P.D. Workman's Blog, page 107

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.

Freebies round-up! Gluten-Free Murder and more

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Even when your TBR pile is teetering over and threatening an avalanche, you can always add a few more freebies, can’t you? Well, never fear, I’ve got a whole stack of great stuff for you today. Download a few more freebies this weekend.

At the top of the list, of course, is Gluten-Free Murder. Read the first book in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery cozy mystery series! Dairy-Free Death and Allergen-Free Assignation are both available on pre-order and there are a couple of holiday shorts coming up. If you’re on my email list, you’ll be informed when they come out.

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Gluten-Free Murder, Auntie Clem’s Bakery #1

Erin Price moves to Eagle Falls, a place where everyone knows everyone as well as everyone else’s business, taking over the store left to her by her aunt to start up a gluten-free bakery. The grand opening is marred by just one thing, the death of her business rival, Angela Plaint. It appears that Angela was poisoned by one of Erin’s cupcakes, making her a prime suspect.

Equipped with cupcakes, her desire for the truth, and new bakery assistant Vicky’s help, Erin goes head-to-head against Detective Terry Piper to solve the murder. Rumors of treasure hunting, drug dealing, and a missing boy swirl around Eagle Falls as Erin tries to sort the clues from the red herrings and find the killer before the killer can take care of her.

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Free Sep 29 – Oct 1

And so much more!

The links below are Books2Read links, which will allow you to pick your favourite retailer if they are available in more than one store. Unless otherwise noted, these books are free on Kindle this weekend. They may or may not be free at other stores. You can change your preferred store at any time.

Some of these books may not be free until Saturday. Please double-check before downloading.

At Bay, by John W. Mefford

She had it all. A loving family. A fulfilling career.

And then the accident changed everything. But was there more to it than a simple accident?

Alex needs to rest her brain. But the FBI needs her back, because a killer has struck…the cause of death so bizarre no one can make sense of it.

Alex ascertains that the victims share one common trait — in how they lived, and in how they died.

Charmed Ever After: A Witch Cozy Mystery, by Rose Pressey

Things have changed for Halloween LaVeau now that she’s no longer the leader of the Underworld. Her witchcraft skills are seriously lacking and she’s been kicked out of LaVeau Manor. Plus, now that the groom is missing the wedding plans have come to a screeching halt.

The new leader has big plans for the Underworld, but none of them involve Hallie. Will the bride and groom make it to the altar to say I do? Has Hallie lost everything she holds dear? Will the Underworld survive without her leadership? She’ll have to use every ounce of power she can find if she wants to be charmed ever after.

Taylor: Second Chance Romance, by K.A. Sands

After eight long years of running, Taylor Hamilton has had enough of looking over her shoulder.

Tired and emotionally spent, she comes face to face with her past. Walking away had never been her intention. But how can she come back to the man whose heart she broke, right along with her own?

Can Taylor find the home she so desperately craves, without putting those around her at risk?

The Roll-Away Pumpkin, by Junia Wonders

On a windy autumn day, Marla Little comes running down the hill, yelling, “Help! My giant pumpkin is rolling away! Onward it goes, rolling and turning, with no sign of stopping! Diddle-dee-doo! Oh, what shall I do?”

A little girl chases her giant pumpkin all over town with some help along the way. It’s the perfect autumn bedtime story to read with your little pumpkin.

Project Genesis, J.L. Stowers

In a desperate move, the United States President arranges for his chief archaeologist to gain first access to the discovery of the century.

Belkis Finch heads to Egypt with his doting daughter and his granddaughter who has a thirst for knowledge that rivals his own. Together, they’ll record the find in hopes that the past will lead us to a brighter future.

A dangerous man lurks in the shadows because discoveries like this don’t go unnoticed. The fun family adventure instantly takes a dangerous turn as he makes his move on the prize and all hell breaks loose.

Itsy Bitsy Spider, by Willow Rose

Emma Frost inherits a house on Fanoe Island when her grandmother dies. She decides to move there with her family, much to her teenage daughter’s regret. One morning a wealthy old woman in her street is found murdered and soon Emma finds herself wrapped in a mystery uncovering the island’s dark secrets reaching all the way into her own family.

Roam, by Erik Therme

When three lives intersect in an unsavory hotel with a bloody history, each will struggle to exorcise their personal demons, unaware that a bigger threat is looming . . . and waiting for the right moment to strike.

 

Fallen Angel: Dawn of Reckoning, by J.L. Myers

Gabriel may have been the first of the archangels to feel love and compassion, but teaching Lucifer to feel started the beginning of the end. Angels aren’t free to love, to lust, to want. They are God’s servants, his eyes and ears, his pure beings.

Or at least they were.

After falling for Gabriel with all her beauty and eternal hope, Lucifer refuses to return to his subservient ways. He wants more than the hand he was dealt with all its immortality and reverence. He wants to be free.

Slumbering, by C.S. Johnson

Sixteen-year-old Hamilton Dinger leads a charmed life. He’s got the grades for the top of the class, the abilities of a star athlete and Tetris player, and the charisma to get away with anything. Everything seems to be going along perfectly, including his plans to ask out Gwen Kessler, as he enters into tenth grade at Apollo Central High School.

Everything, that is, until a meteor crashes into the city, releasing the Seven Deadly Sinisters and their leader, Orpheus, from their celestial prison, and awakening Hamilton’s longtime dormant supernatural abilities. Suddenly Hamilton finds himself reluctantly allied with his self-declared mentor, Elysian, a changeling dragon, and Starry Knight, a beautiful but dangerous warrior, as they seek to protect the souls of Apollo City from the Sinisters and their evil intentions.

Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus: A Study In Mischief, by Lydia Sherrer

Wizards are born, witches are made, and they mix about as well as oil and water. So when an introverted wizard and a troublemaking witch cross paths, what could possibly go wrong?

Lily Singer is a conscientious librarian who just wants to practice her wizardry and be left alone. Sebastian Blackwell is a ne’er-do-well witch for hire who enjoys getting under peoples’ skin but always gets the job done in the end. When circumstance forces them to band together against a common enemy, there’s no telling how the dice will fall.

The Turing Test, by Andrew Updegrove

Energy infrastructure around the world is under attack and cybersecurity super-sleuth Frank Adversego must solve a riddle with no apparent answer: when the only attackers capable of staging the assaults are also the targets, who can the attacker be?

Part of the answer becomes clear as power plants, coal mines, refineries and tankers continue to be destroyed: someone – or something – has decided to single-handedly save the world from climate change. As Adversego closes in on his opponent, the attacker does the same in a race to the finish that only one of them can survive.

Falcon Heart, by Azalea Dabill (may not be free on Kindle, double-check)

A band of slavers murder stronghold daughter Kyrin Cieri’s mother in medieval Britannia. Forced by the slavers to sail for Araby with an exiled warrior from the East and a peasant girl closer than blood, Kyrin learns the unarmed art of Subak from her husband-in-name to protect her from the raiders of the sands and the secrets of the caliph’s court.

A strange dagger pursues her through tiger-haunted dreams, while the caliph’s coils tighten.

Dark, Witch & Creamy, by H.Y. Hanna

Caitlyn’s world changes when she learns that she was found as an abandoned baby and adopted by her American family. Now, her search for answers takes her to the tiny English village of Tillyhenge where a man has been murdered by witchcraft – and where a mysterious shop selling enchanted chocolates is home to the “local witch”…

Soon Caitlyn finds herself fending off a toothless old vampire, rescuing an adorable kitten and meeting handsome aristocrat Lord James Fitzroy… not to mention discovering that she herself might have magical blood in her veins!

Tipping Point, by Gemma Roman

Tess wakes up, tied up and alone.

Who kidnapped her?

What do they want?

Will she figure out the truth before it’s too late?

Excerpt from Every Crooked Nanny

If you’re looking for some new reads, pop on over to Tina Glasneck’s book fair for a whole raft of great deals. I noticed that the pages are slow to load, so let it start it in a new tab and leave it in the background to load for a minute.

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

My teaser this week is from Mary Kay Andrews’ Callahan Garrity Mysteries, Every Crooked Nanny. I’ve read one book from this series before, but hadn’t read book 1 in the series, Every Crooked Nanny. I often read random books in the middle of a series…

The series follows Callahan Garrity, an Atlanta cop turned housekeeping business owner and private eye, an interesting combination that gives her a little more access to people’s houses than the owner might have planned. While I figured out a few of the clues before they were explained, I’m still not sure who the murderer is. The Mormon Church (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) plays an central role in the plot of the book, and there are a number of mistakes about the beliefs and operations of the church; but I’m not sure if it is ignorance on the part of the author or the characters. Mary Kay Andrews may have intentionally made the characters misunderstand or misrepresent the church. I won’t know until I get to the end!

The little girl stopped picking her nose and shook her head slowly. “No, she’s not. She’s not in the kitchen and she’s not upstairs in her room and she’s not out in the playhouse. Me and Carter looked. And her clothes are gone from her room. Mama, maybe Kristen ran away.”

Mary Kay Andrews, Every Crooked Nanny

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After ten years of cleaning up the dirt on Atlanta’s streets, Callahan Garrity is trading in her badge for a broom and a staff of house cleaners. But, though the uniform is a little different, Callahan soon finds herself right back in the middle of a mystery when a client’s pretty, pious nineteen-year-old nanny is gone … along with the jewelry, silver, and a few rather sensitive real estate documents.

Before she knows it, the meticulous Callahan is up to her elbows in a case involving illicit love triangles, crooked business deals, long-distance scams, and a dead body. Now she has to roll up her sleeves and start some industrial strength sleuthing to solve — and survive — this mess.

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