Fiona Ingram's Blog, page 13

Finding Love in Rescues, Shelters, and Fosters by author and dog lover Carmen Leal

For every pet parent who knows there's no such thing as'just a dog,' this collection of uplifting glimpses into the lives ofordinary-turned-extraordinary dogs and the people who love them is atail-wagging good read. Thanks to the rescue dog who saved her life after atraumatic brain injury, Carmen Leal went from saying she'd never have a dog tobecoming an advocate for man's best friend. Carmen volunteered at the localrescue shelter by writing bios and social media posts, applying for grants, andhelping to save and re-home over 6,500 dogs from a high-kill shelter. Thisendearing anthology includes stories that celebrate the bond between caninesand humans including Buddy the beagle who went from living chained under aporch to becoming the town's only therapy dog, Heavenly Joy, the frightenedChihuahua who changed the life of a grumpy old man, Bogey, an abandonedmixed-breed trained by prison inmates and adopted by his forever family. IChose You is a collection of memorable, beautifully written stories ofdogs rescued by people and, ultimately, people rescued by dogs. If you likefour-legged friends and happy endings, you'll love Carmen Leal's touchingcollection of heart-warming stories. I Chose You is a feel-good bookthat resonates with anyone who has ever loved a dog. 

 

Finding Love in Rescues,Shelters, and Fosters

You can’tbuy love, but you can find it in rescues, shelters, and foster groups aroundthe country. When we started looking for a dog, I was absolutely clueless. Wehad relocated only a few months before, so we didn’t know many people and hadno idea where to begin. The local Humane Society website popped up first when Idid an online search using the words “rescue dog.” They had spotty hours and myhusband’s work schedule made it hard to get there when they were open.

Next, Istumbled on an organization that had dogs for adoption that were beingfostered. This was the first time I heard the term “foster” applied to dogs.People who foster take a puppy or dog into their home and give it love, care,and attention. Fostering can be for a specified amount of time, to help them toreach a certain health or training goal, or until the dog is adopted to itsforever family. Many groups do not have a brick-and-mortar facility, even ifthey are licensed to rescue and find homes for dogs. In these cases, the groupdepends on people opening up their homes to care for dogs until the rightfamily is found. Those I found online didn’t have set hours and when no onereturned my phone call, I kept searching. The place I finally found was at thebottom of the second page of the results and was where we found our dog thatfirst day. They met all my criteria—and some I didn’t know I should have had.

Peopleuse the terms “shelter” and “rescue” interchangeably but there is a difference.Most cities or counties will have a shelter or a fee-for-service contract withsomeone like the Humane Society to take in stray and owner-surrendered dogs.These organizations take in homeless pets within a specific community and areoften a great place to find a pet. Rescues can be housed and cared for in abuilding or they can be foster-only without a physical location. They both identifyareas that have stay dog problem and overflowing shelters. They often partnerwith a specific shelter in a high-need area and transport dogs who would likelybe euthanized to other states that have people who choose to adopt instead ofbuying from a breeder. Rescue groups, always short-staffed and often volunteeronly, rescue in the truest sense of the word. According to the American Societyfor the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, over 1.6 death row dogs are savedevery year through adoption.

Every dogdeserves a good home. Every family that wants to be a responsible ownerdeserves a good dog. There are many, many dogs and puppies in need of homes.When you adopt a pet, you are saving a life.

Please visit Carmen’s gorgeous sitefor more details on her book! Wag Away Publishing– Imperfectly Perfect Rescue Dogs and Their Humans 

10 Things You Might Not Know About Crossing a Fine Line by author W.L. Brooks

Fletcher J. McKay has beenshot, driven insane, and tortured by a madman, so what’s one more psycho comingafter her? But this foe’s disturbing attempts to extinguish Fletch’s lightleave her shaken. Running out of options, she must consort with the enemy. Fletcheris undoubtedly Sheriff Noah Reed’s nemesis. Their discord began with anirrevocable outcome of an unforeseeable trauma, but duty demands he keeps hersafe. The closer he gets, the more his loathing turns to lust. Devastated byloss, Fletcher agrees to go into Noah’s protective custody. Passion takes themacross the boundaries of their animosity, but is their tentative bond enough?Or is the line between love and hate, as with life and death, fixed.

Pre-order eBook onAmazon: https://amzn.to/3TD6x4a

Amazon (paperback): https://amzn.to/3FJd33G

10 Things You MightNot Know About Crossing a Fine Line

 

1.       This is the fifth and final book in my McKay Series. 

2.     I have been working on this series fortwenty years (ten of which the manuscripts were in a box under my bed). 

3.     Fletcher is a reader favorite. 

4.     I’ve been building thisenemies-to-lovers storyline over the last four books.

5.     I wrote the original first draft inone week back in 2005. 

6.     Fletcher was the first character ofthe McKay series I wrote words for. 

7.     As in the book (and the series), theshow Murder, She Wrote was the inspiration for this series—thischaracter.

8.    Fletcher is one of my favoritecharacters to write. 

9.     This book gives Jasper’s POV for thefirst time in the series, and I can’t wait to hear what people think. 

10.  Noah and Fletcher are one of my spicier couples. 

 

 

W.L. Brooks was born with an activeimagination.  When characters come into her mind, she has to give them alife- a chance to tell their stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a catby her side, she spends her days letting the ideas flow onto paper.  Avoracious reader, she draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense anda dash of the paranormal. A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently livingin Western North Carolina. Pick up her latest novel, Unearthing the Past -available now!

Website: www.wlbrooks.com

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/authorwlbrooks

 Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16200243.W_L_Brooks

Advertising and Finding an Audience by author Hugh Fritz

  

Soleilis lost in time, launched through history at the hands of the Old Ticker. Nowhe is out of his element. He must adapt to his new home, hope it’s possible toreturn to his original time, and pray for a chance to correct some mistakesalong the way. Tyrell knows Flarence killed Darren.He wants revenge, though a mere human with limited resources has no chance ofharming a Genie. But Roy’s body is failing to the point that not even Genieblood can sustain him. The cause of Roy’s slow death may give Tyrell theopportunity he needs to make Flarence suffer. The OldTicker’s designs have been leaked. Now they rest in deadlier hands and moremischievous minds. A pair of spell-casting revolvers were nothing compared withthe new weapons being developed in secret. The Genies may have met their matchwhen a scientist emerges armed with the most devastating firearm the world hasever known. These three novellas are theculmination of the Mystic Rampage series—historical fiction, contemporaryaction, and near-future science fiction. Connecting them all is their sharedtheme of overcoming regrettable decisions to forge a brighter future. AnomalyAftermath is available in print and as an ebook at Amazon. Youcan add it to your GoodReadsreading list as well.

Advertising and Finding an Audience

It would be great to have abillboard featuring my books set up along the highway, but that kind ofadvertising is expensive and from what I can find paying monthly is common.There are enough repeated expenses in my life as it is and the last thing Ineed is another tacked on. Occasionally I’ll look into media outlets and reachout to a few of them, such as my university’s newspaper or local radiostations. So far none of them has expressed interest in advertising my books.To land those kinds of opportunities, the hosts or columnists need to beconvinced that the topic has a good chance of attracting an audience and so farI haven’t convinced anyone that a fantasy novel will serve as an attentiongrabber. While public outlets have been slow to bring success, I’ve found mymoments in smaller gatherings.

Most of my advertising is doneon-site through word of mouth. The primary sales events are comic conventions.I spend a lot of time making signs for my booth and some places are willing tolet me hang smaller ones around the convention center. The last one I went towas a joint effort where three other authors and I split the cost and space ofa booth together. One of them made brochures which he passed around near theentrance. That helped bring people to our booth and when someone stopped bythere was an inherent contest for which of us could pitch our book better. Itwas fun to have that healthy contest between ourselves and if it happens again,I believe I’ll have a better chance. My second book, Public Display ofAggression recently won an award in The Book Fest. Marie Parks’ book, Unrelenting,also won an award, and having that sticker on the cover seemed to help increaseher sales.

The lesson that’s come from thesesmall advertising efforts at events like comic conventions is that my book hasa niche audience. One piece of feedback I received when submitting this book toagents was that it doesn’t follow the typical format of urban fantasy, whichhas been verified while trying to pitch it to customers. Some potentialcustomers ask if there is romance in my books, and they lose interest when I tellthem “No.” The cover of my second novel looks like a superhero movie posterwhich makes some people wonder if the format is anything like a Marvel movie,so they ask me if there are any jokes in the novel. I have to be honest withthose people and explain to them that there are a few funny lines of dialogue,but generally, the books are not intended to be comical. The customers whostick around are the ones who are interested in non-stop action and revengestories. I constantly adjust my elevator pitch, but I’ve learned to bring up myInspector R.E.D. character as quickly as possible. He’s a zombie withpsychokinetic control of the bullets that killed him. When people perk up atthat description, chances are good that I can hook them and get a sale out of them.In that way, my advertising methods are like fishing. I’ve spent hours at mybooth hearing everyone who stops by just say “Sorry, this isn’t what I’mlooking for,” and walk away. But occasionally someone will clearly beinterested and quickly become invested in the characters and plot. Even on abad sales day, if I just capture one person’s interest like that, it makes thework feel worthwhile.  

HughFritz is thrilled to have completed his Mystic Rampage trilogy, a project eightyears in the making. While writing the series he has outlined and written roughdrafts of other stories ranging from horror to romance. He is currentlybouncing between his works in progress, deciding which one should get his fullattention. Whatever comes next will assuredly be a step in a whole new direction. Author website:  http://www.hughfritz.com/   

Mike Martin's All That Glitters cover reveal!

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We invite you to Mike Martin's ALL THAT GLITTERS Cover Reveal! Please leave a comment to let Mike know you stopped by and don't forget to order your copy! ___________________________________________________

Title: ALL THAT GLITTERS
Author: Mike Martin
Publisher: Ottawa Press and Publishing
Pages: 282
Genre: Mystery 

Sergeant Winston Windflower is moving on to a new chapter of his life, no longer an RCMP officer but now a Community Safety Officer in his home of Grand Bank, Newfoundland.

But when a body is found in the bed and breakfast he co-owns, diamonds are found in the body’s digestive system, and then Windflower’s friend Dr. Sanjay, who was given the diamonds for safekeeping, is kidnapped, it’s clear that crime has returned once more to Grand Bank.

Windflower finds himself back in the thick of it, helping his newly promoted friend, RCMP Corporal Eddie Tizzard, track down a ruthless diamond smuggler who will stop at nothing — kidnapping, even murder — to pull off his dirty business.

This is another finely spun Windflower mystery that contrasts suspense and tension with the joys of friendship, family, and gratitude.

Ottawa Press and Publishing | Amazon U.S. | Amazon CAN

 
 

Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada andnow lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelancewriter and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers,magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.

He is the award-winning and best-selling author of the award-winning Sgt. Windflower Mystery series set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 13 books in this light mystery series with the publication of All That Glitters. 

A Tangled Web was shortlisted in 2017 for the best light mystery of the year, and Darkest Before the Dawn won the 2019 Bony Blithe Light Mystery Award. 

Some Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are now available as audiobooks and the latest A Tangled Web was released as an audiobook in 2023. All audiobooks are available from Audible in Canada and around the world.

Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.

Website: https://sgtwindflowermysteries.com/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mike54martin

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheWalkerOnTheCapeReviewsAndMore

Sponsored By:

Five Things You Might Not Know About Fateful Connections by author Karen Charles

 

Fateful Connections tells the story of four people broughttogether by the tragic events of 9/11 in the United States. These fourindividuals were attending a conference in Seattle, Washington, and found itnearly impossible to make it back to their homes, which were scattered acrossthe country. They decide to rent a car and drive together, as they cannot getany flights home. As rental cars are also impossible to come upon, they find afriend who has access to a repossessed car, which he is willing to rent out.Unbeknownst to the friends, the rightful owner of the car wants his car back,and as they find out, hidden inside the car are drugs and guns. What ensues isa dangerous journey which impacts on the four friends’ lives forever. The storyfollows them on their harrowing journey home, then one or two years later asthey meet up for an annual reunion.

The strengths of this story are the easy-to-readnarrative and compelling plot. The author introduces four intriguing maincharacters, as well as a number of antagonists, who hunt down the friends andengage in dangerous and illegal plans to not only recapture their guns anddrugs, but also kill the friends so there are no witnesses to their illegalactivities. The reader is instantly drawn into the storyline and moves alongwith the characters as they experience fear, joy, love, and relief. The plot iscompelling, and the reader cannot help but become invested in the lives ofthese four main characters. Amazon: https://amzn.to/41WDECT

Five Things You Might NotKnow About Fateful Connections

1. At a Christmas brunchmy friend, Sandy, told a story of what happened to her brother who was at a CEOconference on 9/11. I was so intrigued by the bazaar events that I decided todevelop it into a thriller.

2. After I heard the storymy book is based on, it took a year and a half before I began writing themanuscript.

3. I own a condo in PuertoVallarta, Mexico where one of my characters in the book lives.

4. The ranch setting inSanta Clarita, California is owned by my son.

5. One of the charactersin the book is very much like me.

  About the Author: KarenCharles is a children's book author and educator. She lives with her husband ona beautiful bay in Washington State. Her latest book is the thriller, FatefulConnections.

Website:https://karenrabe18.wixsite.com/my-site-2

Twitter:https://twitter.com/karenra24229683

Book Spotlight: The Algorithm Will See You Now by JL Lycette

 

The most dangerous lies are the ones that use the truth tosell themselves.

 Medical treatmentdetermined by artificial intelligence could do more than make Hope Kestrel'scareer. It could revolutionize healthcare. What the Seattle surgeon doesn'tknow is the AI has a hidden fatal flaw, and the people covering it up will stopat nothing to dominate the world's healthcare — and its profits. Soon, Hope ismade the scapegoat for a patient's death, and only Jacie Stone, a gifted internwith a knack for computer science, is willing to help search for the truth. Buther patient's death is only the tip of the conspiracy's iceberg. The Director,Marah Maddox, is plotting a use for the AI far outside the ethical bounds ofher physician's oath. A staggering plan capable of reducing human lives totheir DNA code, redefining the concepts of sickness and health, and deliveringthe power of life and death decisions into the hands of those behind the AI. Evenif the algorithm accidentally discards some who are treatable in order to makethat happen... Purchase a copy on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble,and Bookshop.org. You can also addthis to your GoodReadsreading list.

 

About the Author

 Jennifer / JL Lycetteis a novelist, award-winning essayist, rural physician, wife, and mother. Shehas a degree in biochemistry from the University of San Francisco and attainedher medical degree at the University of Washington. Mid-career, she discoverednarrative medicine in her path back from physician burnout and has been writingever since. Her essays can be found in Intima, NEJM, JAMA and other journals;at Doximity and Medscape; and her website https://jenniferlycette.com. She is an alumna of the 2019 PitchWars Mentoring program. Her other published speculative fiction can be found inthe anthology And If That MockingbirdDon't Sing: Parenting Stories Gone Speculative (Alternating Current Press).The Algorithm Will See You Now (BlackRose Writing Press) is her first novel.

 Find her online:

Website: https://jenniferlycette.com

Facebook author page:https://www.facebook.com/Author.JL.Lycette

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22185205.J_L_Lycette

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JL_Lycette

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-lycette/

Mastodon: https://mindly.social/@JL_Lycette

 Advance Praise for TheAlgorithm Will See You Now

 “I've been waitingfor a book like this: a full-frontal assault on the dangers of artificialintelligence and the failures of our mangled health care system, all wrapped upin a clever, ripping thriller. Jennifer Lycette is an author to watch.” — RobHart, author of The Paradox Hotel

"In her debut,Lycette explores the darkest realities about the healthcare system and whatgenerations of the near future could potentially face if power shifts to thewrong hands. Perhaps even more gripping is how she delves into the ways griefcan shape someone, causing them to make questionable decisions in the name ofredemption. With nuanced characters and a truly terrifying premise, The Algorithm Will See You Now is anambitious debut that delivers."— Heather Levy, author of Anthony nominatedWalking Through Needles

 "Both tense andtopical, The Algorithm Will See You Nowis a meticulously researched and deeply informed novel about the perils ofwhere healthcare is likely heading, and the agonizing human costs involved. Thereare no easy decisions here, and Lycette paints a wonderfully complex portraitin an exciting debut." — E.A. Aymar, author of No Home For Killers

 "Full ofintrigue and smart thrills, The AlgorithmWill See You Now is a incisive vision of a tech-driven future, amping upthe contemporary horrors of our healthcare system to the extreme. Lycette'smastery of the medical field shines through, and her empathetic storytellinginvites us to examine where we are headed and how we treat each other as humanbeings." — Victor Manibo, author of TheSleepless

 "An AI isputting profit over life. And patients are dying. The Algorithm Will See You Now is a tense, terrifying ride thatdives into prescient themes of power, control, and the corruption of BigMedicine. Here’s your wake-up call. This disturbing future is closer than youthink." — L.P. Styles, author of TheMolecule Thief

 "Get ready to beenthralled! Dr. Lycette poignantly lays out the future of healthcare withimpeccable lucidity when AI becomes the center stage of medicine. While AI ispromised to improve operational efficiencies, streamline tasks and cut downhuman error, it comes with its own challenges like overlooking personalpreferences, fears and economic restraints for patients. A brilliant book withvivid characterizations!" — Rajeev Kurapati MD,MBA, award-winning author of Physician:How Science Transformed the Art of Medicine

 “Bringing the realityof the imminent threat to the healthcare system and the patient sovereigntydisheartenment to life… the epitome of patient care sceneries at the end of theslippery slope towards which we are headed.”— Dr. Adam Ray Tabriz, MD MediumAuthor, Physicians Are Working LikeRobots for Robots

Book Spotlight: Coping and Thriving with a Chronic Condition by Carla Cobbs

No single soul on this planet is fortunate enough to havesmooth sailing when it comes to dealing with life’s challenges. Everyone has togo through the twists and turns of life while keeping their sanity intact andgrowing as a person. However, the journey becomes much more challenging if youhave to cope with health complications as well. Coping and Thriving with aChronic Condition is a guidebook for people who are suffering from achronic disease. This book not only discusses the difficulties such patientsface to assure them that they are not alone in their journey but also presentsways to ease their suffering and eventually thrive while living with a chroniccondition. It also aims to help those without a chronic condition learn moreabout the challenges of living with a life-long health condition so they canempathize with such patients. https://amzn.to/3lbaVux 

What Is Chronic Disease?

When a certain disease or amedical condition is persistent or usually lasts for more than three months, itcan be categorized as a chronic disease. The symptoms or effects usually stayfor a long time and might worsen with the passage of time. For instance,diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, and hypertensioncan usually be controlled but not cured, so the patients are left with nooption but to adapt to the changes such diseases enforce in their lifestyles.Chronic disease is different from terminal illness as it allows the patients tolive while managing their symptoms. Terminal illness, on the other hand, endswith a person’s death.

Chronic diseases usually targetdifferent areas of the body. For instance, having a cardiovascular disordermight affect the functioning of the lungs as well. Although there aretreatments available to help ease the pain and suffering of the person affectedby chronic conditions, such diseases are not fully responsive to treatments.People with chronic diseases may also experience a relapse period where the symptoms go away temporarily and reappearafter some time. Chronic diseases are usually regarded as “non-communicable”diseases due to their non-contagious nature or non-infectious causes. However,a few chronic diseases, like HIV or COVID, are an exception that can be causedby transmissible infections. Regardless of the root cause, chronic diseases areone of the most common types of medical conditions affecting millions of peopleworldwide. A person can suffer from more than one chronic diseasesimultaneously. In fact, having one kind of chronic disease makes you moreprone to others. It is estimated that 40% of adults in the United States haveat least two chronic conditions.[2]

The effects of chronic illness onthe human body can range from mild to severe. For instance, a cardiac arrest ora stroke might be immediately life-threatening. In contrast, diabetes can belong-lasting and is usually not fatal if its symptoms are managed properly.Most chronic diseases, such as arthritis, persist throughout the person’s lifewithout risking death.

 

 

 About the Author

Carla Cobbs was born with a conditioncalled Arthrogryposis that affects all limbs, especially legs. She uses anelectric wheelchair for mobility. Despite her chronic condition she graduatedwith a Bachelor of Science (BS) from Bowie State University then pharmacyschool at University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. After being offeredemployment in Texas post-graduation, she lived there for most of her career.She worked as a pharmacist for about a decade educating the public aboutmedications, side effects, diseases, and the healthcare system. Additionally,she recognized the number of people that were struggling with coping, thrivingand accepting themselves and chronic illness. Currently, she is retired butcontinues to educate the public by writing this book. Her hobbies includemovies, jazz, music, aquatic aerobics, swimming, festivals, art, photography,card games, and sport events. Carla is devoted to her faith and spirituality. Youcan visit her website at www.CarlaCobbsCreates.com. 

10 Things You Might Not Know From the Blake's Folly Romance Trilogy by J. Arlene Culiner

By2023, the silver boomtown of Blake’s Folly, once notorious for saloons,brothels, speakeasies, and divorce ranches, has become a semi-ghost town ofabandoned shacks and weedy dirt roads. But unusual settings attract unusualpeople, those forced to adapt to new circumstances in order to survive, andthose who have never really fit into mainstream society. But none are humdrum.All have dreams and a chance to fall in love.

A Room In Blake’s Folly

In 1889, whenBlake’s Folly boasted silver mines, saloons, and brothels, the adventurer,Westley Cranston, fell in love with Sookie Lacey a former prostitute. Theirromance was doomed but never forgotten, and these six stories tell the tale.

All About Charming Alice

Alice Treemontcooks vegetarian meals, rescues unwanted dogs, and protects the most unlovedcreatures on earth: snakes. What man would share those interests? Jace Constantis in Nevada, doing research, but he won’t be staying long. He hates desertdust, dog hair and snakes terrify him. Even if the air sizzles each time Aliceand Jace meet, any romance seems doomed.

Desert Rose

Rose Badger isthe local flirt, and settling down is the last thing she intends to do.Geologist Jonah Livingstone is intriguing, but with his complicated life, he’soff limits for anything other than friendship. The sparkling and lovely Rose Badger fascinates Jonah Livingstone, but she doesn’t seem inclined tochoose a favorite, so why fret? Jonah’s secret life keeps him busy.

10 Things YouMight Not Know from the Blake's Folly Romance Trilogy

Blake’s Folly, Nevada, oncea silver boomtown, is now a backwoods community of clapboard shacks andscraggly vegetation. The local saloon is a leftover from another century and,inside country music whines, while eccentrics dish up tall tales, andsuspicion. But living in an unusual setting does have advantages. It makes ussit up and take notice of our environment and gives us a good knowledge ofunusual local history. For example…

1) Nevada was once covered by a warm shallow seafilled with reefs, mollusks, and ammonites. There were also ichthyosaurs —large marine lizards — and they appeared around 250 million years ago, evolvingfrom a group of unidentified land reptiles that returned to the sea, like theancestors of modern-day dolphins and whales.

2) In the first half of the 1800s, women werescarce in the West, and husband-hunters, whether ugly or good-looking,mean-tempered, sharp-tongued, or sugar sweet easily found partners. By the1880s, things had changed. Women fleeing domestic service, poor farms,millwork, or factory toil, were arriving in abundance and men could take theirpick.

3) Like all Western boomtowns where the malepopulation outnumbered the female, there were many brothels. Being out in thewasteland, panning for gold, trudging over empty space hoping to find silver,working hard in the mines, or ranching on poor soil and barely surviving, allmade for a pretty lonely life, so brothels and saloons were oases. What couldbe more appealing than an oasis where scantily clad women served alcohol andpleasure?

4) Although their silks, gaudy jewels, andperfumes set them apart from “decent” town women, brothel madams made certaintheir “girls” were well behaved and lady-like in public. In reality, they hadno reason to be otherwise: although a few were tough, gritty women, most werethose who, through bad luck, circumstance, betrayal, or personal choice, hadcome to work in the sex trade. They were as sentimental and vital as any woman,crying each Christmas over the memory of faraway homes, inaccessible families,and a way of life no longer open to them.

5) Local wives detested the ladies of pleasure,and their disapproval condemned them to the last row at social events,theatrical performances in the local community hall, and church services. Butthese less respectable “ladies” were welcomed by local shopkeepers, for theyspent their hard-earned cash on fans, furs, clothes, all manner of fluffy andshining gewgaws.

6) Despite all the lovely stories we hear aboutwestern romances, the reality was less romantic. Men looking for wives in theFar West usually went for young, fresh, strong women who would raise children,attend to harvests, garden work, laundry, scrounge for firewood, and cook. Manyof the men were looking for women to replace their previous wives who had diedduring childbirth or from sheer exhaustion.

7) Without experience in the working world, olderwomen who were widows, or who had been abandoned, or divorced hoped their grownchildren would take them in. However, not every couple wanted a mother, ormother-in-law in residence unless she was still strong enough to help out withthe drudgery. The very many who found no home with their children were oftenreduced to begging in the towns.

8) Although prohibition effectively cut offNevada’s much-needed tax revenue, it didn’t reduce social drinking. In one yearalone, 90,000 Nevada residents managed to wangle 10,000 prescriptions formedicinal alcohol.

9) The names of the old railway companies stillsound familiar to us — the Philadelphia and Reading, the Erie, the NorthernPacific, the Union Pacific, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe. However, allthose companies failed during the depression of 1893.Even back then the politicians lied, claiming the economy was prospering as 500banks closed and 16,000 businesses declared bankruptcy.

10) And for those who want to know about me, theauthor J. Arlene Culiner, I’ve spent my life shifting from one country to theother, and I’ve often done it in an original way: on foot. I also travel onslow trains, get off in out-of-the-way places where I can’t speak the languageand where I don’t know a soul. I now live in a small, sleepyvillage in France where there’s nothing going on. There are no shops.Occasionally a tractor passes through. There is a main square with a 13thcentury church and houses that date from the 16th and 18thcenturies. There are many wonderful bats, quirky pigeons, and other lovelybirds that I delight in.

 

Writer, photographer, social criticalartist, and storyteller, J. Arlene Culiner, was born in New York and raised inToronto. She has crossed much of Europe on foot, has lived in a Hungarian mudhouse, a Bavarian castle, a Turkish cave dwelling, on a Dutch canal, and in ahaunted house on the English moors. She now resides in a 400-year-old formerinn in a French village of no interest and, much to local dismay, protects allcreatures, especially spiders and snakes. She particularly enjoys incorporatinginto short stories, mysteries, narrative non-fiction, and romances, herexperiences in out-of-the-way communities, and her conversations with strangecharacters.

 Website: http://www.j-arleneculiner.com

Blog:  http://j-arleneculiner.over-blog.com

Allsites: https://linktr.ee/j.arleneculiner

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jarlene.culiner/

StorytellingPodcast: https://soundcloud.com/j-arlene-culiner

Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About Author Mary L. Schmidt

 

Visions of her Cherokee grandmother,Cordie, flashed through Mary’s mind as her mother, Marguerite, informed herthat her stepfather shot himself and was in the hospital. Oh no! Did she use melast night? She’d never use her scapegoat! No, she couldn’t! Even Margueritewouldn’t sink that low! Or would she? Marguerite had always been abusive andvile to most people, and especially to her children and husbands, but would sheshoot Paul? Chills raked Mary and triggered hershuddering. Was she more shocked that her mother shot her stepfather withmurderous intent, or that she left Mary as her alibi? Amazon: https://amzn.to/3mKRbOw

 

Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About MaryL. Schmidt

 

1. Mary uses two pen names on occasion, S.Jackson, and A. Raymond.

2. With a huge passion, Mary won’t eat Spam orLiverwurst.

 3. Mary has written more than 35 books and contributedto four anthologies.

4. Mary holds a university degree (cum laude) inNursing and was inducted into the Sigma Theta Tau International honor society innursing.

5. Mary has spent years working with the AmericanCancer Society, March of Dimes, and both cub and boy scouts.

6. Mary owns an online art gallery, and she makesall her book covers and illustrations.

7. Mary has the gift of easily chatting indifferent settings, meeting new people from other countries; on hold due toCovid.

8. Mary loves to travel and see the USA,especially with her lifetime national park pass.

9. Mary and her husband, Michael, have fourchildren, and two grandchildren.

10. Mary is the daughter of a king.

  

 

Aboutthe Author: Mary L. Schmidt writesunder her given name and a pen name, S. Jackson, along with her husbandMichael, pen name A Raymond. She grew up in a small Kansas (USA) town and haslived in more than one state since then. At this time, Mary and her husbandsplit their time between homes in Kansas and Colorado as they love themountains and off-road four-wheeling. Traveling is one of their most favoritethings to do and Mary always has a book to read on her Kindle. Books are one ofher favorite things. When she was younger, it seemed like every time she turnedaround, a new library card was needed due to the current one being stampedcomplete. Diving into a good book made any day perfect and you would besurprised at the number of books she read over and over. Mary and Michael loveto read, fish, play poker, go Jeeping, and travel, especially to visit theirgrandson, Austin, and granddaughter, Emma.

 

Website:  www.whenangelsfly.net  

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaryLSchmidt

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MMSchmidtAuthorGDDonley

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/mschmidtphotography/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marylschmidt/

Art Gallery: https://www.deviantart.com/mschmidtartwork/gallery

7 Things You Might Not Know About The Shade Under the Mango Tree by Evy Journey

 

 

Aftertwo heartbreaking losses, Luna wants adventure. Something and somewhere verydifferent from the affluent, sheltered home in California and Hawaii where shegrew up. An adventure in which she can also make some difference. She ends upin a place steeped in an ancient culture and a deadly history. Raised by hergrandmother in a Honolulu suburb, she moves to her parents’ home in Californiaat thirteen and meets her brothers for the first time. Grandma persuades her towrite a journal whenever she’s lonely or overwhelmed as a substitute forsomeone to whom she could reveal her intimate thoughts. Lucien, a worldly,well-traveled young architect, finds a stranger’s journal at a café. He hasqualms and pangs of guilt about reading it. But they don’t stop him. Hisdecision to go on reading changes his life.

 Monthslater, they meet at a bookstore where Luna works, and which Lucien frequents.Fascinated by his stories and his adventurous spirit, Luna volunteers for thePeace Corps. Assigned to Cambodia, she lives with a family whose parents aresurvivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide forty years earlier. What she goesthrough in a rural rice-growing village defies anything she could haveimagined. Will she leave this world unscathed? Inspired by the healingeffects of writing, this is an epistolary tale of love—between anidealistic young woman and her grandmother and between the young woman and ayoung architect. It’s a tale of courage, resilience of the human spirit, andthe bonds that bring diverse people together.

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KFMR9SG

7 Things YouMight Not Know About The Shade Under the Mango Tree

A small, short journal I unearthed from a box in my garage inspired me to use the epistolary device to tell much of the story.

I’ve made the mango salad in the story using a Vietnamese recipe for green papaya salad, substituting green (unripe) mango for the green papaya.

I usually situate my stories in places I’ve lived in or have visited. But I’ve never been to Cambodia, where half of the action takes place. To learn about Cambodia, I interviewed a young man who grew up in Cambodia and lived for a while in the west. I also read books and online articles about its current society and traditions, as well as the experiences of survivors of the Khmer genocide. I also watched a few movies.

Two movies currently on Netflix depict the Cambodian genocide: Angelina Jolie’s First They Killed My Father and a French graphic animation, Funan. Maybe, the first film ever made of it is The Killing Fields (1984), about five years after this particular holocaust ended.

Towards the middle of writing the story, I switched the male protagonist’s profession from computer science to architecture as a tribute to my husband’s frustrated wish to be an architect. He became a clinical psychologist, instead.

I interviewed an architect from one of my Facebook groups to learn more about the profession. I also took a brief online introductory course on architecture.

The coffeeshop where the protagonists meet is also featured in Books 4 and 6 in the series, Between Two Worlds.   

 

Aboutthe Author: EvyJourney writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’salso a wannabe artist, and a flâneuse. Evy studied psychology (M.A., Universityof Hawaii; Ph.D. University of Illinois). So her fiction spins tales aboutnuanced characters dealing with contemporary life issues and problems. Shebelieves in love and its many faces. Her one ungranted wish: To live in Pariswhere art is everywhere, and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form.She has visited and stayed a few months at a time.

Website or Blog: https://evyjourney.net

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ejourneywriter/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...