P.D. Workman's Blog, page 103

Excerpt from Bone Box

[image error]Closer and closer to Christmas! Don’t forget to jump over to the Advent Calendar to see what books are on offer! Free and/or $0.99 books are available every day from Dec 1-24, and some of them are limited-time offers, so don’t wait until the end.

On to my teaser. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.

I am currently reading a book in the Decker/Lazarus Novels series by Faye Kellerman. Bone Box is book 25 in the series, just release in March this year. I am about a quarter of the way through, and so far am enjoying the twists and turns of the cold case investigation.

I do have a caveat, however, and that is with respect to the transgender victim. She is constantly misgendered, with the continued suggestion that she should only be called by her correct gender identity if she’d had gender affirmation surgery (referred to as sex change surgery.) Even the LGBT characters fail to refer to her correct name and gender, saying it doesn’t matter which the detectives use. The author could have used a consult on these points.

Her perfect day had turned sour. But she didn’t dare wallow in pity.

Deep in those woods, it had once been an inconceivably hideous day for someone else.

Faye Kellerman, Bone Box

[image error]

On a bright and crisp September morning, while walking a bucolic woodland trail, Rina Decker stumbles upon human remains once buried deep beneath the forest grounds. Immediately, she calls her husband, Peter, a former detective lieutenant with LAPD, now working for the local Greenbury Police. Within hours, a vista of beauty and tranquility is transformed into a frenetic crime scene. The body has been interred for years and there is scant physical evidence at the gravesite: a youthful skeleton, a skull wound and long dark strands of hair surrounding the bony frame. As Decker and his partner, Tyler McAdams, further investigate, they realize that they’re most likely dealing with a missing student from the nearby Five Colleges of Upstate—a well-known and well-respected consortium of higher learning where Rina works.

And when more human remains are found in the same area, Decker and McAdams know this isn’t just a one-off murder case. Short-staffed and with no convenient entry into the colleges, Decker enlists Rina’s help to act as the eyes and ears of campus gossip. Winding their way through a dangerous labyrinth of steely suspects and untouchable academics, Decker, McAdams, and Rina race to protect their community from a psychopathic killer still in the area—and on the hunt for a fresh victim.

Excerpt from All the Light We Cannot See

[image error]

The year has flown by and it is already December again. Christmas lights twinkle, carols play on the radio, and shopping is in full swing.

And here on my website, I have an Advent Calendar of books! We are five days in and there are seven books waiting to be added to your reader and many more to come. Books last longer than those waxy little chocolates, so hope over to the calendar and collect your first few goodies!

On to my teaser. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.

I’m currently working on All the Light We Cannot See, by Anthony Doerr. This little book (545 pages, according to Amazon) is a Pulitzer Prize winner. I don’t read a lot of war stories, but this one intrigued me. Two children whose lives are on a collision course. Opposite sides of the war, connected by radio waves, but unknown to each other. It’s been a pretty good book so far, though the multiple points of view from multiple timelines can be confusing at times.

The curse was this: the keeper of the stone would live forever, but so long as he kept it, misfortunes would fall on all those he loved on after another in unending rain.

Anthony Doerr, All the Light We Cannot See

[image error]

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Ronnie, Between the Cracks #5

Ronnie, Between the Cracks #5
Coming soon!

by P. D. Workman
Series: Between the Cracks #5
Genres: Young Adult
Links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Google Play, Scribd, Booksamillion
Goodreads

Ronnie had a perfectly normal family

About Ronnie

Ronnie was the one child in the Simpson family to escape from the abuse and grow up in a normal home without being bounced from place to place or ending up on the street.

That was what the others all thought.

That was what Ronnie told herself.

When Ronnie could remember.

[image error]

+ Praise for Between the Cracks Series

– The Between the Cracks books have been absolutely AMAZING… as soon as I started to read “Ruby”, I just had to keep going.

– I wish I could forget the book Ruby and read it all over again.

– This book is utterly amazing, I find myself having more empathy for children in these types of situations than ever before. My heart seriously yearns for them. I can’t put this book down.

+ Book Club Resources

Domestic Abuse Pinterest Board
Street Kids Pinterest Board
Mental Illness Pinterest Board

+ Praise for P.D. Workman

“Every single one of [P.D. Workman’s] books has spoken to me in ways no one or almost anything else has. And I have found strength in the books I’ve read.”

“The way that P.D. Workman writes just flows amazingly and allows the reader to get really invested in a book.”

“This is one author I certainly will be looking out for, I can’t recommend her enough.”

+ Ronnie on my Blog
Ronnie, Between the Cracks #5

Excerpt from Hounded

2015 in Review

About P. D. Workman

Award-winning author P.D. Workman writes riveting young adult/suspense fiction about mental illness, addiction, and abuse. P.D. Workman is a devout wife and a mother of one, born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She loves to read and is a technology geek with a love for all kinds of gadgets and tools. For as long as she can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure, leading her to write her first complete novel at the age of twelve.

Advent Calendar of Books

Books for Christmas!








1


2


3




4


5


6


7


8


9


10




11


12


13


14


15


16


17




18


19


20


21


22


23


24

There are all kinds of advent calendars. I always enjoyed the chocolate-a-day calendars as a kid. I especially liked it when I missed a day and got to have two the next day!

Here is an advent calendar for grown ups! Every day, I will be featuring a free or $0.99 book (sometimes two!) across all genres for your reading pleasure. Right now, I am wrapping them all up for you. Stop by every day and see what I’ve got for you!

And don’t forget I have three books which are divided into twenty-four readings for your Advent reading pleasure. Read these Dickens Classics on your own or with your family as Christmas approaches.[image error]

A Christmas Carol

The Life of Our Lord

Dickens Advent Reader (which includes both of the above in one package.)

Each day from December 1 until Christmas Eve, click on the date above to get your new deal!

[image error]

Excerpt from The Dead in their Vaulted Arches

If you’re in the US, you’ve had Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, and hopefully you’ve picked up some great deals. But did you know today is Giving Tuesday? It’s time to give back. Send something along to your favourite charity today. A lot of them will have matching donation sponsors or other promotions to help make your donation dollar go further. A couple of the causes that are close to my heart are The Boys and Girls Club, especially the Avenue 15 shelter, and Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation (which I do work for).

And of course it’s Teaser Tuesday every week. Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.

Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series is new to me, and I’m glad I picked this one up. The Dead in their Vaulted Arches is apparently #6 in the series, though Amazon doesn’t tell you the volume number, so you have to go to another site to find out! I am enjoying reading about this precocious little poisoner—er, amateur detective—and her family, friends, and enemies. Flavia is in the sad circumstance of trying to solve her long-lost mother’s murder, but she seems to be up to the task.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the thing.

It was a coffin which, once clear of the shadows of the luggage van, gleamed cruelly in the harsh sunlight.

In it was Harriet. Harriet.

My mother.

Alan Bradley, The Dead in their Vaulted Arches

[image error]

Bishop’s Lacey is never short of two things: mysteries to solve and pre-adolescent detectives to solve them. In this New York Times bestselling series of cozy mysteries, young chemist and aspiring detective Flavia de Luce once again brings her knowledge of poisons and her indefatigable spirit to solve the most dastardly crimes the English countryside has to offer, and in the process, she comes closer than ever to solving her life’s greatest mystery–her mother’s disappearance. . .

Cyber Monday Deal

[image error]It’s Cyber Monday, and I have put Mito, the first book in the Medical Kidnap Files on for $0.99 on Kindle for today only!

Gabriel has dealt with mysterious medical issues his whole life. Just when he finally thought that they had all of the answers and he was on the road to good health, he is apprehended by DFS on the grounds of medical neglect.

At first, he thought that he would be back home in a few days, once the misunderstanding was cleared up. But when Renata tells Gabriel her crazy conspiracy theories, Gabriel feels the first pangs of doubt. Is there really a conspiracy? Will he ever be able to get well and go back to his mother, or is he doomed to be another guinea pig for Doctor De Klerk?

[image error]
Looking for some more books to add to your Kindle device or app?

Legacy, by Jesikah Sundin

$0.99

A sensible young nobleman and his fiery sister live in an experimental medieval village. Sealed inside this biodome since infancy, Leaf and Willow have been groomed by The Code to build a sustainable world, one devoid of Outsider interference. One that believes death will give way to life.

Their walled garden is predictable and peaceful–until the unthinkable happens.

House of Secrets, by Alexandria Clarke

$0.99

Mystery masterminds Alexandria Clarke, author of “The Haunting of Winchester Mansion”, and Roger Hayden, author of “The Haunting of Bechdel Mansion”, which have collectively accumulated 250+ five-star reviews come together in this SUPER BOX SET for the first time! That’s TWO complete book SERIES comprised of SIX NOVELS.

The 12 Slays of Christmas, by Abby L. Vandiver

$0.99

A 12-book, Christmas-themed, boxed set with Recipes!

We’ve got twelve new, never-before published, Christmas-themed cozy mysteries in a boxed set from twelve cozy authors! Holiday murder and mischief abound, but not to worry we’ve got our share of amateur sleuths!

And to make everyone’s holidays bright and merry, the authors of The 12 Slays of Christmas, in addition to sharing our Christmas whodunit stories with our readers, are donating the proceeds from our boxed set to an animal rescue shelter. C’mon! Buy a book, rescue a dog! (or cat!)

2018 Gluten Free Buyers Guide, Josh Schieffer

Free

The 2018 Gluten-Free Buyers Guide highlights only the best in gluten-free utilizing The Annual Gluten Free Awards. This year, we had 83,310 individual responses from 3,102 people within the gluten-free community. The guide gives you the opportunity to have all of the results right in an easy to carry book that fits in your purse. This years’ guide now highlights 60 gluten free categories. We believe in quality not quantity. You will not need to navigate through 40,000 gluten-free products in our gluten free shopping guide; our process gives you only the very best. Finally, the gluten free experimentation is over!

This Body Won’t Break, by Lea McKee

$0.99

Joanna was never meant to leave. She is part of the August Harvest, slated to die before the month’s end. With a rogue soldier’s promise to find her a way out, Joanna dares to hope. But if the NTA finds out what she knows, it won’t only be her own life at stake, but the life of the handsome soldier who has vowed to set her free.

Searchlight, by Dayo Benson

Free

For as long as Crystal remembers, she has wanted to be a singer.

For as long as she remembers, her parents have feared the SOT, a celebrity cult that will make you famous, but destroy you in the process.

When Luke, leader of the SOT, sets his sights on Crystal will she have the courage to stand her ground, or will she give in?

Eve of the Pharaoh, by R.M. Schultz

$0.99

Young Gavin Caywood’s afflicted life has never involved deciphering illusions concealed in shadow and light, unearthing the dead, or exhuming sunken tombs in crocodile-infested waters. Yet Gavin often dreams of what could have been—if only a consuming disease didn’t restrict his aspirations. Instead, fear caused him to pursue what others deemed appropriate, and he committed an unforgivable mistake. But after receiving a letter from his deceased father, Gavin needs to escape.

Everyone Keeps Secrets, by Katherine Greyson

Free

Five years ago, one of the most horrific crimes imaginable occurred at the estate of the Crawford family. In the aftermath, the two youngest boys were kidnapped. But who kidnapped the young boys? And why?

It’s now five years later and Simplicity Kendall—a girl whose life is anything but simple—is headed to a seemingly ordinary day of high school—that is until fate intervenes and tosses her into one harrowing adventure with the alluring new boy in town. Unable to resist a good mystery, she’s drawn to the handsome, but troubled young man. However, when one turns over a rock, one never knows what they’ll find—a buried treasure or a poisonous snake. Desperate to protect his family, he’s willing to risk life and limb to keep his riddled past a secret. The closer she gets to the truth, the more her and her family are in danger.

The Amish Heart, by Katie Fisher

$0.99

ighteen-year-old Ruth Kepthart isn’t looking forward to her Rumspringa at all. All she wants to do is join the Amish faith in full, be baptized, and marry. And deep down inside, she already knows which man would be right for her. Her parents, however, want her to experience more of life.

But Ruth hadn’t anticipated that a murder would shatter the peace in their Amish community. When a woman is found dead, Ruth decides that she will have a Rumspringa after all–and it will be solving the murder.

We Thought We Were Invincible, by Michelle Lynn

Free

California “Callie” McCoy feels most alive when her feet are planted firmly on her surfboard. And one day, she dreams of riding that wave out of her small town.

Her plan is simple: graduate high school. With Callie’s best friend away in college, she plans to spend her senior year skating by. Callie is not looking for friends, and especially not for love – all she needs are her waves and her twin brother. Even if he comes with an annoying best friend, Jamie Daniels, who she can’t stand.

Each Little Lie, by Tom Bale

$0.99

When single mother Jen Cornish sees her neighbour’s keys on the footpath outside her home, she has no idea the simple good deed of returning them will end in her fighting for her life – and that of her son, Charlie.

Soon, Jen is arrested for a crime committed in her neighbour’s house, and the police have damning evidence. Jen wonders, is she losing her mind, or is she being framed?

Chaos, by Judith Lucci

$0.99

It’s Mardi Gras season in post-Katrina New Orleans. Thousands of tourists have flocked to the city, paralyzed traffic and jammed the French Quarter with drunken crowds and garbage. City officials expect record crowds and the biggest boost to the Crescent City economy since the big storm. Alexandra Lee Destephano, legal counsel for Crescent City Medical Center, is anticipating her third Mardi Gras season and her date with dashing art historian Mitch Landry to the biggest Mardi Gras Ball in New Orleans. Things change. Alex is stat-paged to the hospital and learns from her boss and former husband, Dr. Robert Bonnet, that the wife of the Governor of Louisiana has been found unconscious and covered in blood in her hospital room.

The Murder Files, by Terry Keys

Free

8 powerful, bone-chilling, speed-of-light thrillers that will leave you begging for more.

The award-winning and best-selling authors in this collection turn up the heat – it’s pedal to the metal break-neck action from start to finish!

The short story is back with a vengeance! Murder, mystery, suspense, chills, thrills and kills this collection has it all!

Catastrophic, by Dustin Stevens

$0.99

College phenom running back Tyler Bentley is the ultimate success story. The son of a single mother from a wayward stretch of highway in Western Wyoming, he heads to Midwestern football powerhouse Ohio Tech and becomes a star, MVP of the Centennial Bowl, runner-up to the Heisman Trophy.

He is also the ultimate fall from grace story when a freak play occurs, leaving his knee shattered.

The Missing, by James Hunt

$0.99

Best-selling Mystery/Thriller author James Hunt brings you a collection of his highest rated mysteries! These stories have accumulated over 500 five-star reviews and have been boxed together for the first time! That’s FOUR BOOK SERIES totaling TWELVE NOVELS!

Flatline, by Cassia Brightmore

$0.99

Within the walls of the prestigious Lincoln Hospital in New York City, a hunter awaits. A man with a thirst for blood and an appetite for vengeance. Dr. Cian O’Reilly, the city’s most respected cardiovascular surgeon, is living a double life, one bathed in torture and mayhem as he delivers final justice to the city’s most heinous criminals.

When a new influx of physicians joins the rotation, the struggle for anonymity intensifies as a nosy reporter inches closer to the truth about Cian’s true identity. In a dangerous game of kill or be killed, no one is safe and everyone is a potential victim.

N24 Awareness Day

[image error]Unless you or a close friend is afflicted with Non-24-hour sleep–wake disorder (N24), you have probably never heard of this circadian rhythm disorder, which can be debilitating to those who suffer from it.

Most of those with N24 are blind, so their brains do not get the visual cues of the 24-hour day (ie. the sun). As many of half of those who have no light perception may have N24. However, there are cases of sighted people having N24. Sometimes they have sustained a brain injury, or they may have autism or another neurodivergence. The causes are not know.

A person trying to function with N24 may appear to be narcoleptic, a night owl, or just plain lazy, but they are not. The brain of a person with N24 is entrained to a different circadian rhythm than 24 hours. They are usually on a cycle that is 25 hours or longer, though cases where it is shorter than 24 hours do sometimes occur. Since this means that the person’s natural sleep phase occurs one hour later with each calendar day, their sleep phase advances around the clock, with them sometimes sleeping during the day, and sometimes during the night. Working a conventional job is difficult or impossible, and advice like “go to sleep fifteen minutes earlier each night until you’re going to bed at a reasonable hour” end up causing more problems.

While there are some treatments available that may help with N24, there is no cure.

[image error]Why would I write about something like N24 on a blog about reading and writing? I do have a tie-in! Matt, the protagonist in my book In the Tick of Time suffers from N24 following a head injury (sorry, minor spoiler!) I’ve put In the Tick of Time on sale for $0.99 for one day on Kindle and Kobo to help raise awareness for N24. Grab it today, because after that, it goes back up!

[image error]

Since it is Black Friday, here are a few more deals to check out!

And don’t forget yesterday’s Thanksgiving deals and check back in on Cyber Monday for a few more!

The Missing Ones, by Patricia Gibney

When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?

And Then She Was Gone, by Christopher Greyson

Stacy Shaw has her whole life ahead of her. New job, new house and now a baby on the way–everything she’s ever hoped for is finally coming true. But on a warm summer night on the way home from work, she vanishes. The police race to find her, but the clues don’t add up. Conflicting facts emerge as her story twists and turns, sending the trail spiraling in all directions.

The Sound of Rain, by Gregg Olsen

Former homicide detective Nicole Foster has hit rock bottom. Driven off the force by her treacherous partner and lover, she’s flat broke and struggling with a gambling addiction. All Nicole has left is the dream of a warm bed at a homeless shelter and the haunting memories of three-year-old Kelsey Chase—whose murder case ended her career.

What She Knew, by James Hunt

Mystery mastermind James Hunt, author of “Stolen” and “Death Notes”, which have collectively accumulated 200+ five-star reviews come together in this SUPER BOX SET for the first time! That’s TWO complete book SERIES comprised of SIX NOVELS at a discounted price!

The Last Safe Place, by Ninie Hammon

Yesheb’s delusional voices whisper in his ear that he is the Beast of Babylon from Gabriella Carmichael’s novel about demons. So he turns up at a book-signing and then stalks her, determined to make her his bride—and to slaughter her son as a human sacrifice, a blood offering to seal their union.

 

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday Deals

[image error]

Allergen-Free Assignation, the latest book in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series is free for Thanksgiving through Black Friday and Cyber Monday!

I have other deals coming up Black Friday and Cyber Monday, so come back and see them!

Erin Price, gluten-free baker turned sleuth, is happy to be dabbling in a murder that this time is too old and too cold for her to be considered a suspect. As Erin begins to unearth the buried secrets of Bald Eagle Falls, she is forced to confront her own family’s dark history, a history which she knows little about. But there are others in the small town who are interested in the Price family; people who are determined to end her investigation at any cost. 

Can Erin figure out who is behind the threats before more than her family secrets end up dead and buried?

[image error]




Here are some other Thanksgiving Weekend deals for you!

Here is a feast of Thanksgiving cozies and limited time sales for your entertainment. Pick up a few for your long weekend reading.

Turkey, Pies and Alibis, by Wendy Meadows

Brenda Sheffield wishes her father would respond to her invitations to visit Sheffield Bed and Breakfast. So far only silence answers her calls and letters. Saddened that her once loving father chooses to widen the gap in their relationship is the only thing missing from Brenda’s happiness. Above all, she hopes he will accept the invitation to her wedding that is coming up in less than a month. Tim Sheffield cannot understand why his only daughter wishes to marry someone who has the lowly career as Detective of a small Police Force in a town like Sweetfern Harbor.

The Journey of Joseph Winter, by John Anthony

$0.99 through to Monday

Joseph Winter is a good and gentle man, but he carries with him the pain and regret of a childhood mistake.

When a package mysteriously arrives on his doorstep, he is invited on a path to redemption.

High Seas Homicide, by Danielle Collins

Lucy Hannaford spent her career catching criminals. When she retired, she assumed murders were a thing of the past. When her first post retirement vacation turns deadly, she’s forced to take over a murder investigation. Can Lucy trade her retirement in for sleuthing? Does she even want to?

The Secret Notebook of Sherlock Holmes, by Liz Hedgecock

$0.99 through to Monday, US and UK stores only

The discovery of a maroon leather notebook hidden in the great detective’s sock drawer caused a sensation. Now readers can join Holmes and Watson on a romp through 19th-century London, in 29 new and remarkable early cases. Can Holmes and Watson solve the mystery of Mornington Crescent? Why are all the policemen whispering at Scotland Yard? Is the world prepared for the case of the Giant Rat of Sumatra? Read The Secret Notebook of Sherlock Holmes to find out…

A Fowl Feast, by Lyndsey Cole

With the arrival of a mysterious stranger in Hooks Harbor, the past crashes right on top of Hannah’s apple raspberry pie. To make matters worse, an old crime rears its ugly head and the race to locate a stash of stolen money only whips up a bowlful of questions.

Blood in Iron, by J.N. Colon

$0.99 through to Monday

Kory has never been afraid to walk down a dark street at night for two reasons. One, she can see the bad guys skulking in the shadows, hear their footsteps as they approach, feel their presence closing in. And two, on any given day or night she’s more dangerous than them. Or so she thought.

Thanksgiving Waffle Murder, by Carolyn Q. Hunter

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching in Haunted Falls, Colorado, and diner owner, Sonja Reed, is busy getting her new cottage ready for the big event. This year she is playing host to a large crew of hungry people–including her boyfriend Frank’s parents, and is excited to host everyone in her very own home.

Innocent in Las Vegas, by A.R. Winters

Cupcake-loving croupier Tiffany Black is determined to leave her job at the casino for good. She’s one small step away from acquiring her Private Investigator license, and has her eye on the prize.

Accepting her first real case – investigating the murder of casino-mogul Ethan Becker – should be exciting. Instead, things spiral out of control and Tiffany finds herself in over her head, as she confronts secretive suspects, corrupt casino henchmen and a bodyguard with a mysterious past.

Maddie’s Thanksgiving Mystery, by Emily Page

Madeline and her Granddaughter Bailey decide to visit the former’s sister-in-law Carol for the Thanksgiving holiday. A tradition Madeline has continued to honor despite her brothers passing years ago. The trio plan to sit down for dinner with a neighbor named Mina, who is expected to join them. Dinner times comes, and the trio becomes anxious as Mina never calls or shows. They send Bailey over to check on her and the news isn’t good. Mina is dead!

Fated, by T.L. McDonald

$0.99 through to Monday

‘The ground at my feet crumbles, each piece falling away into nothing. I struggle searching for any kind of traction. There’s none. His hand tightens around my throat. Without warning he lets go and I fall into darkness with the sound of his laughter echoing all around me.’

Hanna Harper would give anything for her life to go back to being simple and ordinary, but the truth is, things are only getting more complicated–and absolutely terrifying.

The Turkey Wore Satin, by J.J. Brass

Thanksgiving at Mayfair Manor is an elegant affair: polished silver, sparkling crystal, not to mention the Amazing Annual Mayfair Family Drag Show! But when the perennial winner drops dead before the performance, can the newest member of the Mayfair family prove it was murder… and figure out whodunit?

Cozy Mysteries Collection, by Hope Callaghan

Grab this 6 Book Cozy Mysteries Collection from Hope Callaghan’s most popular series. Enjoy hours of entertainment with over 1,080 pages of clean cozy mysteries. Each book has a home or a holiday theme.

Turkey Day Murder, by Leslie Meier

Tinker’s Cove has a long history of Thanksgiving festivities, from visits with TomTom Turkey to the annual Warriors high school football game and Lucy Stone’s impressive pumpkin pie. But this year, someone has added murder to the menu, and Lucy intends to discover who left Metinnicut Indian activist Curt Nolan deader than the proverbial Thanksgiving turkey–with an ancient war club next to his head.

David’s Summer, by Lee Gabel

$2.99 through to Monday

A photographer with an eye for life, Deanna has lived through her lens her entire professional career. Together with her workaholic husband Max and her baseball-loving teenage son Alex, they’ve carved out a normal, yet somewhat dysfunctional life for themselves in a suburb of Seattle.

An unexpected pregnancy changes everything. Her newborn son David is diagnosed with cancer. Deanna’s life quickly focuses on her frantic need for a cure. Max, however, has other ideas.

A Catered Thanksgiving, by Isis Crawford

Whipping up Thanksgiving dinner can be stressful for anyone, but that goes double for the Field family. Everything has to be perfect, or they risk getting cut out of dominating patriarch Monty’s lucrative will. That’s where sisters Bernie and Libby’s catering company, A Little Taste of Heaven, comes in. Surely with their lumpless mashed potatoes and to-die-for gravy, even the super-dysfunctional Fields can get along for one meal. But no one can dress up disaster when the turkey goes boom right in Monty’s scowling face, sending him to that great dining room in the sky.

Spells and Jinglebells, Anthology

Ring in the holiday season with a little sprinkle of magic and mystery. Meet new friends and reunite with old ones as fifteen of your favorite paranormal mystery authors spread some holiday cheer in this anthology collection of never before published short stories and novellas.

[image error]

 

Excerpt from Gathering Blue

Allergen-Free Assignation was released last Friday. And don’t forget about Dog-Free Dinner, the holiday short in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series.

This weekend is Thanksgiving in the USA, and I will have a stack of promos for you for Black Friday. Come back and see them!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.

I picked up the second book in Lois Lowry’s Giver Quartet, Gathering Blue. Lowry has a way with words and I am quite enjoying the story. I love her characters and the way she describes the communities they live in. It’s easy to fall in love with Kira and young Matt.

“Maybe it is something that artists have,” she said, liking the sound of the word she had just learned. “A special kind of magic knowledge.”

Lois Lowry, Gathering Blue

[image error]

Lois Lowry once again creates a mysterious but plausible future world. It is a society ruled by savagery and deceit that shuns and discards the weak. Left orphaned and physically flawed, young Kira faces a frightening, uncertain future. Blessed with an almost magical talent that keeps her alive, she struggles with ever broadening responsibilities in her quest for truth, discovering things that will change her life forever.

Release of Allergen-Free Assignation and others!

Allergen-Free Assignation

[image error]Book Three of Auntie Clem’s Bakery, Allergen-Free Assignation is available today!

Erin Price, gluten-free baker turned sleuth, is happy to be dabbling in a murder that this time is too old and too cold for her to be considered a suspect. As Erin begins to unearth the buried secrets of Bald Eagle Falls, she is forced to confront her own family’s dark history, a history which she knows little about. But there are others in the small town who are interested in the Price family; people who are determined to end her investigation at any cost. 

Can Erin figure out who is behind the threats before more than her family secrets end up dead and buried?

  [image error] Other new releases

Lots of other good stuff being released lately! Be sure to check out some of these goodies as well!

Eaves of Destruction, by Kate Carlisle

At the annual Victorian Home and Garden Tour, Lighthouse Cove, California’s premier contractor, Shannon Hammer, realizes that the competition is about to turn deadly….

 

Shannon is in high demand among rival homeowners, who will do anything to win Best in Show. One-upmanship and even espionage break out among neighbors, construction crews, decorators, and landscapers. Thanks to several new hires, Shannon is sure she can handle the extra load—until murder throws a wrench in the works.

Gravitate, by Cory Reynolds

16-year-old Celeste’s life was literally thrown upside down when she found herself crawling across her attic ceiling. Even worse, her high school crush Gregory saw it happen, and now he thinks she’s a freak.

And he’s not the only one keeping too-close an eye on her; some tattoo-faced weirdo has been following her around. As Gregory helps her unlock her powers, she discovers he’s keeping a supernatural secret of his own. But before she can learn the truth, an attack sends them fleeing for their lives.

A Late Frost, by Sheila Connolly

The usually quiet town of Granford, Massachusetts, is even drowsier during the colder months. But this year it’s in for a jolt when Monica Whitman moves into town. She’s a dynamo who wants to make friends fast in her new home, and she throws herself into community activities. Meg Corey, now Chapin after her marriage to Seth Chapin, is intrigued by the new arrival, who has already sold the town board on a new, fun way to bring in visitors during the off-season: WinterFare, which will feature local foods (such as Meg’s apples) and crafts, as well as entertainment. 

Tragically, Monica falls ill and dies after the event in what looks like a case of food poisoning. When all the food served at WinterFare has been tested, including Meg’s apples, it becomes clear that there’s a more sinister explanation to the older woman’s sudden demise. 

Blood Promise, by Debra Kristi

The angel of harmony is about to become a warrior of destruction.

It’s been sixty-seven years since a spell gone wrong devastated the planet. All that is left of humanity exists in the demon-ruled, sinking ruins of what was once New York and New Jersey― home to fallen angel Charmeine.

Now, by the grace of God, she has been given the chance to save the world and her angelic standing. All she needs do is work with a deplorable witch and condemn her fallen brother, the demon lord, to eternal imprisonment.

Pumpkin Smoothie Murder, by Anna Lakewood

The town of Mineral Springs, Colorado is on the eve of its annual Pumpkin Run when a dead body is found on a favored jogging trail. Hearing rumors that the victim was abducted and killed by aliens, Autumn Wood and her sister Skye set out to investigate. But with a vandal sneaking around after dark and local alien enthusiasts rallying in the streets, Autumn’s investigation leads her on a wild goose chase – one that paints a target on her back. Autumn must find the killer before another victim winds up dead. And in this case, the victim could be her.

The Witch Who Hated Halloween, by Katie Penryn

This is Penzi’s worst Halloween ever.

She’s always hated Halloween, and this one is the pits.

She’s tempting fate. Fate in the shape of her old foe who launches a new attack on our favorite white witch. This time it’s a fight to the death.

Will her bodyguard, the shape shifting leopard Felix, be there to lend tooth and claw as the natural and supernatural worlds collide on this most spooky night of the year?

Utopian Uprising, by Brian G. Craft

It was meant to be their savior… Orion was only a boy when it took control of his mind the first time. Telekinetic technology borrowed 99 human minds and accelerated a supercomputer to near infinite power. Handed to Societal Services, Hivemind took control of their dying metropolis and delivered it to the verge of utopia.

But not all is right in this new clockwork city. Ascended to chair #1 in Hivemind, Orion senses a change; their free will is disappearing. Someone is trying to steal it.

Thread the Halls, by Lea Wait

This Yuletide season, there’s no time for Angie Curtis and Patrick West to linger under the mistletoe. Patrick’s being needled by his mother—movie star Skye West—to set the stage for a perfect white Christmas as she brings her costar, screenwriters, and director home for the holidays. With his mother’s long list of wishes, Patrick’s becoming unraveled. To help, the Mainely Needlepointers offer to decorate Skye’s Victorian mansion and create needlepoint pillows as gifts for the guests.

 

But not long after the celebrity celebrants invade Haven Harbor, an unscripted tragedy occurs. Then some questionable Christmas cookies make Patrick sick. Before Santa arrives at the town pier on a lobster boat, Angie and the Needlepointers need to trim down the naughty list, catch a cold-hearted killer, and wrap up the case . . .

The One, by Janice Croom

“The One” is the third Holiday With Love Romance, stand alone stories where a couple finds love on holiday whether an actual holiday like Christmas or Valentines Day, being on holiday in the European sense, or both. You’ll be immersed in the characters’ world as they find true love and a happily ever after you could see lasting forever. With heroes ranging from businessmen to aliens, they all have one thing in common. They never expected to find true love until it happened to them. If you like a good old fashioned romance where the characters fall in love, not lust, why not take a holiday with love?

Hemlocked and Loaded, by Annabel Chase

Emma Hart has a lot on her paranormal plate–a wedding to plan, a trespasser to defend, and a longstanding curse to break. When a pixie dies under mysterious circumstances, her endless list of Things To Do grows even longer. Will she manage to uncover the truth behind the pixie’s death before she becomes the next victim?

Of Cats and Sea Monsters, by Wren Cavanagh

Jericho, the clinic cat for the town’s only vet had hoped to spend the summer relaxing after breaking up a dog fighting ring in the spring.

But the idilyc coastal town of Urchin Cove has new surprises in store for the powerful black cat

Honeycomb: Revelations (Short), by Wren Cavanagh

On the arid and forsaken exoplanet Honeycomb, where the lands are baked by a harsh sun and scored by cruel winds there’s little life apparent. The perfect, out of sight and out of mind spot, for the exiled convicts that dig into its skin. It’s home to a debtor colony, whose prisoners mine the depths of its stony grounds to pay off their debts until their sentences are over and they are allowed back home.

But people have been disappearing and the body count has been creeping upward.

Death at the Dog Wedding, by Stacy Alabaster

Georgina’s dog Jasper is finally tying the knot with his doggie girlfriend. When the bride-to-be bolts, things go from bad to worse. After a wedding guest is found shot to death, Georgina is thrown into another murder mystery. Can she help Jasper get over the heartbreak of being left at the doggie altar and catch a murderer at the same time?

When Time Runs Out, by V. L. McBeath

Victorian Era England: Harriet won’t stand by while her family’s inheritance slips through their fingers. Her uncle worked hard to build a stable business before he passed it to her husband William. But when her stepfather-in-law, Mr. Wetherby, presumes ownership of the company, Harriet fights to stand her ground…

William longs for a quiet life, but with a growing family and Harriet’s determination to succeed, he stretches himself beyond his means. When Mr. Wetherby refuses to help, only the intervention of William’s mother Mary keeps their dream of a better future in reach…

Murder After Midnight, by Dianne Harman

That’s the situation DeeDee found herself in after the very successful New Year’s Eve party she catered for Dana Donnelly, the popular hostess of the Seattle television entertainment show, New Day NW. The successful party quickly became a distant memory when Dana was found murdered near her pool house. It didn’t help that the murderer was certain they’d been spotted by DeeDee, and she could identify the killer.

The Deep Blue Crush, by Clint Hollingsworth

From fire to water, tracker Mac Crow and his bounty hunting friends are searching for a swindler who specializes in stealing seniors’ retirement savings. The search leads to the beautiful Hawaiian islands–but it’s anything but a vacation. Before they are done, they’ll wish they had bought the travel insurance. Thriller action adventure.

Murder at the Playgroup, by Liz Hedgecock

Pippa Parker never wanted to move to the chocolate-box village of Much Gadding in the first place. When she meets the locals, she’s absolutely sure. There’s just one problem; she’s 8 months pregnant.

The village is turned upside down when Barbara Hamilton, pillar of the community, is found dead at Gadding Goslings playgroup. No one could have murdered her except the people who were there. The police suspect all of them, including Pippa herself…

The Great Keeper (Boxset), by Adelaide Walsh

When the resourceful Armand Reeves and beautiful Adele decided to overthrow a corrupt government, they didn’t keep in mind that Nature doesn’t like emptiness…

A much greater peril has come to France, and the pair has to learn to use their powers and find allies – in order to save the humanity.

Ravioli Soup Murder, by Patti Benning

Moira Darling is enjoying some well-earned downtime after a hectic Halloween. With spare time on her hands for the first time in quite a while, Moira is more than happy to help a friend’s relative find a place to stay in town. She doesn’t expect her act of goodwill to thrust her into the spotlight as a murder suspect.

While Moira fights to prove her innocence, she discovers something about a family member that will change her life forever. With a twenty year old secret out of the box and the police on the hunt for a killer, the desperate deli owner is frantic to make things right…before it’s too late.

Drafted, A War of the Worlds Retelling, by Holly Hook

Five hundred years in the future, the Earth is dying, overrun with pollution that the Great Council refuses to stop. 16-year-old Tess is a proud Earther who wants to save the planet, but the government says that shipping all humans to Mars must happen for humankind to survive. Tess fears the day she gets drafted because no one ever hears back from the Red Planet.

What Four, by Margaret Lashley

All Val wants is a quiet holiday away from her oddball family. But that just ain’t gonna happen.

After a close brush with a crazy cousin in St. Pete, Val and her boyfriend Tom arrive at her mom’s house in Hicksville to find the annual Family Fruitcake Frenzy competition is already well underway. And there’s more than a few fruits and nuts in the running….

Generation Why, by Susan Bohnet

Humorous stories of the ups and downs of life with young children. They seem to find their way into an amazing amount of trouble without trying. Of course, they wouldn’t try. They are sweet kids. A parent’s greatest skill is the ability to see what’s happening in the moment and figuratively step back and say, “Someday, this will be funny.”

Witching Ain’t Easy, by Samantha Silver

When Artemis Mani, owner of the bed and breakfast in Moonlight Cove goes out to get the paper one morning, the last thing she expects to find is a dead teenager in her yard.

And to make matters worse, it turns out Arti’s own mother had a fight with the victim just a few hours before he was killed. Worried that her mom is going to get herself arrested, Arti decides she needs to find the real killer, before it’s too late.