certain threshold. Hence why there is such a gap between the last book and this one (though in story time, it’s only a few months).

Happily I now have full control of the entire series (except for the novella about Jamison, and another novella called “Double Hexed.”). I have them all out in e-book and print, have moved forward with audio, and have begun translations into other languages.

I have more stories planned in the series. This world is so rich in possibilities. Next time, I will explore the shape-shifters (called Changers in this series), with Janet having to enter a Changer pack to help them out of problems that of course turn deadly. (Tentative title of the book is Shape Changer.)

If you have made it to the end of this post, thank you for reading all this! I truly love the Stormwalker series. If you have not tried it, I’d be pleased if you take the chance. You do not have to read the novellas (I planned it that way), though of course do if you’d like. Start with Stormwalker, and go from there. I also have the e-books in 2 boxed sets (Volume 1, Volume 2), and a 6-book e-book bundle on my web store. All books are also in paperback from Amazon, B&N, and my web store.

If you are a Stormwalker fan already, then I hope you enjoy Wing Dancer!

Buy links below. Hillary is working on the audio book, which should be ready in a couple of weeks.

Buy from my web store: https://geni.us/PzHy (print and ebook)

Amazon: https://geni.us/xR1gB (print and ebook)

Kobo: https://geni.us/KADkMf (also in Kobo Plus)

BN: https://geni.us/nuUV4XL (print and ebook)

Apple: https://geni.us/xckIgHS

Google Play: https://geni.us/T4GBk9

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Published on July 25, 2024 16:54

New Audio Book Available

A Darkness in Seven Dials (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, Book 17) is now available in audio! Find it here:

Google: https://geni.us/Pghno

Kobo: https://geni.us/ApoZ

Apple: https://geni.us/vfQPm

Audible: https://geni.us/HIt3wB

Direct from my store via Bookfunnel: https://geni.us/vsta

It sounds wonderful! I especially like how James Gillies read Mr. Arthur. I hope you enjoy it.

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Published on July 21, 2024 15:42

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Published on July 10, 2024 08:49

New Captain Lacey Release!

A Darkness in Seven Dials (Captain Lacey Book 17) is out! Released yesterday. Woo hoo!

Nook: https://geni.us/oHgh1N5

BN Print: https://geni.us/bWBjNhg

Apple: https://geni.us/rKiG96Y

Kobo: https://geni.us/li0C8

Google: https://geni.us/BKXB

Amazon: https://geni.us/WNLoTw

Read an Excerpt: https://geni.us/Q6kPR

(Audio to come: James Gillies is working on it!)

When James Denis is found standing over a body, a knife in his hand, it’s up to Captain Lacey to prove his innocence.

I am more than thrilled to have this book released! I know it’s been a while since the last Captain Lacey. However I have more stories to tell. I believe the next book will take Lacey on vacation with his family to Oxfordshire for adventures there, unless another idea whacks me and takes over. You never know what story Captain Lacey is going to tell me next.

Before that, I will have another Leonidas book out (I’m thinking early 2025), Brother at Arms, where Leonidas learns more about his friend Xerxes’s past, and ultimately, his own.

An interesting (to me) side note. When I come up with a mystery series, usually I don’t have a set book list in mind. I start with the first one and then let it lead me into the characters and more things this sleuth can do.

Not with Leonidas. I have eight books in mind (maybe 10; need to look at my notes), with titles and plots, waiting to be written. I have ideas for other mystery series (historical and otherwise), but those too have a book one and then open field. Leonidas, though, knew exactly what he wanted!

I’m also working on another Kat Holloway novel, out in 2025 (A Silence in Belgrave Square.)

That is it from me in my Mystery Hat.

I am currently writing another romance while I work on edits for Wing Dancer (Stormwalker Book 7). More on that anon.

Wing Dancer can be pre-ordered now!

Take care, and happy reading. Summer is upon us! (in the northern hemisphere).

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Published on May 22, 2024 08:51

New Stormwalker book on pre-order

I am pleased to announce that a brand-new, never-before published Stormwalker book is available for pre-order!

Wing Dancer (Stormwalker Book 7)

Amzn: https://geni.us/Ltv2

BN (print and e): https://geni.us/nuUV4XL

Kobo: https://geni.us/KADkMf

Apple: https://geni.us/xckIgHS

Google: https://geni.us/T4GBk9

It will be in paperback on the day of release at Amzn, or you can pre-order the paperback from Barnes & Noble. It will also be in audio!

I will have an excerpt up as soon as I’ve gone through a round of revisions.

I am so happy to have finished this book! It was fun to revisit Janet’s world and catch up with all the characters. Though it has been a while since I’ve been able to publish in this series (was waiting for rights reversion for some of them), the story time will have advanced only a few months. These books can be set anywhen.

I hope you enjoy Janet’s latest adventure!

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Published on May 04, 2024 14:34

Two more books coming up

I’m thankfully back to writing regularly, and have two new books coming out this spring and summer.

First A Darkness in Seven Dials (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries, Book 17). This one sees Captain Lacey back in London, searching for the culprit who has framed James Denis for murder. Look for all the recurring characters and a few new ones.

This book will be out May 21, and the e-book is on pre-order now. (The paperback will be released on the day.) Find it on:

Amazon: https://geni.us/WNLoTw

Apple: https://geni.us/rKiG96Y

Nook / BN: https://geni.us/oHgh1N5

Kobo: https://geni.us/li0C8

Google: https://geni.us/BKXB

New Stormwalker book!

I had to wait a very long time to get the rights to my Stormwalker series back, which is why there hasn’t been a new one in a few years. But the wait is over!

I am already seven chapters in to Wing Dancer, Stormwalker, Book 7, for more adventures of Janet and Mick in the fictional Northern Arizona town of Magellan. Lots of dragons and fun new characters in this one!

The pub date will be July 23. For real. I have an ISBN number and everything.

Once I am finished with the draft, I will put the book on pre-order, probably sometime in the middle of next month (I’ll do another post on it).

It is wonderful to write in this world again. It’s like I never left. I’ve drawn so much inspiration from living in Northern AZ, and I’m elated to have the chance to write down all this stuff that’s been burning in my brain.

These stories aren’t going away, even if no one reads them but me. I have ideas for plenty more.

What else am I planning?

So many books. The above two have definite publication dates, but the rest still need to be scheduled. On my plate are another Shifters Unbound, a new Gladiator mystery, Riding Hard: Jack, the next Mackenzie, and of course, more Kat Holloway. A couple brand new things as well. I’m not sure what order these will appear (probably the order I’ve listed, but I’m giving myself wiggle room). All will happen throughout this year and next.

I update my websites often, so check for what’s new there if I am slow to post.

https://www.jenniferashley.com

and https://www.gardnermysteries.com

Thank you for listening!

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Published on March 18, 2024 11:47

Kat Holloway News and Audio Books

The newest book in the Below Stairs Mystery series, Speculations in Sin, came out last Tuesday (March 5). Available at any bookstore (and library) or online. (Scroll down for news on the audiobook.)

Amazon: https://geni.us/7t08mD4

BN: https://geni.us/R3d2T

Google Play: https://geni.us/Uq7hJS

Apple: https://geni.us/1mY1e4t

Kobo: https://geni.us/9qn0ip

I’ve had many questions about when the Speculations in Sin audiobook would be released, and I found out from the publisher that it has been delayed (for technical reasons–I have no idea what). The publication date for the audiobook is now May 7. I was assured that pre-orders would be available soon. I can only apologize for this unforeseen occurrence.

Bear Facts in Audio

However, Bear Facts (Shifters Unbound, Book 15) is now out in audio. Narrated by Cris Dukehart. Woot! You can find it worldwide at:

Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CWHKRNDW

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobook/bear-facts-1

Chirp: https://www.chirpbooks.com/audiobooks/bear-facts-by-jennifer-ashley

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details?id=AQAAAECSAwdDhM

Nook Audio: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/bear-facts-jennifer-ashley/1144363278?ean=2940191504421

And anywhere else audiobooks are sold.

More to Come

I will do another post about what’s coming up soon. I have the next Captain Lacey book on pre-order (A Darkness in Seven Dials), which will be in paperback, ebook, and audiobook, out May 21. I am also working on a new Stormwalker book (Wing Dancer), which should be out in July. And much more after that, including more Gladiator mysteries, another Riding Hard, and some stuff I can’t talk about yet.

Am I excited to be writing again? Why, YES! I am!

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Published on March 10, 2024 16:02

Upcoming Books! (Lots of them)

One reason I’ve been quiet in this space is I’ve been working on books, and battling to work on books. I had a tough year! However–I (finally) have three new titles coming out, from Dec to March! Woo hoo! Everything will be in print, and I have audio in the works as well.

First up, on December 25, Mrs. Holloway’s Christmas Pudding, a novella in the Below Stairs Mystery series. Pre-order here:

Amazon: https://geni.us/uc8Vp0

Apple: https://geni.us/3FP6qZp

BN: https://geni.us/GBNDwY

Kobo: https://geni.us/BxoVnCW

Google: https://geni.us/MMBdrcQ