P.D. Workman's Blog, page 105

Another Excerpt from The Hero of Ages

I told you I would have a Halloween short story for you in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series, and it is now live. Get your copy of Witch-Free Halloween here. While you’re at it, you can check out my Halloween round-up for some other treats.

I realized today that I haven’t written much about what I have been writing lately. But rest assured, I haven’t given up on it! On Saturday, I finished the first draft of Vanishing Teardrops, which is the fourth book in the Tattooed Teardrops series. Tattooed Teardrops was originally written as a stand alone, but I have had so many requests for a sequel that I eventually took a run at it… which led to book three… and book four… I am expecting to release book two, Two Teardrops, in March 2018.

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

This doesn’t usually happen—I am still reading the book I was reading last Tuesday (Brandon Sanderson’s The Hero of Ages). I had just started it last Monday, and am just finishing it today, and it is epic fantasy! So, you get a second teaser from the same book.

I have been interested in the themes of faith and of opposition in all things, such as between ruin and preservation. So I picked a quote on faith.

“It sounds to me, young one,” Haddek said, “that you are searching for something that cannot be found.”

“The truth?” Sazed said.

“No,” Haddek replied. “A religion that requires no faith of its believers.”

Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages

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Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness–the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists–is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

Exclusive offer for Witch-Free Halloween and other Ghoulish stories

Witch-Free Halloween

[image error]Today marks the first time that I am offering a short story for one of my serieses. Witch-Free Halloween is a holiday short in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series, bringing you Erin’s and Vic’s first Halloween in Bald Eagle Falls.

With so many other secrets in Bald Eagle Falls, what is one more?

This $0.99 holiday short story is only available through my website, and is available in mobi (Kindle), ePub (iBooks, Nook, Kobo,) and pdf format.

$0.99 short story











Buy Kindle or ebook version via PayPal

Erin Price, gluten-free baker turned sleuth and her assistant and best friend, Vic are looking forward to their first Halloween in Bald Eagle Falls. But circumstances combine against them, and they face a problem that could mean the end to Auntie Clem’s Bakery. 

Halloween Round-up

I have dug deep into the treat bag to come up with these tricksy stories for you!

Talitha: A Haunting, by Rachael Rawlings

Clare is a determined woman ready to launch into her new life. She just needs a little money to do it. When she goes to a historical home under renovation to help with the massive cleaning job, she is anxious to do her task and do it well. However, the house, Talitha, has other plans.

Trick or Treat and Murder, by Katie Bell

It’s Halloween in Sandy Harbor, Maine, and time for Tricks and Treats of the deadly kind. Blogger and foodie Allie McSwain finds the body of Sandy Harbor’s event coordinator at the Halloween bazaar and sets out to find the murderer. Romance is blossoming between Allie and detective Alec Blanchard, who is determined to keep her out of harm’s way, but Allie has other ideas.

Dearly Departed, by Rachel Rawlings

Dorothy, or Dot to her friends, is the slightly eccentric daughter of the town’s funeral director. Her art is the only medium that she can express herself with, but it sets her apart.

Until she meets him.

Disenchanted, by Rhonda Russell

Right witch, wrong sister!

Welcome to Wand-Anon, the last ditch clinic for powerless witches and wizards who are determined to find their magic.

And in Benedict DeWin’s case, desperate. Benedict’s impending arranged-since-birth marriage depends on his ability to prove that he, too, possesses the powerful magic his family is known for. Does Ben want to get married? No. But having been a disappointment to his family, he’s willing to take one for the team…

What Lies Inside, by J.L. Myers

Amelia is sucked into a nightmare and killed at the hungry fangs of a monster…but then she wakes up and everything has changed. Her whole life has been a lie. What she thought she was—human—is nothing but a disguise, one she never even knew she was wearing.

Amelia is a vampire and she always has been.

Halloween Moon, J.R. Rain

“Halloween Moon” – In bestselling author J.R. Rain’s exclusive ebook short story, Samantha Moon is about to confront a monster of the worst kind – a killer who preys on the innocent. A killer who lives just down her street…

Wrath of the Angel, by John R. Monteith

Warriors who take cybernetic control of predatory animals. A wounded soldier-turned alcoholic exorcist. A child who attacks with his mind. As Nate Clark leads his brothers out of a broken childhood, he discovers his supernatural ability to wield eagles, wolves, and leopards as weapons. His journey to establish his self-worth by protecting good people from evil attracts Father Lewis Bannen, who suspects demonic manipulation as the source of Nate’s apparently benevolent powers.

The Girl Who Saved Ghosts, by K.C. Tansley

After a summer spent in a haunted castle—a summer in which she traveled through time to solve a murder mystery—Kat is looking forward to a totally normal senior year at McTernan Academy. Then the ghost of a little girl appears and begs Kat for help, and more unquiet apparitions follow. All of them are terrified by the Dark One, and it soon becomes clear that that this evil force wants Kat dead.

Terrifying Tales, by David Kobb

Turn down the lights. Grab a flashlight, pull the blankets over your head, and prepare for a night of reading the scariest stories around.

Just repeat to yourself, “It’s only make believe.”

And, whatever you do, make sure you keep the closet door closed.

Scream Reads – 11 Multi-Genre Authors with a Variety of Scary Tales

Excerpt from The Hero of Ages

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

Dairy-Free Death is now live at Amazon! There is also a Goodreads Giveaway running for a copy of the paperback edition. Check out the other great reads in my new release round-up post.

Stay turned for a special Halloween short story being released this Friday as part of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series. I should have some other treats to fill your goodie bag too!

I am currently reading Brandon Sanderson’s The Hero of Ages. Yes, this is the third book in the Mistborn trilogy, and I haven’t read the first two books in the series. I just dived right into this world without knowing anything about it, but Sanderson does a good job at filling in the backstory so that the reader has some idea of what’s going on.

Breeze turned to look out the window. “You were always the best of us, Sazed,” he said quietly. “Because you believed in something.”

Brandon Sanderson, The Hero of Ages

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Who is the Hero of Ages?

To end the Final Empire and restore freedom, Vin killed the Lord Ruler. But as a result, the Deepness–the lethal form of the ubiquitous mists–is back, along with increasingly heavy ashfalls and ever more powerful earthquakes. Humanity appears to be doomed.

Having escaped death at the climax of The Well of Ascension only by becoming a Mistborn himself, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to find clues left behind by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to save the world. Vin is consumed with guilt at having been tricked into releasing the mystic force known as Ruin from the Well. Ruin wants to end the world, and its near omniscience and ability to warp reality make stopping it seem impossible. She can’t even discuss it with Elend lest Ruin learn their plans!

Goodreads Giveaway for Dairy-Free Death

[image error]Enter to win a paperback copy of Dairy-Free Death, the second book in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series through Goodreads!

You have until October 20 to enter.

Erin thought that after Angela Plaint’s murder was solved, everything would settle back to normal in Bald Eagle Falls and she could become part of the Norman Rockwell lifestyle. But the peaceful life that she had pictured remains elusive as her family’s past. Then her own past comes knocking on her door.

Between running the bakery and dealing with her interpersonal relationships, Erin doesn’t have a lot of time to spend delving into Auntie Clem’s genealogical records, but her chances at a happy future in Bald Eagle Falls may depend on it.

Starting with Autism Awareness

October is Disabilities Awareness Month. In Canada, it is also Autism Awareness Month. And October 14 is Indie Author Day. With all of these things converging, I decided to highlight a book by an autistic author friend of mine: The ABCs of Autism Acceptance, written while Sparrow Rose Jones.

In discussing the importance of making autism part of our conversation, the author, Maxfield Sparrow, reminded me:

…awareness is a start, not an end goal, and should be followed by understanding, acceptance, and when someone is ready to go there, celebration.

Maxfield Sparrow

Mr. Sparrow is a determined advocate for neurodiverse individuals and other minorities. He is an example to me of someone willing to put himself in the line of fire to fight for the rights and improve the lives of others. This is his second published book, the first was No You Don’t: Essays from an Unstrange Mind. He blogs at Unstrange Mind, where he can also be booked for speaking engagements. You can follow him on Facebook.

I hope you will pick up one of Mr. Sparrow’s books as you are enlarging your awareness of and acceptance and celebration of autism and neurodiversity this month and in months to come.

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In The ABCs of Autism Acceptance, Sparrow takes us through a guided tour of the topics most central to changing the way that autism is perceived, to remove systemic barriers to access that have traditionally been barriers to Autistic participation in some sectors of society. They also take us through the basics of Autistic culture, discussing many of its major features and recent developments with a sense of history and making the current state of the conversation around this form of neurodivergence clear to those who are new to it, whether they are Autistic themselves or a friend/family member looking for resources to help themselves support the Autistic people in their lives more fully.

While it is impossible to capture the full scope and diversity of Autistic communities—and there are many of them out there—this book does serve as an important conversation starter, a primer, and a humble guide to the world. In these 26 short essays, you will find most of the topics most often blogged about by Actually Autistic authors, including footnotes, resources, and references to other writers whose works continue the conversations that start here.

 

Release of Dairy-Free Death cozy mystery and other fabulous reads

Release of Dairy Free Death

[image error]Dairy-Free Death, Book #2 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery Series is out today! And be sure to check back next week for a special Halloween short, Witch-Free Halloween.

Erin thought that after Angela Plaint’s murder was solved, everything would settle back to normal in Bald Eagle Falls and she could become part of the Norman Rockwell lifestyle. But the peaceful life that she had pictured remains elusive as her family’s past. Then her own past comes knocking on her door.

Between running the bakery and dealing with her interpersonal relationships, Erin doesn’t have a lot of time to spend delving into Auntie Clem’s genealogical records, but her chances at a happy future in Bald Eagle Falls may depend on it.

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Other new releases!

You know me, it’s time for a round-up of other new releases as well. Check out these brand-new books for your next read (after Dairy-Free Death, of course!)

Pumpkin Glaze Murder, by Susan Gillard

Heather is excited to board a Halloween cruise with her friends. However, there isn’t much time for partying when a man is stabbed on the dance floor.

Now they’re all trapped on the seas with a murderer, and Heather must figure out who the masked killer really is.

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.”

The Cost of Survival, J.L. Stowers

War consumes the planet, Earth spirals into chaos, and the human race teeters on the edge of extinction. Our only hope is the success of one man, in one valley. Walt Marshall has lost everything, but he’ll do whatever it takes to restore hope to humankind even if it means facing his own dark past and confronting a ruthless dictator.

A Treasure to Die For, by Terry Ambrose

A sunken Spanish galleon brings eight treasure hunters—and murder—to quaint Seaside Cove.

Bandit gold and sunken pirate ships. What could be better for the reputation of a quaint coastal California town like Seaside Cove?

Local eyebrows go up when eight friends come searching for a 16th Century Spanish galleon. After all, everybody knows there’s no such thing as Spanish gold off this part of the California coast.

Don’t Let Go, by Harlan Coben

Suburban New Jersey Detective Napoleon “Nap” Dumas hasn’t been the same since senior year of high school, when his twin brother Leo and Leo’s girlfriend Diana were found dead on the railroad tracks—and Maura, the girl Nap considered the love of his life, broke up with him and disappeared without explanation. For fifteen years, Nap has been searching, both for Maura and for the real reason behind his brother’s death. And now, it looks as though he may finally find what he’s been looking for. 

Devil’s Snare, by Wendy Wang

Psychic Charlie Payne has been busy raising her son, helping the local deputy solve the worst of his cases, and accepting her birthright as a witch. When her cousins suggest combining a girl’s week in the mountains with her induction into their coven, she jumps at the chance for a break.

But her vacation turns into a nightmare when Charlie encounters the spirit of a young woman who is definitely not looking to move into the light. When this ghost sets her sights on Charlie, she won’t stop until she gets what she wants.

Magic & Mischief, by Annabel Chase

When a handful of Starry Hollow residents experience their worst nightmares in real life, witch-in-training Ember Rose must use her budding journalist skills to figure out the who, what, why, when, where and how before it’s too late. With both Sheriff Nash and Alec, her editor-in-chief, affected, the stakes have never been higher.

Will she manage to stop the curse before her own worst nightmare comes true?

Mistress of All Evil, by Serena Valentino

The tale is told as if it’s happening once upon a dream: the lovely maiden meets her handsome prince in the woods. The story has been told many times and in many ways. But always the maiden finds out that she is a princess—a princess who has been cursed by a dark fairy to prick her finger on a spindle and fall into an eternal sleep. Though her three good fairies try to protect her, the princess succumbs to the curse. But the power of good endures, as her true love defeats the fire-breathing dragon and awakens the princess with true love’s first kiss. The two live happily ever after.

And yet this is only half the story. So what of the dark fairy, Maleficent? Why does she curse the innocent princess? What led to her becoming so filled with malice, anger, and hatred?

Hanna Who Fell From the Sky, by Christopher Meades

Hanna has never been outside her secluded community of Clearhaven. She has never questioned why her father has four wives or why she has fourteen brothers and sisters. And in only one week, on her eighteenth birthday, Hanna will follow tradition and become the fifth wife of a man more than twice her age.

But just days before the wedding, Hanna meets an enigmatic stranger who challenges her to question her fate and to follow her own will. And when her mother reveals a secret—one that could grant her the freedom she’s known only in her dreams—Hanna is forced to decide whether she was really meant for something greater than the claustrophobic world of Clearhaven. But can she abandon her beloved younger sister and the only home she’s ever known? Or is there another option—one too fantastical to believe?

The Witch Who Foiled the Plot, by Katie Penryn

With enough to live on for the rest of their lives, they no longer need to work for a living. However, when evil comes knocking at the door again, Penzi once more has to choose whether to take up the fight for good or rest on her laurels.

Her new friends who own vineyards and a distillery in Cognac have fallen foul of the powers of greed and wickedness.

The Shadow File, by A.C. Fuller

Four months ago, Alex Vane lost his friend James Stacy, killed by private security contractors working for the intelligence-industrial complex. Though Alex exposed the killers, most of the system survived, including the amoral torturer known only as Amand. Now, he and others continue to operate a web of security companies worldwide, off the record and accountable to no law.

James’s widow Innerva Shah is taking a different route to her revenge. From within Cuba’s internet desert, she has quietly penetrated the system of contractors that run America’s security. Now she’s launching the largest ransomware attack in history, with the aim of burning that system to the ground.

Parmesan Pizza Murder, by Patti Benning

Eleanora Pacelli is doing her best to keep up with the whirlwind that is her life. Juggling a fiancé, a full-time job, and the looming opening of a second restaurant isn’t easy, and she just has to keep reminding herself that things will calm down – eventually.

The frantic pace of Ellie’s life is brought crashing to a halt when someone she knew personally is found dead in what first looks to be an accident, but swiftly reveals itself to be something more. Ellie, along with the entire Papa Pacelli’s crew, is shocked at the loss of one of their own, and she will rest at nothing to track down the person responsible and make sure they answer for the murder that they committed.

Delinquent, by M.F. Lorson

At 13, Kate Elliot witnesses the abduction of her best friend. With no evidence to support her claim, and parents who want to put the situation behind them, Kate becomes obsessed with proving that the man just a few blocks away is responsible for Chelsea’s disappearance. Two years pass, and though the rest of the neighborhood is content to believe that Chelsea is just another runaway, Kate is unable to move on. Failing in school, failing to connect with her family and somewhat desperate, Kate takes matters into her own hands, breaking into the abductor’s household on multiple fact-finding missions. At first the police are lenient, using Kate’s traumatic backstory to overlook her offenses, but when Kate is caught breaking an entry one too many times her grace period with the San Jose Police Department finally reaches its breaking point.

Murder on Halloween, by Steve Demaree

A retired detective thinks that all he will have to do on Halloween is hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. Everything goes well until all the children in costume come and go, and then the phone calls begin. One of them comes from his former Chief of Police, whom he and his former partner have promised that they will come out of retirement whenever there is a murder in their small town. Not only do they have to go out on a dark night in the pouring down rain, but they have to head out to a remote part of the county, where almost no one lives, to a place where someone has texted and reported that someone has been murdered. All they have to go on is the location of the cell phone. Before he solves the case, he is confronted with several suspects, none of whom seem to have motives or alibis.

Ryan Kaine: On the Rocks, by Kerry J. Donovan

When news of Martin Princeton’s disappearance reaches international fugitive, Ryan Kaine, he abandons the evidence that could help clear his name and heads to the Scottish Highlands. Officially, the authorities want Kaine in custody. Unofficially, there’s a bounty on his head.

Still hampered by injuries from the events that turned him into the most wanted man in Europe, Kaine uses the heavy burden of killing eighty-three people aboard civilian aircraft Flight BE1555 to fuel his new mission. He will protect the grieving families, ‘The 83’, at all costs.

Ropes and Trees and Murder, by Pattie Larsen

Now that the annex is ready to open and her romance with Crew is budding with spring, Fee prepares for the wedding of the year while trying to balance her mother’s continuing self-confidence issues and her own rapidly expanding business. An afternoon of zip lining at a new park seems like a great way to let off some steam–until an activist protesting the park is found murdered. Once again in the middle of a murder investigation, Fee finds working with Crew instead of against him puts her in more danger than ever!

Moira’s Song, by Tawnya Lee

Reeling from the loss of her family, Moira McCauley clings to the only love she has left – her twin sons. Her only dream is to give her boys what she didn’t have. Love. Stability. Acceptance. She’s succeeding until a mysterious stranger destroys her precarious world with one bite, plunging Moira into a realm of ancient gods, witchcraft, and Celtic blood-drinkers.

Faced with a dark secret about her own role in an age-old vampire war, Moira must make a terrifying choice: sacrifice her own children, or usher in the apocalypse.

Murderous Intent and Deadly Desires, by Angela C Blackmoore

Don Buckshire, leader of the Association, lies dead at the feet of the entire town and everyone is a suspect. Now, Abby must help solve the crime before the town tears itself apart but where will she turn? The sheriff is a suspect, the mayor is bitter and angry at almost being unseated, and Senator Clark is continuing to push his diabolical agenda against Abby’s Grandmother.

Total Christmas Makeover, by Melissa Spoelstra

In the bustle of the Christmas season, it can be easy to get swept up in all of the things to do. But it’s important to pause and remember that our priority should be to spend time celebrating Christ’s birth and not forget to invite Jesus to his own party.

Christmas is far more than a celebration of an event from long ago or a modern holiday centered around shopping. Mindfully take time to listen to how God continues to speak through the Christmas story as the Gospel narratives centered around the birth of Jesus are filled with encouragement and revelation concerning the love of God and his wisdom for us today.

Heinous Habits, by Anna Celeste Burke

An intriguing package arrives with a mysterious message from a monk at the Benedictine Monastery perched high above Corsario Cove.

That package and an all-expense paid second honeymoon lure newlyweds Kim & Brien back to the luxurious Sanctuary Resort & Spa. Troubled monks seem to be everywhere–at the resort, the surfer village near the beach, and in the nearby town of San Albinus. “God is not pleased,” cries a hooded figure from a “cavern of forgotten dreams.”

A Skeleton in the Closet, by Bella Layne

Within minutes of arriving to her new house, Olivia meets the town crazy and the police show up to take him away. The day is just getting started though as she then finds a dog wagging its tail at her. As a cat person, this isn’t what she expected to find. There’s now a dog in the new house and guess who has to take care of it?

To top it all off, Olivia is scared half to death by a plastic skeleton hanging in the pantry closet.

In other words – she’s not having a great time in her new town of Whispers Horizon.

Could things get any worse?

Well… the next morning, the skeleton that had been hanging in the closet has been replaced with a body!

Lateral Moves, by Thia Finn

All new Fall Boys Football Book by Amazon Best-selling Author Thia Finn.

Standalone football romance. Sizzling hot story with a different twist. Complete with HEA.

One smooth hit, that’s all it took.

Crime and Nourishment, by Miranda Sweet

It’s not every day you get a chance to open a bookstore, complete with bookmark-eating cats and cantankerous great-aunts.  Especially when your childhood friends agree to provide you with the world’s best pastries from their bakery down the street. Everything goes great until one of the locals turns up dead on the fourth of July, the sound of the gunshots covered by the local fireworks display. But did it have to happen right after Angie delivered a book to his home making her a prime suspect? Angie and every gossip on the island, including her great-aunt and her friends, are on the case.  But trying to discover the truth is going to take more than a simple murder investigation.  Someone’s guilty and the deadly secret might cut closer to home than anyone wants to admit.

Excerpt from The Polygamist’s Daughter

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

Be sure to check out my Canadian Thanksgiving post for some reader gifts! Also, this week I am releasing Dairy-Free Death, sequel to Gluten-Free Murder. It is available on preorder now, if you don’t want to have to remember to come back for it at the end of the week.

Most of the books I mention here are young adult, suspense, or mystery. Ninety-nine percent are fiction. But last week I picked up Anna LeBaron’s memoir, The Polygamist’s Daughter. As a rule, I don’t read memoirs, but this one intrigued me. Annan is not a polished writer, but she has a story to tell, and I enjoyed reading it. The Polygamist’s Daughter is a journey of faith rather than an expose, so don’t pick it up expecting a lot of action.

“Stop crying! You’re seven years old. Crying doesn’t do any good.” She bent over and kissed my cheek. I placed my hand over the spot to hold in her warmth as long as possible.

Anna LeBaron, The Polygamist’s Daughter

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This is the haunting memoir of Anna LeBaron, daughter of the notorious polygamist and murderer Ervil LeBaron. Ervil’s criminal activity kept Anna and her siblings constantly on the run from the FBI. Often starving, the children lived in a perpetual state of fear—and despite their numbers, Anna always felt alone. Would she ever find a place she truly belonged? Would she ever be anything other than the polygamist’s daughter?

Filled with murder, fear, and betrayal, The Polygamist’s Daughter is the harrowing, heart-wrenching story of a fatherless girl and her unwavering search for love, faith, and a place to call home.

Witch-Free Halloween

Witch-Free Halloween
Coming Soon!

by P. D. Workman
Series: Auntie Clem's Bakery
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery
Goodreads

Can Erin and Vic solve the mystery that threatens Auntie Clem's Bakery?

Erin Price, gluten-free baker turned sleuth and her assistant and best friend, Vic are looking forward to their first Halloween in Bald Eagle Falls. But circumstances combine against them, and they face a problem that could mean the end to Auntie Clem’s Bakery. 

This Halloween short, part of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series, is only available through my website. If you are following the series, be sure to pick it up!

 




Coming Soon!

+ Praise for Auntie Clem's Bakery Series

—It was very good! But made me hungry!

—Oh my goodness I loved it! The murder mystery was so awesome… I couldn’t put this book down. Props to you again for another amazing read!

+ Book Club Resources

Gluten-Free Pinterest Board
Disease and Disorder 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.”

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.

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Thanksgiving Giving!

[image error]Today is Canadian Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for my readers!

I know, most of you are in the US, and your Thanksgiving day isn’t for another month and a half yet. But the growing season is shorter in Canada and our harvest is in. We’ve had our first frost and first blizzard of the year (at least in my part of the country) and our thoughts are turned to toasty socks and stretching out with a good book by the fire.

What am I thankful for? I am thankful for you! Without readers, I’m just talking to myself, and while inventing people and plots is a heckuva lot of fun, it’s nice to have someone to share them with, too. I am working hard at getting to the point where I can make a living writing, and that certainly isn’t going to happen without my faithful readers.

So where is this all leading? To reader gifts, of course! We don’t normally exchange gifts at Thanksgiving. We eat mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie and other tasty treats, get a day off of work, and try to do something together as a family. But to show my thanks for you, I got together with some other authors to bring you a cornucopia of new stories.

You can pick up one of these books for free:

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And more

I have cajoled some of my other author friends into offering up freebies as well! Here are some of the deals I have tracked down:

Smashed Nuts, by Andrene Low

Sixteen hundred kilos of German Engineering. Enough alcohol to preserve a dead wallaby. A crazy wife in possession of both. How is Brenda supposed to avoid running into all three?

It’s something she finds out first-hand while navigating the murky waters of dating a married man. But is Hilton really worth risking life and limb over? If he’s the only thing between her, a decent meal, and not living in her car, then that’s gotta be a ‘hell, yes!’.

Autum Sky, by Helen Pryke

The day Julia’s best friend Becky gives her a magazine article to read, her whole world falls apart. After years of emotional and psychological abuse, is Julia ready to face the truth about her perfect marriage to Simon or will she continue to hide her head in the sand? Autumn Sky is a short story of 7,000 words. It includes an excerpt of Walls of Silence, Helen Pryke’s debut novel.

Rise, by Amir Land

Recovering in his parents’ home in Leipzig, Ekkehardt finds an old journal belonging to his late aunt, where she describes bringing her boyfriend back from the dead. Though the last pages are missing, Ekkehardt knows he has to make things right. He doesn’t expect it to work, and he certainly doesn’t expect to wake up battered and bruised with no idea of how he got home.

It turns out Zven isn’t the only spirit he brought home, and they want his blood.

Millionaire Next Door, by Cheryl Phipps

After a disastrous marriage, Sacha Prentiss gave up on love. Being a great interior designer is all she needs. That resolve is seriously tested, when sexy Lucas Marshall moves in next door. Soon everything she thought was important pales in comparison, as he shows her an alternative life. One she’d never imagined.

Lucas fell for his beautiful neighbour after one look. Smart and drop dead gorgeous, Sacha’s built a wall around herself that he’s determined to climb. Although, what starts out as a challenge, turns into something he hadn’t anticipated.

Could it be that he wants her heart and not just her body?

What You Can’t Take Back, by Melinda P. Cordell

To Zanny, being in seventh grade is like having a bit part in Village of the Damned. After mortifying herself for the millionth time, she makes a desperate wish for a defender and friend. She never expects her older self to show up – especially not as a ghost fresh from a car wreck. Seventh grade was bad enough, but now Zanny is frantic to change her future so she doesn’t die young.

To top it off, Zanny’s ghost warns her that in two days, a tornado will rip into a dance hall, killing three classmates: Big Mike, the cousin who is going out with Zanny’s worst enemy; Jake, the boy she has a crush on; and Liza, the one girl who was nice to her during her darkest days of seventh grade. Zanny has to go against her shy, scared nature to sabotage the dance by any means necessary.

Desired, by May Freighter

Maya hates being a demon. So when an opportunity arises to ditch her duties as a High Councillor in the Dome and return to the Human Realm, she takes it.

But what started off as a journey to see her old hunting partner and tell him her true feelings winds up in a battle to save humanity from an Archdemon Tanatos who also slipped through the Demon Gate. Before that demon becomes too strong, she must eliminate him. It may be a suicide mission, and she’ll willingly do it with the only man on her mind—Ben.

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Excerpt from The Eternity Code

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

I’ve got some good things happening here this month, so be sure to check back occasionally. You wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun. With Canadian Thanksgiving, a new release, and Halloween promos, there should be something for everyone.

Here is one of the books I read last week, a light read with fairies, fun, and flatulent dwarves. The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer is a middle-grade adventure in the Artemis Fowl series, guaranteed to keep your young reader (or you) interested. It’s an entertaining read; just see if you can keep up with Artemis and his schemes.

Butler got that sinking feeling. The one you get when there are a dozen laser sights playing across your chest. They had been set up. Somehow Spiro had outmaneuvered Artemis.

Eoin Colfer, The Eternity Code

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Artemis Fowl is going straight-as soon as he pulls off the most brilliant criminal feat of his career… but his plan goes awry, leaving his loyal bodyguard, Butler, mortally injured. Artemis knows his only hope to save Butler lies in fairy magic, so once again he is forced to contact his old rival, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrepcon fairy police. Miraculously, Butler is healed, but there is a catch: he has aged fifteen years.