P.D. Workman's Blog, page 111

Young Adult Book Bonanza

Looking for some new Young Adult books to add to your device?

Head on over to the Young Adult Book Bonanza! All books only are only 99c May 30-31.

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It’s a freebie weekend!

I have two Kindle freebies running this weekend, and have linked to some other freebie offers below. I know you already have enough in your To Be Read pile… but really, is there ever really enough on your TBR pile? There’s always room for just one more…

Endless Change
Free Friday, Saturday, and Sunday

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She was a broken bird

He was a mender of wings

Parker’s mother always said he jumped into things without thinking first, and that’s exactly what he did when he saw Dakota, cold and hungry, fending for herself on the city streets. How could he ignore the pain and fear in her dark eyes? Dakota was eager to go to school and she made friends quickly, eager to make up for a dismal childhood full of deprivation and abuse by enjoying every moment she could.

But there was something wrong with Dakota. It wasn’t just the hollowness in her eyes or her traumatic past. Others sensed it too and warned Parker not to get too close to Dakota. But despite his questions, he just can’t help falling for her.

Dakota holds her secrets close, and Parker is worried that if he pushes too hard for answers, she’ll just run away.

Read a sample or find out more.

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Making Her Mark
Free Saturday and Sunday

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Secrets and lies.

When everything changed, Kelli thought she would be happy. But nothing really changed.

Kelli’s life has never been easy. She’s always faced her problems head on. She’s strong and savvy and in charge of herself. All of that is about to change.

Her life is turned upside down when she discovers the secret that her mother has been hiding from her for years.

Kelli thinks this is her one chance at happiness. But is it?

Read a sample or find out more.

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And more!

A Bustle in the Hedgerow, by Ben Miller

The strangled body of a 9-year-old girl is discovered behind a hedgerow bordering her school playground in York, Pennsylvania. The local authorities’ only clue lies in a scrap of paper left in her front pocket, with a short phrase printed on it in an unfamiliar language.

Jackson Byrne, an FBI agent who specializes in investigating crimes against children, has just completed a book tour promoting his best-seller about solving his most recent high-profile case–the abduction and murder of a celebrity’s young daughter. Unexpectedly, Jack receives an invitation from an old family friend and powerful political insider urging him to run for the U.S. Senate. At the same time, his FBI division learns of the murder of another child with a similar mysterious message, launching them into a search for a serial killer given the moniker The Playground Predator. As Jack becomes torn between his excitement about a new career and others’ expectations of a celebrated investigator, he must also continue to deal with demons from his past. While Jack’s devoted wife, a sycophantic young FBI colleague, and an ambitious and attractive female reporter all try to influence his path, none of them pulls the strings as effectively as the enigmatic Randall, the psychologically disturbed but brilliant Playground Predator himself, who orchestrates his own master plan,eventually dragging Jack into an inevitable showdown. 

Getting Lucky, by Craig Anderson

It was supposed to be easy money. Sign a waiver form, a quick jab with a needle and then boom, enough cash for a weeks worth of booze. No-one told me I’d be carrying around my very own judge and jury.

I’m sure you’re thinking that sounds wonderful. Good for you, you’re probably a nice person, with a house and a job and food. Unfortunately I don’t have any of those. I had to steal and cheat to get by, now I can’t even do that. My new karma passengers are doing what no-one else ever could, they are keeping me honest. Honesty gets you killed around here.

Dance: Cinderella Retold, by Demelza Carlton

When the Emperor’s army comes recruiting, Mai signs up, seeing it as the perfect escape from her stepmother and a lifetime of drudgery. Armed with her mother’s armour and a pair of magic shoes, Mai marches off to war…only to find herself sharing a tent with the General’s arrogant nephew, Prince Yi.

The best swordsman in the Empire, Prince Yi wants to make war, not love, but the Emperor insists this will be Yi’s last campaign before he must marry. Prince Yi has never met his match…until now.

Can one woman win the war and the prince’s heart?

The Opposite of Living, by Genevieve McKay

Abandoned orphan Carolina Brown wants nothing more than to be left alone with her cookbooks and her vivid imagination. And she won’t hesitate to fight (and bite) until she gets her way.

Unable to speak, Cara has no memory of her past and little hope for her future. So when a mysterious couple appears, promising to help unlock the secrets surrounding her, Cara reluctantly takes a chance at a new life.

Flung abruptly into a new world, Cara embarks on an extraordinary adventure that forces her to question everything she knows about reality. About her past, her future and the world around her, including what it means to be human.

Smile for Me, by Jan Thompson

A deadline-driven workaholic assistant school principal who meticulously plans his schedule months in advance meets an easygoing art teacher and studio potter with no sense of time, living her life as the seasons come and go. When they cross paths again at the Summer by the Sea Day Camp sponsored by his church in Nassau, Bahamas, how can they get along if they cannot see eye to eye?

The Tourney, by Juliet Sem

Crown Princess Keestu Ranell of Sandar, a member of the Union, has been invited to witness The Tourney in the Autocracy, where hand-to-hand combat will determine that society’s leaders for the next generation. In addition to viewing their battles for succession, Keestu must negotiate a trade agreement between the Autocracy and the Union.

Half-Blood Dragon, by K.N. Lee

A lady-in-waiting’s job is to follow orders. For Rowen, it is to execute her stepfather’s plan to elevate the family’s station by an advantageous marriage to the crown prince. Intrigue and seduction fill Rowen’s days, but the prophecies that haunt her dreams at night warn her that death awaits.

The taunts of her sleepless nights are realized when she is framed and sentenced to death for the prince’s murder. For a human, there’s nowhere to run and no one to turn to in a kingdom where power is tightly held by full-blooded dragon shifters.

It will take a stranger from the shadows to save Rowen from execution and reveal a truth full of terrifying potential. It is time for Rowen to find the courage to accept her fate, awaken her gift, and set the world on fire.

Fairy Eyeglasses, by Emily Martha Sorensen (children’s short story)

When Cassie finds a magic pair of glasses that allow her to see fairies, she has to figure out where they came from . . . and what the fairies want her to do with them.

Before he Kills, by Blake Pierce

In the cornfields of Nebraska a woman is found murdered, strung up on a pole, the victim of a deranged killer. It doesn’t take long for the police to realize a serial killer is on the loose—and that his spree has just begun.

Detective Mackenzie White, young, tough, smarter than the aging, chauvinistic men on her local force, finds herself called in grudgingly to help solve it. As much as the other officers hate to admit it, they need her young, brilliant mind, which has already helped crack cold cases that had left them stumped. Yet even for Mackenzie this new case proves an impossible riddle, something the likes of which she—and the local force—have ever seen.

Holding Aces, by Nikkie Groom (mature content)

Tired of running, Arianna Fraser decides it’s time to head home–to those she loves most. Finally putting the pieces of her life back together, she finds herself in the luxurious Kingdom in Vegas, meeting the wealthy and irresistible, Denham King.

And Denham King is everything she wants–and shouldn’t have. Adding vibrancy and color to her grey and dismal world, Arianna cannot resist the passion and pull she has for him. When her past comes back with a vengeance, threatening the new life she created, Denham and Arianna must trust each other to fight for what they want before it’s too late. Will the kingdom come crumbling down before they have a chance to get their “happily ever after?”

If I Break, by Portia Moore

He was just what I lacked a beautiful distraction.

At six-foot-two, with ebony hair, storm gray eyes, and a smile that

could only hide an agenda, I knew he was trouble. And for the first

time in my life, a little trouble was just what I needed.

No. What I wanted.

It wasn’t like I’d ever marry the guy.

Until I did.

A Matter of Death, by Victoria DeLuis (short story)

In a world where rogue necromancers control the dead and turn them against the living, The Independent Necromancers’ Bureau works to keep law and order.

When Dylan turns up at agent Cassie Dune’s house just before sunrise, she knows something is up, and anything that bothers a two-hundred year old ghost, is sure to be bad news for Cassie. A necromancer has imprisoned the spirit of Dylan’s friend Elizabeth. Can Cassie find her and save her soul?

The Ugly Duckling, by Annabelle Costa

What would you do to get your happily ever after?

Libby Saunders, who spent the first seventeen years of her life as an ugly duckling, bleaches her hair and drops forty pounds in order to get her fairytale ending. Once she evolves into a beautiful swan, the handsome princes are tripping each other’s royal steeds in order to get a date with her. But while the princes in fairy tales may be perfect gentlemen, Libby finds that her real life princes tend to be somewhat less than perfect. Actually, they tend to be a bunch of two-timing jerks.

Identity of the Heart, by Mary Crawford

After Marcus Brolen’s best friend, Rogue Bentancourt, swears that guys aren’t interested in trying to keep up with her busy schedule as an apprentice in his tattoo shop and art student with some modeling and waitressing thrown in on the side to make ends meet, he signs her up for an online dating service called BrainsRSexy.com.

After all, it won’t be all that weird…right? He’ll be there to play her wingman as always. Even though he and Rogue have never had chemistry, she deserves the absolute best and he’s going to help her find her perfect guy.

Living this thing called Life, by Dreal C

Mia Saint never thought her life would take turns that her mother has never prepared her for. Her school life was going great. Her friends was there for her whenever she needed too. Her sister was busy with her own life as a popular kid. One mistake was made that cost Mia her entire life.

Witnessing an incident that no child nor teen shall see. Being pushed from student to eye witness to victim. School life, love life, and her relationship with her sister and friends started to collide into one. Life changing decisions was made. Enemies was formed. Her life has just begun.

The Samurai Code, by Steven Moore (Bookfunnel)

Expedition leader Hiram Kane is in Japan when the storm of the century hits. He joins the rescue mission as flash floods cause chaos, death and destruction.

Yakuza boss Katashi Goto is retiring from the mob. Before he does, there is one more thing to achieve: revenge over a centuries old enemy.

When their two very different worlds collide, Kane is forced to make a choice. He has always known honour is worth fighting for. When challenged by Katashi, he has to decide if it is also worth dying for.

Elementals: The Prophecy of Shadows, by Michelle Madow (Bookfunnel)

Nicole Cassidy is a witch descended from the Greek gods… but she doesn’t know it until she moves to a new town and discovers a dangerous world of magic and monsters that she never knew existed.

When the Olympian Comet shoots through the sky for the first time in three thousand years, Nicole and four others — including mysterious bad-boy Blake — are gifted with elemental powers. But the comet has another effect — it opens the portal to another dimension that has imprisoned the Titans for centuries. After an ancient monster escapes, it’s up to Nicole and the others to follow a cryptic prophecy in time to save the town… and possibly the world.

[image error]Don’t Shoot! I have another story to tell you, by Elen Ghulam (newsletter sign-up)

The humorous chronicles the trials and tribulations of a Czech-born Iraqi woman who walks the tightrope between the poetic East and the seductive West. Her life was already complicated when she immigrated to Canada, when life took a byzantine turn.  She marries a dashing Palestinian professor and together they live in Scotland and Israel. In the holy city of Jerusalem, she learns Hebrew, works for an Israeli company and experiences the military occupation of Palestine first hand – albeit from a perspective within Israeli society. She takes an Israeli friend to visit a Palestinian neighborhood, and later takes a Palestinian friend to visit an Israeli area.The tourist introducing the locals to their own country. Can life get any more absurd? Living between two worlds, yet again. Ghulam writes with elegance and humor about the hardship of embodying contrary identities. Along the way, she records her intensely personal struggle to forge a sense of integrity in a world teetering on the edge of the abyss.

Silent Running, by Lisette Kristensen (Instafreebie)

Nothing came easy for Baleigh Burgess. If it wasn’t her family or the men in her life, it was the streets that gnawed on her soul. It was her determination that got her a new chance from her wreck of a life…

One night is all it took to unravel everything.

Don’t miss Silent Running, the prequel to Running Blind. The first in the Sin’s Fatal Desire series. A dark romance series with crime and suspense wrapped around the darkness

Sylphide, by K. Gorman (Instafreebie)

It’s been six weeks since Allish Statia, former prima ballerina at the Mersetzdeitz Ballet, broke her leg during the last performance of La Sylphide. In that time, she has healed (mostly), relaxed (a lot), and taken advantage of her husband’s willingness to order take-out on most weeknights.

Then someone breaks into her apartment and points a gun at her.

Using the wind elemental powers few knew she had, she is able to subdue the man. But he is only part of something much bigger—and much more dangerous.

The Sea Tips, by Helen Allan (Instafreebie)

He came from the sea, unasked for, unexpected – but not for the first time.

When a naked man washes ashore in a small village on an isolated coast he and a small boy will set off a chain of events that will change the lives of the superstitious and ignorant fisher folk who live there forever – but for some it will be too late.

Kiss of Vengeance, by E.A. Copen (Instafreebie)

Robbed of the happy life he once knew, Dal takes up his silver pike and hits the streets of South Boston looking for vengeance.

There’s just one problem. The boss doesn’t want him looking into it. To make matters worse, the local feds charged with monitoring supernaturals in the city won’t leave him the hell alone.

His only lead is a tenacious elf who would rather kill him than help him. But she’s looking for answers of her own, answers that could spark a bloody turf war.

The Skeptics’ Guide to the Mysteries of the Universe, by Jessica Arden (Instafreebie)

Grad student and New Orleans ghost tour operator Julie Deveaux is used to believing in things she cannot see. Although with her family history, spirits lurking beyond French Quarter galleries seem more plausible than true love or soul mates.

With romantic entanglements the last thing on her mind, Julie would do anything to complete her thesis research and exonerate infamous murderess Sophia Durocher in the process. Anything, that is, except further harass Sophia’s already spotlight-weary family.

The NighBlade, by M.S. Olney (Instafreebie)

When darkness rises, the Nightblade is never far behind.

It came from the forest. A creature not seen in the peaceful lands of Mid-lake for millennia. A Fell Beast. A farmer disappears and strange sounds are heard in the nearby forest prompting Alther, an old man with a mysterious past to investigate.

Meanwhile, on the BlackMoor, the Nightblade Ferran stumbles upon a mystery of his own, one that reveals a sinister plot that could threaten the entire Kingdom of Delfinnia.

The Lost Colony Series, by Andrew C. Broderick (Instafreebie)

Despite his reputation as a brilliant and dedicated space engineer, John Rees is certain he is not the man everyone thinks he is. Haunted by the death of his father and one fatal decision that questions his morality, he doubts he will have a chance to redeem himself for a past he cannot escape.

But when 100 colonists go missing on an alien planet, John sees his chance to prove once and for all that one decision doesn’t create a monster. John and the crew of the Atlas struggle to survive the near-total malfunction of their power and navigation systems, evidence that a strange alien race intercepted the colonists, and even a near-impossible jump through hundreds of meters of solid rock.

Life for a Life, by Andy Peloquin (Instafreebie)

 

Excerpt from Takedown Twenty, a Stephanie Plum novel

Make sure you check out my latest release, Endless Change, along with some other popular new releases.

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

I was trying to decide whether to feature the book I finished today, or the one I started! I decided on the one that I just started on, Takedown Twenty, a Stephanie Plum novel by Janet Evanovich. In case you haven’t met Stephanie Plum, she is a scrappy bail bondsman who gets tangled up in a variety of tight situations. Additionally, she is always stuck choosing between the two men in her life, Ranger and Morelli. These books are chockful of fun characters, and the audiobooks are very entertaining. I have only just started this book, and don’t yet know what significance the disappearing/reappearing giraffe has…

“I was afraid it might have been the ‘shrooms on my pizza last night what was making me see things. I mean it’s not every day you see a giraffe running down the street.”

Janet Evanovich, Takedown Twenty

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Stephanie Plum has her sights set on catching a notorious mob boss. If she doesn’t take him down, he may take her out.

 

New Jersey bounty hunter Stephanie Plum knows better than to mess with family. But when powerful mobster Salvatore “Uncle Sunny” Sunucchi goes on the lam in Trenton, it’s up to Stephanie to find him. Uncle Sunny is charged with murder for running over a guy (twice), and nobody wants to turn him in—not his poker buddies, not his bimbo girlfriend, not his two right-hand men, Shorty and Moe. Even Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, has skin in the game, because—just Stephanie’s luck—the godfather is his actual godfather. And while Morelli understands that the law is the law, his old-world grandmother, Bella, is doing everything she can to throw Stephanie off the trail.

 

It’s not just Uncle Sunny giving Stephanie the run-around. Security specialist Ranger needs her help to solve the bizarre death of a top client’s mother, a woman who happened to play bingo with Stephanie’s Grandma Mazur. Before Stephanie knows it, she’s working side by side with Ranger and Grandma at the senior center, trying to catch a killer on the loose—and the bingo balls are not rolling in their favor. 

 

With bullet holes in her car, henchmen on her tail, and a giraffe named Kevin running wild in the streets of Trenton, Stephanie will have to up her game for the ultimate takedown.

New Releases! Endless Change is now available

[image error]It’s that time! Today I am launching Endless Change, a stand alone young adult novel about family, friendship, and being who you really are. Read all about it below, and keep going to find more new releases.

Endless Change

She was a broken bird

He was a mender of wings

Parker’s mother always said he jumped into things without thinking first, and that’s exactly what he did when he saw Dakota, cold and hungry, fending for herself on the city streets. How could he ignore the pain and fear in her dark eyes? Dakota was eager to go to school and she made friends quickly, eager to make up for a dismal childhood full of deprivation and abuse by enjoying every moment she could.

But there was something wrong with Dakota. It wasn’t just the hollowness in her eyes or her traumatic past. Others sensed it too and warned Parker not to get too close to Dakota. But despite his questions, he just can’t help falling for her.

Dakota holds her secrets close, and Parker is worried that if he pushes too hard for answers, she’ll just run away.

Buy links (keep scrolling for more new releases!)

 
Amazon in your Country 
 

Praise for Endless Change

“In a genre dominated by kick-ass heroines in post-apocalyptic dystopian worlds, wizards and magical realism, Ms. Workman is carving out her own niche. Her books show us real kids facing scary real-life problems in the modern world. Her work is both an invitation to empathy and a cautionary tale.”

“The girlfriend every mother fears. You’ll want to read it quickly just to see what she’s hiding.”

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 it enough. A fantastic book.”

More new releases!

Are you ready to add a few more books on your To Be Read pile? Well, dig in! Here are some to consider.

16th Seduction, by James Patterson

I’m always up for a new James Patterson, and there’s always a new one out.

Lindsay Boxer is learning to love again. After the picture-perfect world she shared with her husband, Joe, and their beautiful young daughter shattered under the weight of Joe’s double life, Lindsay is determined to put the pieces back together. But before she can welcome Joe back with open arms, their beloved hometown of San Francisco faces a threat unlike any the city–or the country–has ever seen.

Magic Bound: The Hybrid Trilogy, by G.K. Derosa

Dying isn’t the worst thing that could happen at seventeen, right?

I’m Aria Negrescu, and my name is pretty much the only thing in my life that turned out to be true. Everything changed one night when I met him. Now I’m being hunted, and if I’m going to survive I have to discover who I really am. And that means trusting a mysterious stranger I know nothing about.

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses), by Sara J. Maas

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

[image error] Haunted by Magic: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy Collection

What a deal!

With over one million words of otherworldly fiction from the Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance genres, this boxed set collection will provide over one hundred hours of reading, including some BRAND NEW material!

From rune magic to steampunk to Norse mythology and a whole lot in between, these paranormal and fantasy pages will draw you in with a whisper and startle you with flare.

Anything is Possible, by Elizabeth Strout

Here are two sisters: One trades self-respect for a wealthy husband while the other finds in the pages of a book a kindred spirit who changes her life. The janitor at the local school has his faith tested in an encounter with an isolated man he has come to help; a grown daughter longs for mother love even as she comes to accept her mother’s happiness in a foreign country; and the adult Lucy Barton (the heroine of My Name Is Lucy Barton, the author’s celebrated New York Times bestseller) returns to visit her siblings after seventeen years of absence.

The New Awakening: Salama Bandari Series (Safe Haven) Book One, by Asheley Danielle

When lifelong friends Danella, Arial, Sara and Rhonda set out on a Spring Break trip to North Carolina, they have no idea it will end in tragedy. When their car swerves off the road, injuring all four girls and plunging them into comas, they’re even more surprised to wake up together in a strange new world.

Against All Odds, by Danielle Steel

Taking chances is part of life, but when you bet your future against the odds, it’s a high-risk game. Kate Madison’s stylish resale shop has been a big SoHo success, supporting her and her four kids since her husband’s untimely death. Now they are grown and ready to forge lives of their own. And they all choose to play against the odds, to their mother’s dismay.

Sand Runner: YA Dystopian Science Fiction, by Vera Brook

In a dystopian future, 16-year-old Kaiden Reed risks his life in a brutal race. But can he trust the only person who can help him win? Publishers Daily Reviews called it “a top-notch read, especially for those dedicated fans of The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner.”

Since We Fell, by Dennis Lehane

Since We Fell follows Rachel Childs, a former journalist who, after an on-air mental breakdown, now lives as a virtual shut-in. In all other respects, however, she enjoys an ideal life with an ideal husband. Until a chance encounter on a rainy afternoon causes that ideal life to fray. As does Rachel’s marriage. As does Rachel herself. Sucked into a conspiracy thick with deception, violence, and possibly madness, Rachel must find the strength within herself to conquer unimaginable fears and mind-altering truths. By turns heart- breaking, suspenseful, romantic, and sophisticated, Since We Fell is a novel of profound psychological insight and tension. It is Dennis Lehane at his very best.

Outbreak (The Brother’s Creed Book 1), Joshua C. Chadd

Two brothers learn of the apocalypse after being out of touch for a few days. Returning to town, they learn first-hand, the dead are coming back to life with a taste for flesh. With their parents in Nebraska, they must embark on a journey to rescue them as they set into motion their zombie apocalypse plan. But they’ll see not all is fun and games as they realize it is nothing like they imagined it would be.

Can they make it in time to save their parents from a fate worse than death?

Robert B. Parker’s Little White Lies, by Ace Atkins

Boston PI Spenser and right hand Hawk follow a con man’s trail of smoke and mirrors in the latest entry of the iconic crime series. After conning everyone from the cable news shows to the local cops, it looks like the grifter’s latest double cross may be his last.

Living this thing called Life 2, by Dreal C

After surviving the aftermath of the school shooting that left her paralyzed from the waist down, Mia finds herself at a crossroad wondering what now is she do now in her life. That whole town was rocked to the core and not only her life was taken but two other girls lives also. How can she put her life back in order?

Infinity Born, by Douglas E. Richards

When DARPA’s billion-dollar program to create Artificial Superintelligence is sabotaged, US operative Cameron Carr is tasked with finding the culprit. He’s been on high-stakes missions before, but this time the stakes are nothing less than the future of humanity. Because the race to evolve a superintelligent computer is on, and power players around the world will stop at nothing to get there first.

Those Black Wings, by Melinda R. Cordell

Kay Bachmann leaps into her freshman year of college, eager to start fresh and be the girl she’s always wanted to be. She meets Carter, who falls for her like a skydiver with a busted parachute. He sweeps her away in a whirlwind romance, and before Kay can think straight, they’re going on dates. But when her bluesman Grandpa dies and Kay discovers his secret – that he abused her mom and grandma – Kay slowly realizes that Carter, though the sweetest guy in the world, shares some of her former hero’s same attributes. She begins to understand the subtle manipulations Carter uses to make her stay with him.

Crimes Against a Book Club, by Kathy Cooperman

Best friends Annie and Sarah need cash—fast. Sarah, a beautiful, successful lawyer, wants nothing more than to have a baby. But balancing IVF treatments with a grueling eighty-hour workweek is no walk in the park. Meanwhile, Annie, a Harvard-grad chemist recently transplanted to Southern California, is cutting coupons to afford her young autistic son’s expensive therapy.

A Moment for Tara: Her heart or her pack? (Prime Prophecy Series), Tamar Sloan

Tara is the first born of her pack, and with the title comes responsibility — the expectation that she will bond with an Alpha heir to strengthen her pack’s standing…and Mitch was born seven minutes too late.

Tara’s heart is torn when a deep connection with Mitch is awakened and she discovers the potential for so much more than friendship. But her mind knows what she must choose.

Air and Ash: TIDES Book 1, by Alex Lidell

Barred from the sea and facing a political marriage, Nile masquerades as a common sailor on the first ship she can find. With a cowardly captain, incompetent crew, and a cruel, too-handsome first officer intent on making her life a living hell, Nile must hide her identity while trying to turn the sorry frigate battleworthy. Worse, a terrifying and forbidden magic now tingles in Nile’s blood. If anyone catches wind of who Nile is or what she can do, her life is over.

Detective Cross, by James Patterson

I’ll start and end with a James Patterson new release!

The suspect is your patient, Dr. Cross.

An anonymous caller has promised to set off deadly bombs in Washington, DC. A cruel hoax or the real deal? By the time Alex Cross and his wife, Bree Stone, uncover the chilling truth, it may already be too late….

Young Adult Summer Scavenger Hunt

Who is up for a scavenger hunt? In June, the Alliance of Young Adult Authors is sponsoring a massive young adult scavenger hunt. This is a chance to meet some new authors, grab a bunch of free books, and sign up to win a whole bunch of epic prizes!

In addition to the $500 grand prize, each author will be giving away free books and cool stuff.

When the scavenger hunt begins (June 1st) all you have to do is visit each site below in order and write down the special word to reconstruct the story. You can enter any of the giveaways or offers on anybody’s site, or just grab the special word and move on. I’ll add a link soon where you can enter for the grand prize when you have the full story.

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RULES

Each author will be given a special keyword, which will be bolded and all caps like this: BUTTERFLIES.

All you have to do is visit all the author’s sites in this order, write down the special keywords to discover the short story, then enter the giveaway with the completed short story HERE (link will be posted soon).

There will be one main giveaway for the main prize, but most of the participating authors will also have smaller giveaways for free books, amazon credit and author swag, so make sure you read their post carefully to see what else they’re offering while you’re on their site for the keyword.

TREASURE MAP (list of participating authors)








Cindy Ray Hale
Katherine Bogle
Melle Amade
David Kudler
A.M. Yates
Alethea Kontis
Stevie Rae Causey
Katlyn Duncan
Debbie Manber Kupfer
Meredith Efken  
Meredith Rose
Lara Ann  
K.M. Robinson
J.A. Culican
Heather Karn
Rob L. Slater
Dylan Keefer
Sarah K. Wilson  
L.J. Higgins
Gina Marie Long 
Em Kazmierski
Travis Hall
Heather Young-Nichols
Anna Santos
J.L. Weil  
Jo Schneider 
Rebecca Fernfield
Kristin D. Van Risseghem
Martine Lewis 
Tara Benham
Stacy Claflin
Beth Hammond
Erica Monroe Cope
Nicole Zoltack
Char Webster
Sabrina Ramoth
T.J. Muir
Raquel Lyon
Beth Rodgers
S.L. Beaumont
Eva Pohler
Melanie McFarlane
Cheryllynn Dyess
Audrey Rich
Amanda Zieba
Sandie Will
Elle Scott
Angie Grigaliunas
Ashley Maker 
Mandy Peterson
Audrey Grey
Elisa Dane  
Amy McNulty
Melinda Cordell
Monica Leonelle
Claire Luana
Frost Kay
Preeti C. Sharma
Bentz Deyo 
April Wood
Lena Mae Hill
Angel Leya
Wendi Wilson
Wendy Knight
Chogan Swan
Tamara Hart Heiner
Norma Hinkens
Patti Larsen
Megan Crewe  
Jamie Thornton
Jessie Renée
T.A. Maclagan  
Lydia Sherrer
Phyllis Moore
P.D. Workman
J.A. Armitage
K.N. Lee
Angela Fristoe
Rhonda Sermon
G.K. DeRosa 
Erin Richards
Ali Winters
Larissa C. Hardesty
Kristine Tate
Debra Kristi
Bella Rose 
Cortney Pearson
Jeff Kohanek
Kristal Shaff
Rachel Morgan  
Emma Right
C.L. Cannon
Joanne Macgregor
Lindsey Loucks
Farah Kuck
Erin Hayes
Jesikah Sundin
Dorothy Dreyer
Danielle Annett
C.J. Ethington
L.C. Hibbett 
Madeline Dyer
Katie John
Nicole Schubert  
Rachel Medhurst 
Tee G Ayer  
May Freighter 
Heather Dyer
Jen Minkman  
J.L. Gillham
Karen Tomlinson
Kate Haye
Tom Shutt
Martina Billings
Jo Ho
Brian King
Inna Hardison
Rachel Bateman
Sally Henson  
J.L. Hendricks 
A.L. Knorr  
T.M. Franklin  
Konstanz Silverbow
felisha Antonette
Jake Devlin
S.F. Benson
Laurie Treacy
Emily Martha Sorensen 
Leia Stone
T. Rae Mitchell
J. Keller Ford
Kat Stiles
Jessica Hawke
Elyse Reyes
Sophie Davis
Bianca Scardoni
Jenetta Penner
David R. Bernstein
Olivia Wildenstein
Derek Murphy








 For rules, updates or trouble-shooting, make sure to check out this main post which will stay updated.

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TIMELINE

Authors will post the rules and the full list of participating authors sometime in June, and have their post up and visible on their site/blog, with their keyword, by June 1st. Readers just need to go through the list, find the words, and use the story to enter for the grand prize.

Excerpt from Wilde Lake

Be sure to check out my promos in the sidebar (or if you’re reading on a narrow screen device, at the bottom)!

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

I finished Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman just a couple of hours ago. Things have been pretty busy around here lately and I haven’t been able to do a lot of reading, so it took me a little while to get through. My feelings about Wilde Lake are mixed. To begin with, all of the threads of narrative seem random and confusing. I wondered a few times whether to plow on ahead. Though it has some tantalizing ‘legal thriller’ passages, it seemed to be mostly a wandering literary memoir with no particular end point in mind.

Obviously, I did keep going, and all of those messy threads do eventually get tied together in some surprising revelations. If you’re looking for a ‘typical’ legal thriller, you won’t find it here, but if you’re willing to spend some time following all of the rabbit trails, Wilde Lake may be the next read for your pile. Keep in mind there is some PG-13+ action and language.

Keep in mind there is some PG-13+ action and language. My teaser for today:

I wish I could tell you that we mourned the boy who died, but we did not. He was the one with murder in his heart and, sure enough, death found him that night. Funny how that works.

Laura Lippman, Wilde Lake

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Luisa “Lu” Brant is the newly elected state’s attorney representing suburban Maryland—including the famous planned community of Columbia, created to be a utopia of racial and economic equality. Prosecuting a controversial case involving a disturbed drifter accused of beating a woman to death, the fiercely ambitious Lu is determined to avoid the traps that have destroyed other competitive, successful women. She’s going to play it smart to win this case—and win big—cementing her political future.

But her intensive preparation for trial unexpectedly dredges up painful recollections of another crime—the night when her brother, AJ, saved his best friend at the cost of another man’s life. Only eighteen, AJ was cleared by a grand jury. Justice was done. Or was it? Did the events of 1980 happen as she remembers them? She was only a child then. What details didn’t she know?

As she plunges deeper into the past, Lu is forced to face a troubling reality. The legal system, the bedrock of her entire life, does not have all the answers. But what happens when she realizes that, for the first time, she doesn’t want to know the whole truth?

Win Mystery Paperbacks

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How would you like to win a stack of mystery paperbacks? Great beach reads for this summer! Jump on over to Lois D. Brown’s site now to enter!

 

Books for Mom! Buy her books for Mother’s Day

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What’s the perfect gift for Mother’s Day? Books, of course. Well, what did you think I was going to say? Chocolate is always a hit around here, but books are… well, books. Hours of entertainment in a compact, portable package.

Favourites

One of my mom’s favourites of mine is:

[image error] Cynthia Has a Secret

One day, fifteen-year-old Carmina Knight’s life was perfect, and the next, she’d lost everything. Her family, her home, almost everything that she knew. Alone on the streets, she can’t trust anyone, but she also can’t make it alone.

Neil Crowther is the investigator on the Knight case. He knows that he has to unravel the web of deceit and track Carmina down quickly, or there will be no one left to save.

–Cynthia has a Secret hooked me at the beginning and kept me interested right to the last page. Filled with intriguing characters you won’t soon forget.

–New favorite!

–PD Workman weaves a fascinating tale… Alone and scared, Carmina would rather take to the streets than trust the police her father has warned her against. This is a page-turning novel that will leave you anxious to find out how it all ends.

And some more:

I have asked my author friends for some of their mother’s favourite books, and here are some of them:

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë

You know this classic. Jane Eyre – an orphan, that nature has given a very strong-willed and independent temper. She spent her childhood, full of hardship and humiliation. Jane’s growing up brings a lot of problems. She got to an orphanage, where she spent her childhood and youth. There, in a very challenging environment, her temper became even more stronger. When she grew up, she felt the need to go further in life, so Jane gave an advert for work and got it as a governess in Thornfield manor. There she fell in love with Mr. Rochester, owner of the estate, that changed her whole life. Received from him a marriage proposal, Jane felt happy perhaps for the first time in her life. Young people were getting ready for the wedding. But in this long-awaited day for them a terrible secret revealed that radically changes their lives…

One for the Money, by Janet Evanovich

Janet Evanovich is a wild ride!

Watch out, world. Here comes Stephanie Plum, a bounty hunter with attitude. In Stephanie’s opinion, toxic waste, rabid drivers, armed schizophrenics, and August heat, humidity, and hydrocarbons are all part of the great adventure of living in Jersey.

Out of work and out of money, with her Miata repossessed and her refrigerator empty, Stephanie blackmails her bail bondsman cousin, Vinnie, into giving her a try as an apprehension agent. Stephanie knows zilch about the job requirements, but she figures her new pal, fearless bounty hunter Ranger, can teach her what it takes to catch a crook.

Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century, and a lover in another…

In 1945, Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon—when she innocently touches a boulder in one of the ancient stone circles that dot the British Isles. Suddenly she is a Sassenach—an “outlander”—in a Scotland torn by war and raiding border clans in the year of our Lord…1743.

Sanctuary, by Melle Amade

Shae is sure the icy rage that claws at her is driving away her friends and pulling her closer to the wrong boy. After all, it’s Aiden she has always secretly wanted, not Callum, who has barely spoken to her in the last year.

But, as her protected life unravels, she discovers the violent supernatural world that lurks in her quiet hometown and the ancient feuds that threaten to destroy both her friends and her family.

Elvis & Me, by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley

Who doesn’t love the King?

Decades after his death, millions of fans continue to worship Elvis the legend. But very few knew him as Elvis the man. Here in her own words, Priscilla Presley tells the story of their love, revealing the details of their first meeting, their marriage, their affairs, their divorce, and the unbreakable bond that has remained long after his tragic death.

A tribute to both the man and the legend, Elvis and Me gives Elvis fans the world over an unprecedented look at the true life of the King of Rock N’ Roll and the woman who loved him.

And yours!

I want to hear your mother’s favourite as well. List it in the comments section way down at the bottom of the page. Include a link if you can!

 

Excerpt from Love, Lies and Liquor

Be sure to check out my promos in the sidebar (or if you’re reading on a narrow screen device, at the bottom)!

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

I have just finished one of M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin series, Love, Lies and Liquor. I’ve read a few other Agatha Raisin books and I like her as a character. She’s a down-to-earth, somewhat frumpy woman running her own detective agency. Something of a Miss Marple type. She doesn’t always make wise choices, but she’s a bright woman who manages to unwind the clues and find the perp. As long as she doesn’t get kidnapped, killed, or arrested along the way…

“Oh, you silly man,” said Agatha contemptuously, “a lot of people threaten to murder people when they get angry. I still don’t see what this has to do with me.”

“You have identified your scarf. Mrs. Jankers was found dead on the beach. She had been strangled with your scarf.”

M.C. Beaton, Love, Lies and Liquor

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In Love, Lies and Liquor, Agatha Raisin is lonely. Busy as she is with her detective agency and the meetings of the Carsely Ladies’ Society, she still misses her ex-husband, James Lacey, so she welcomes his return to the cottage next door with her usual triumph of optimism over experience—especially when he invites her on holiday at a surprise location that was once very dear to him. With visions of a romantic hideaway in Italy or the Pacific dancing in her head, Agatha goes off happily with James to…Snoth-on-Sea, in Sussex.

While James may have fond memories of boyhood holidays there, Snoth-on-Sea has seen better days, as has the once-grand Palace Hotel, now run-down and tacky and freezing cold. Nor do the other guests have much to recommend them, especially the brassy honeymoon couple, Mr. and Mrs. Jankers, who pick a fight with Agatha in the dining room. But trouble has a way of following Agatha even if romance does not: Just as she and James are preparing to flee to warmer climes, Geraldine Jankers is found dead on the beach—strangled with Agatha’s scarf. So much for Agatha’s holiday fantasies: Not only is it time to put her detective skills to work, but the police are not even sure that she’ll be allowed to leave town.

Goodreads Giveaway for Endless Change

[image error]Do you want to be one of the first to own a copy of Endless Change? Enter my Goodreads giveaway to get a paperback copy when it is released!

Click here to enter

About Endless Change:

She was a broken bird

He was a mender of wings

Parker’s mother always said he jumped into things without thinking first, and that’s exactly what he did when he saw Dakota, cold and hungry, fending for herself on the city streets. How could he ignore the pain and fear in her dark eyes? Dakota was eager to go to school and she made friends quickly, eager to make up for a dismal childhood full of deprivation and abuse by enjoying every moment she could.

But there was something wrong with Dakota. It wasn’t just the hollowness in her eyes or her traumatic past. Others sensed it too and warned Parker not to get too close to Dakota. But despite his questions, he just can’t help falling for her.

Dakota holds her secrets close, and Parker is worried that if he pushes too hard for answers, she’ll just run away.

Reviews

—In a genre dominated by kick-ass heroines in post-apocalyptic dystopian worlds, wizards and magical realism, Ms. Workman is carving out her own niche. Her books show us real kids facing scary real-life problems in the modern world. Her work is both an invitation to empathy and a cautionary tale.

—The girlfriend every mother fears. You’ll want to read it quickly just to see what she’s hiding