Veronika Jordan's Blog, page 34

The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel by Jeffrey Ashkin Cover Reveal

Best-selling author, Jonathan Sendel has been murdered. Now, his clone must solve the mystery.

In the near future when someone is murdered, a clone of the victim can be commissioned to help police solve the crime. This process is costly, tedious and not always successful. Memory lapses, mental implosions, and rouge clones are not uncommon. It’s risky, but Jonathan has the money, the fans, and the means, and so his clone must navigate a treacherous labyrinth of secrets to reclaim the life stolen from him and put his murderer behind bars.

Genre: Thriller / Mystery
Publisher: Ink Smith Publishing

Before his untimely death, Jonathan was stuck in a rut. His marriage was failing, writer’s block had his Jim Starlight series at a dead end, and his affair with a college student was about to go public. When his charred remains are found inside his remote cabin it’s clear that the murderer is someone in his inner circle.

His clone only has a matter of days to unravel the mystery before he loses the vast fortune he spent his entire life, the first one, building. As he uncovers his previous life’s transgressions, the people he trusted most may have some unsavory opinions about clones. Jonathan must take his investigation into his own hands to have a chance at life.

The Second Life of Jonathan Sendel is a twist-filled murder mystery, that examines the life of a beloved celebrity tarnished by scandal and the painful process of coming to terms with one’s own demons.

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Scorpion by Phil Gilvin Publication Day Party

War is coming, a war that could mean the end of the republic.

But how can you do anything about it when you’re a captive, slaving in the guts of a brutal patrol ship.

Genre: Sci-fi / YA / Dystopian

Clara Perdue isn’t sure why she took Jack Pike’s place at the slave market. She isn’t sure why she saved another girl and volunteered for the Scorpion, a Coastforce ship that plies the Channel, murdering refugees and raiding the villages along the coast. But when she meets Xavi, another slave, she feels emotions she’s never felt before.

Meanwhile, Jack Pike has taken Clara’s parents to safety, and as he tries to track her down he finds an unexpected ally. But how can they find Clara?

Can Clara escape somehow? And, even if she can, how can she stop the war?

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My 4 Favourite Audiobooks of 2024 – Part One

A new list! I love a list. I only just started listening to audiobooks last year, and it’s not just about the story – it’s also about the narrator/s.

One of my biggest issues with audiobooks has always been the length, as I am a fast reader and I don’t have the patience to listen for, say 11 or 12 hours, when I could have read it in five. I also fall asleep when I’m listening and then I have to find where I was, which is harder than on my Kindle.

But the outright biggie is the narrator. I can tell in the first few minutes whether I’m going to like them, and if I don’t (which is totally personal) I won’t buy the audio book. I’ll read it on my Kindle instead.

However, audio books are brilliant when walking or driving the car, rather than listening to music. It passes the time in such an entertaining way. So here goes with the first quarter of 2024.

The Shape of Darkness by Laura Purcell

I’ve read quite a few of Laura’s novels, The Silent Companions being one of my favourite all-time novels. I’ve also read The Corset and Bone China, which I loved, but The Shape of Darkness is up there with The Silent Companions (almost).

I listened to it on Audible and it worked really well as an audio book (not all do for me). It is told from the points of view of Agnes and Pearl, which made it really easy to follow – I struggle with audio books when the story jumps around in time – but this was perfect. I like the narrator too, which is very important to me. She even sings beautifully when she is being Pearl’s half-sister Myrtle.

For my full review click here

The Whispering Muse by Laura Purcell

My second Laura Purcell this month and unfortunately I think I have now read all of her Gothic novels. The Whispering Muse is by far the most shocking – in parts it was really quite gory and grisly.

Lively and intelligent, Jenny Wilcox’s life has been reduced to working as a maid after her brother Greg ran off with the Mercury Theatre’s leading lady and all Jenny’s savings. Then one day she is summoned by theatre owner, Mrs Dyer, and she is sure it’s something to do with the money Greg owed. But no, Mrs Dyer has a proposition to put before her. She is to be the dresser to the new leading lady, Lilith Erikson, but she warns her that Lilith is not easy to work with. You can say that again!

For my full review click here

Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

It’s taken me a while to get round to reading this book – I say read, but I actually borrowed the audiobook from our local library. It was beautifully narrated and I think I probably preferred listening to it rather than reading it on my Kindle.

It’s been reviewed so many times that I’m not going to go into great detail. Suffice to say that it’s the story of a young girl called Kya, known as the ‘Marsh Girl’, who is left by her family to survive on her own in the swamps around the quiet fishing village of Barkley Cove. We first meet her when she is just six years old.

For my full review click here

The Black Feathers by Rebecca Netley

This is all very The Turn Of The Screw meets Rebecca, told in the first person and becoming more sinister with each chapter. Annie Stonehouse is plagued by ghosts, but are they really there? Or is this some terrible figment of her imagination, fed by the secret loss of her first child, who was taken away from her at birth, and Iris’s mediumship and her ‘spirits’.

Annie has just married Edward Stonehouse and after travelling for some months, they finally arrive at his rambling mansion Guardbridge, where she meets his psychic sister Iris and her carer Mrs North, known affectionately as Southie. They have brought with them new baby John and his nurse Agnes. But Iris struggles to love John, because she still mourns the loss of the infant son she refers to only as ‘you’.

For my full review click here

Nosy Neighbours by Freya Sampson

You can choose your home, but you can’t choose who lives next door . . .

Twenty-five-year-old Kat Bennett has never felt at home anywhere, especially not in crumbling Shelley House. The other residents think she’s prickly and unapproachable, but beneath her tough exterior, Kat is plagued by guilt from her past and looking for somewhere to belong.

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Seventy-seven-year-old Dorothy Darling has lived in Shelley House for longer than anyone else, and if you believe the other tenants, she’s as cantankerous and vindictive as they come. Dorothy may spend her days spying on the neighbours, but she has a closely guarded secret herself – and a good reason for barely leaving her home.

When their building faces demolition, sworn enemies Kat and Dorothy become unlikely allies in their quest to save their historic home; and even less likely detectives when they suspect that foul play is coming from within Shelley House . . .

My Review

After a couple of really quite dark novels, it was refreshing to read something lighthearted and humorous. And with a small Jack Russell terrier called Reggie as one of the co-conspirators, how could I not love this.

It was also very sad at times and once again I cried. I really felt for Kat, with her shitty childhood and dreadful mother. And I really felt for Dorothy aka Ms Darling (never call her Mrs), though it’s quite late in the book that we discover her history and why she behaves as she does.

There are lots of other likeable (and definitely unlikeable) characters in Nosy Neighbours, including Kat’s elderly ‘landlord’ Joseph, 15-year-old Ayesha and her father Omar, Gloria upstairs with her terrible taste in men, giant Tomasz with his fierce bulldog called Princess, and the anti-social, noisy tenant in Flat 4. There’s also journalist Will, who seems lovely, but no-one trusts an old hack (or young hack in this case).

Dorothy has lived in Shelley House the longest, and treats it as her own. She looks after the post, takes out and sorts other people’s rubbish and makes copious notes in her notebook as she patrols the corridors. When Joseph is attacked, she makes a list of suspects with their possible MOs, means, opportunities and alibis. No-one is safe once Dorothy is on the prowl. And she doesn’t like dogs.

She’s very suspicious of newcomer Kat with her pink hair, tattoos and prickly manner. What is she hiding?

When on the rare occasion the neighbours come together, they are at each other’s throats. Only now the building is about to be demolished and they all face eviction, can they put their considerable differences to one side and save Shelley House? Especially Dorothy and Kat. It’s fun finding out and I really enjoyed this book. I was reminded of the 1987 film Batteries Not Included starring Jessica Tandy, without the help of the aliens. But we have Reggie instead.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC. 

About the Author

Freya Sampson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Last Chance Library and The Lost Ticket/The Girl on the 88 Bus. She studied history at Cambridge University and worked in television as an executive producer, making documentaries about everything from the British royal family to neighbours from hell. She lives in London with her husband, children and cats. Nosy Neighbours is her third novel.

The Black Feathers by Rebecca Netley

Where ghosts tread, black feathers fall . . .

When Annie marries widower Edward Stonehouse and arrives at Guardbridge, his estate on the Yorkshire moors, she thinks she has finally put darkness behind her.

She is mistaken.

Edward’s sister, Iris, still lives in the family home. A taxidermist and medium, she urges Annie to watch out for black feathers – claiming that they mark the spot where a spirit has visited.

At first, Annie dismisses her warnings. But, before long, she begins to feel haunted.

What exactly happened to Edward’s first wife? Why is Iris so disturbed?

And should Annie really be watching for signs from the dead – or is she the one being watched?

SET ON THE YORKSHIRE MOORS IN THE 1800S, THE BLACK FEATHERS IS A GHOSTLY TALE OF MAGIC AND WICKEDNESS.

My Review

This is all very The Turn Of The Screw meets Rebecca, told in the first person and becoming more sinister with each chapter. Annie Stonehouse is plagued by ghosts, but are they really there? Or is this some terrible figment of her imagination, fed by the secret loss of her first child, who was taken away from her at birth, and Iris’s mediumship and her ‘spirits’.

Annie has just married Edward Stonehouse and after travelling for some months, they finally arrive at his rambling mansion Guardbridge, where she meets his psychic sister Iris and her carer Mrs North, known affectionately as Southie. They have brought with them new baby John and his nurse Agnes. But Iris struggles to love John, because she still mourns the loss of the infant son she refers to only as ‘you’.

Annie is Edward’s second wife, his first wife Evie and their son Jacob having died from scarlet fever some months before they met. But Edward’s relationship with Evie was not a happy one, and while no-one will talk about it, Annie starts to dig away until she uncovers some shocking truths. Did they really die of scarlet fever, or was it something far more sinister?

I cannot begin to express how much I loved this book. Gothic horror is one of my absolute favourite genres and this is one of my favourite examples. I could go on and on. The ‘horror’ is not gory or violent – it just creeps up on you gradually. The writing on the mirror, the spirits, the voices, the shadows in the corridor, the small white fingers gripping the side of the door, they all build up, and then there is the diorama of stuffed birds and animals, with notes left inside saying ‘help me.’

I listened to this on Audible while out walking mostly, and I gasped at times at the revelations and the twists, one of which I kind of guessed, but another that I never would have. Definitely one of my favourite audio books of the quarter year, and may even make it into my top books of the year.

About the Author

Rebecca Netley grew up as part of an eccentric family in a house full of books and music and these things have fed her passions. Family and writing remain at the heart of Rebecca’s life. She lives in the UK with her husband, sons and an over-enthusiastic dog, who gives her writing tips.

Alycat And The Sunday Scaries by Alysson Foti Bourque

It’s Sunday, the day before the school week begins, and Alycat is nervous. She just knows that Monday is going to be the Mondayest Monday ever!

On the playground, Alycat realizes she isn’t the only one suffering from the Sunday Scaries. It’s hard to ride a bike. What if Kit falls? The treehouse is so high. Will Spotty make it safely back down? The kittens band together to overcome their fears, but can they turn the Sunday Scaries into a Sunday Funday?

Genre: Children’s fiction (4-8 years)
Pages: 32
Publisher: Pelican Publishing

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The themes of the books in the Alycat Series all reflect a reliance on friendships, imagination, and creativity towards problem-solving. Fans of Alycat and her friends will enjoy spotting references to the kittens’ daily adventures within these pages. Tips for a successful lemonade stand are included (see below)!

My Review

What I really like about the stories is the way the kittens all band together to help each other. It’s all about friendship, kindness and being part of a ‘team’. Can they help Kit to ride a bike on her own? It’s scary without stabilisers. Can they help Spotty climb down from the tree house? It’s very high.

And what about Eleonor’s Lemonade Stand? She’s not getting any customers. How can the kittens help her?

Alycat needn’t worry about Monday being the Mondayest Monday ever. Not when she has friends and family around. Because that’s what it’s all about.

This book is excellent for teaching children about friendship and helping one another. The illustrations are colourful and fun and should keep young readers engaged.

Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of the #Alycat blog tour

About the Author

Award-winning author Alysson Foti Bourque graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a degree in elementary education. She is a certified elementary education teacher and earned a law degree from the Southern University Law Center. After practicing law for six years, she traded in writing trial briefs for writing children’s books. Her books featuring Alycat have been recipients of the NYC Big Book Award, the Mom’s Choice Awards, and the Next Generation Indie Book Awards; have been featured in Kirkus Reviews and Publishers Weekly; and have appeared in the Oscars celebrity swag bag and the Grammy Awards gift bag. Bourque enjoys speaking with children and teachers at schools and libraries, where she is accompanied by the life-size Alycat mascot. She hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves and their work and to keep pursuing their dreams.

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To The River by Vikki Wakefield

How long can you hide the truth?

The Kelly family has always been trouble.

When a fire in a remote caravan community kills nine people, including 17-year- old Sabine Kelly’s mother and sister, Sabine confesses to the murders. Shortly after, she escapes custody and disappears.

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Recently made redundant from marriage, motherhood and her career, journalist Rachel Weidermann has long suspected Sabine made her way back to the river — now, twelve years after the ‘Caravan Murders’, she has the time and the tenacity to corner a fugitive and land the story of the year.

Rachel’s ambition lights the fuse leading to a brutal chain of events, and the web Sabine weaves will force Rachel to question everything she believes. Vikki Wakefield’s compelling psychological thriller is about class, corruption, love, loyalty, and the vindication of truth and justice. And a brave dog called Blue.

My Review

At last something very different from my usual feast of crime novels and psychological thrillers, with two unusual women at its heart. Then there’s Blue, the fiercely loyal and brave dog that is Sabine Kelly’s constant companion. And Sabine needs protection – she’s been on the run for twelve years, living on a houseboat on the river.

The first thing I must say about this book is that you will need to decide very early on whether you believe in Sabine. Because if you don’t and you think she was capable as a 17-year-old to murder her mum Dee and seven-year-old sister Aria by setting their caravan on fire, then you will struggle to engage. Sabine has never told anyone what really happened that night, but after so many years in hiding, she is ready to reveal the truth.

Sabine regularly visits her grandfather Ray Kelly or Pop as she calls him. He’s not actually a very nice man, but he is one of her only allies. Next door to Pop lives 49-year-old Rachel Weirdermann, a freelance journalist (only freelance because she lost her job), divorced from Aidan after he ran off with a younger woman, and mother of two grown-up children. She lives alone (apart from snooty, standoffish cat Mo) in a massive house by the river. Goodness knows why she chose to live so close to the river as she is scared of water and hates swimming.

Rachel is obsessed with what became known as the Caravan Murders and she knows that an exclusive with Sabine would relaunch her dying career. But can she trust Sabine, who after the initial shock of being ‘found’ by Rachel, seems eager to tell her story. She knows Sabine is holding something back. Is she lying or is she afraid of the consequences if the truth comes out?

To The River is a fascinating look into life in rural Australia, an exploration of friendship, family, trust, obsession and corruption, and a story that will resonate with anyone who has been wronged in the past. It’s brilliant.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours

About the Author

Vikki Wakefield writes fiction for adults and young adults. Her novels have been shortlisted for numerous awards. After You Were Gone, a psychological thriller, was her first novel for adults, and was published in 2022, to much acclaim. To The River is her second psychological thriller for adults. Vikki lives in Adelaide, South Australia.

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman

The latest New York Times bestseller from beloved author Alice Hoffman celebrates the enduring magic of books and is a “wonderful story of love and growth” (Stephen King).

One June day when Mia Jacob can no longer see a way to survive, the power of words saves her. The Scarlet Letter was written almost two hundred years earlier, but it seems to tell the story of Mia’s mother, Ivy, and their life inside the Community—an oppressive cult in western Massachusetts where contact with the outside world is forbidden. But how could this be? How could Nathaniel Hawthorne have so perfectly captured the pain and loss that Mia carries inside her?

Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways. She learns that time is more fluid than she can imagine, and that love is stronger than any chains that bind you.

As a girl Mia fell in love with a book. Now as a young woman she falls in love with a brilliant writer as she makes her way back in time. But what if Nathaniel Hawthorne never wrote The Scarlet Letter? And what if Mia Jacob never found it on the day she planned to die?

From “the reigning queen of magical realism” (Kristin Hannah, New York Times bestselling author), this is the story of one woman’s dream. For a little while it came true.

My Review

I have been a massive fan of Alice Hoffman for many years, with The Museum of Extraordinary Things being one of my favourite books of all time. However, the jury is still out on this one. The writing is sublime, the characterisations are amazing, every word, every turn of phrase as magical and beautiful as you would expect from this author. I listened to it as an audiobook from Borrowbox, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment.

But I am not sure about the time slip element. And looking at other reviews, it appears that I am not the only one.

Pregnant and alone, Mia’s mother Ivy ran away from home when she was sixteen. She joined a cult known as the Community, led by the charismatic Joel Davies, but things were not as she imagined. He took her as his wife and became a surrogate father to daughter Mia. Children, however, were looked after by everyone – mothers were not allowed to favour their own. But Ivy cannot let go, loving Mia so fiercely, that she is often punished for her ‘misdemeanors’.

Books are banned in the Community. Joel knows that once you have read a book, your life is changed forever. That doesn’t stop Mia from visiting the library, where one day she discovers a new future, and a book called The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne that will save her life.

In Part Two, Mia slips into Nathaniel’s life in the 1800s, where they fall in love, and this is where it all became a bit too fantastical for me. I love magical realism, but I am not always a fan of time slip novels, where it is really more like time travel, as it is in this case. I could have coped with Mia going back. but not some of the other things that happened.

However, even though I have only given it 4 stars instead of my usual 5 stars for Hoffman, I still really enjoyed it. She will always be my favourite author and in reality can do no wrong.

About the Author

Alice Hoffman is the author of more than thirty works of fiction, including The World That We Knew; The Marriage of Opposites; The Red Garden; The Museum of Extraordinary Things; The Dovekeepers; Here on Earth, an Oprah’s Book Club selection; and the Practical Magic series, including Practical Magic; Magic Lessons; The Rules of Magic, a selection of Reese’s Book Club; and The Book of Magic. She lives near Boston.

Finding Sophie by Imran Mahmood

A brilliantly compelling domestic suspense from a rising star of the crime fiction world, and the man behind BBC/Netflix smash hit, You Don’t Know Me

Sophie King is missing.

Her parents, Harry and Zara, are distraught; for the last seventeen years, they’ve done everything for their beloved only daughter and now she’s gone.

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The police have no leads, and Harry and Zara are growing increasingly frantic, although they are both dealing with it in very different ways. Increasingly obsessed with their highly suspicious neighbour who won’t open the door or answer any questions, they are both coming to the same conclusion. If they want answers, they’re going to have to take the matter into their own hands.

But just how far are they both prepared to go for the love of their daughter?

My Review

How far would you go to find the person you love most of all in the whole world? Especially when that person is your own daughter? Seventeen-year-old Sophie King has gone missing. Has she been abducted or is she already dead?

The book is written alternatively from the point of view of Harry King, Sophie’s father, and from her mother Zara. Both are desperate to discover the truth, but the way they go about it is driving a wedge between them. Neither of them will talk to the other, and their relationship is on rocky ground.

Then we have the court case – at first we are not even sure who is in court and what they are being charged with. As the story progresses, we learn there is far more to it than we could have imagined. The court scenes are written by someone who either has huge experience of criminal trials or has done some major research. We know of course that the author is a practising criminal barrister, so it’s obviously the former.

I did guess a tiny part of the outcome, though I think you were probably meant to. Everything else is a surprise. There are some very unusual twists. And some brilliant characters. The man at number 210, Herman, is about as vile as you can get.

The writing is so good, the use of language and metaphors, the build up and suspense. It’s very clever and brilliantly plotted.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour 

About the Author

Imran Mahmood is a practising criminal barrister in England and Wales. His debut novel You Don’t Know Me was chosen by Simon Mayo as a BBC Radio 2 Book Club Choice for 2017 and longlisted for the Theakston Crime Novel of the Year, the CWA Gold Dagger Award, and the Glass Bell Award and was made into a hugely successful BBC1 adaptation in association with Netflix, reaching no.3 in the World and in the UK received a BAFTA nomination for best actor. His second novel I Know What I Saw was chosen as a Sunday Times crime novel of the month and reached no. 2 on the Audible charts. It was also long-listed for both the CWA Gold Dagger Award and Theakstons Crime Novel of the year. His third novel All I Said Was True was also long-listed for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2023

His fourth novel Finding Sophie is to be released in the UK and in the USA in March 2024.

Imran was born and raised in Liverpool but now lives in London with his wife and 2 daughters.

Small Acts of Kindness by Caroline Day

Kiki grew up in New Zealand, dreaming of one day going to Glastonbury Festival.

Now, mourning the loss of her beloved Yaya – the woman who raised her – she travels to the UK to follow that dream. It is only when she leaves home that she realises just how sheltered her life has been up until now.

Ned lives an active and exciting life. Well, he did until the accident. Now, he’s woken from his coma, except no one knows. He can hear everything happening around him but can’t make his body respond.

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Still grieving for her best friend, the one person who’d known how difficult her marriage was, Mrs Malley, finds herself lonely and isolated with only her dog, Wordsworth, to keep her company.

These three strangers are each in need of a little kindness in their lives, and this beautifully poignant and uplifting novel shows us the world through their eyes whilst highlighting the power of human connection.

My Review

When I started reading, I thought ‘what is this?’ A kooky girl from New Zealand called Kiki, who is so naive she appears to have no idea what’s going on. Then there’s Ned, whose active life was cut short by an accident which has left him with locked-in syndrome. Except he’s awake in his head but can’t tell anyone. Then we have Mrs Malley, a crotchety 84-year-old who never minces her words. Not many people like her, apart from her dog Wordsworth, who is always escaping and causing trouble.

How on earth are these characters going to form the basis of any kind of novel? I’ll admit it took me a while to get into it, but when I did, it was a revelation. Not all books need a beautiful heroine, with flowing locks and a size eight figure. Or a ruggedly handsome Mr Darcy, emerging from the water in a soaking wet shirt. Or even a kind old granny who would die for her offspring. Mrs Malley doesn’t have any.

Kiki wears frog wellies and dungaree shorts like a ten-year-old and Ned is – well – locked in, so he can’t fight his corner and win the girl. Mrs M is a cantankerous old bat, except no-one knows what she had to endure in her marriage of 60 plus years to the insufferable Roger. He made her give up work, even though she was runner-up in the Pitman typing competition in Cheltenham in 1952 (I remember this albeit 20 years later – I can even picture the building round the corner from where I live. In fact I think it’s still there).

Mrs M had a friend called Harriet who died shortly after Roger. He never approved of her. She wrote a poem about their bucket list (except she called it something that rhymes with ‘bucket’ but that would never pass Amazon’s rules). It included riding in an open top Jaguar, dying their hair pink and sunbathing in the nude. I’ll pass on the latter thank you.

Poor Kiki. After her Yaya died she came to England to go to Glastonbury and to search for the person who supposedly poisoned her mother. Except she can’t even work out how to use her phone let alone surf the internet. Poor Ned. His life is permanently on hold. Is there any hope that he might recover? His stepfather Maxwell thinks so and he used to be a doctor. And poor Mrs M. All she has left is Wordsworth. But now she has Kiki, who exploded into her life and is probably more trouble than a mad dog. But she reminds Mrs M a little of Harriet, eccentric, and no filter.

By the last few chapters, I didn’t want it to end. And I cried. I admit I cried on and off for about the last two hours. Not sobbing, just a few tears trickling down my face. Just peeling onions darling, nothing to see here. I shall miss them all.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogtour and to NetGalley for an ARC.

About the Author

Caroline Day is an author, journalist and consultant editor from Crouch End, North London, where she lives with her husband and two beagle-cross rescue dogs, Snoopy and Charlie Brown. Her debut novel, Hope Nicely’s Lessons for Life, was a Sunday Times bestseller, Goldsboro Books’ Book Of The Month, and was awarded the Joan Hessayon Prize for new writers by the Romantic Novelists Association of which she is a member. Her second novel Small Acts of Kindness is published in Spring 2024.