P.D. Workman's Blog, page 115
March 28, 2017
Excerpt from The Beautiful Mystery
[image error]Making Her Mark was released recently. Have a look at it, and some other great new releases too.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I have posted about the Inspector Gamache series before. It’s fun reading well-written mysteries that are based in Canada and around Canadian Culture. Louise Penny does not disappoint with The Beautiful Mystery, a murder mystery set in a fictional monastery in the wilds of Quebec.
A throat cleared.
In the great silence it sounded like a bomb. And to the abbot’s ears it sounded like what it was.
A challenge.
Louise Penny, The Beautiful Mystery
No outsiders are ever admitted to the monastery of Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups, hidden deep in the wilderness of Quebec, where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. They grow vegetables, they tend chickens, they make chocolate. And they sing. Ironically, for a community that has taken a vow of silence, the monks have become world-famous for their glorious voices, raised in ancient chants whose effect on both singer and listener is so profound it is known as “the beautiful mystery.”
But when the renowned choir director is murdered, the lock on the monastery’s massive wooden door is drawn back to admit Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir of the Sûreté du Québec. There they discover disquiet beneath the silence, discord in the apparent harmony. One of the brothers, in this life of prayer and contemplation, has been contemplating murder. As the peace of the monastery crumbles, Gamache is forced to confront some of his own demons, as well as those roaming the remote corridors. Before finding the killer, before restoring peace, the Chief must first consider the divine, the human, and the cracks in between.
March 23, 2017
Free YA Books – A World of YA Fiction
[image error]Questing for a Dream and 29 other Young Adult novels are currently available as an Instafreebie download through Megan Crewe’s A World of YA Fiction promo.
About Questing for a Dream
[image error]Nadie is a bright but rebellious teen growing up Manitoba Cree. Living in abject poverty, she tries to help care for the younger children in the band. Devastated by the drowning death of her little cousin and unable to overcome her grief, Nadie leaves the band.
How can she find her own place in a foreign world where she is abused and discriminated against, and for the first time in her life, completely alone?
Praise for Questing for a Dream
“Brilliant masterpiece”
“Easily one of the most thought-provoking and compelling reads of the year, Ms. Workman has written a masterful contemporary account of one native teen’s journey from home and the possibilities for hope even for those drowning in poverty, prejudice, and addiction … A must-read tale for any book lover!”
“P.D. Workman’s skilled narrative of Nadie and her poignant journey to wholeness is a thoughtful exposé of shattered dreams and tragic youth sure to resonate with every reader.”
“An inspiring book which can encourage the reader to face the challenges in life’s journey and to accept the lessons that come as a result.”
“An amazing book, very well written; a heartbreaking story of loss, suffering, and self-realization.”
“I enjoyed this from the bottom of my heart.”
“My hat goes off to P.D. Workman for bringing such an amazing story to the market with emotional detail and intriguing characters. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone.”
“The author’s writing was so good. At first I thought this book would be a difficult read since I don’t normally read books with cultural substance but the way it was written in an engaging way made the experience enjoyable for me.”
“What I found absorbing, what caught me up unaware was the power of this writer to translate Native American experience without once falling into any subtle sense of stereotyping.”
“An absorbing and satisfyingly complex tale.”
“This excellent and realistically wrought story will bring you to tears.”
“It was a GREAT read! I could hardly put it down. Very insightful. Will definitely read more of PD Workman’s books.”
Making Her Mark and other weekend freebies
[image error]Making Her Mark is free on Kindle March 24-26.
You don’t need a Kindle to read it. Kindle Apps are available for most phones and platforms, or you can use the Kindle Cloud Reader in your browser.
I have also gathered together a variety of other freebies that you might enjoy!
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?
Praise for Making Her Mark
“Another amazing read. The way [Workman] writes makes me feel like I’m living the story through the main character … I love [Workman’s] writing so much I build this relationship with the characters and it makes me think about them even outside of reading about them.”
And more freebies!
[image error]Tied, by Lee Gabel (Instafreebie)
Two sisters: They each want a way out. They each have a plan…
Rejected by her older sister’s gang, Jess joins a rival gang and fights for her life on the streets of South Los Angeles.
Note: Please be aware that this novel contains strong language and gang violence.
[image error]Nag, Nag, Nag, by Kathy Steinemann (multiple vendors)
If you’re allergic to laughter, get your meds ready. Nag Nag Nag will exercise your laugh muscles. It might even make you wet your pants.
Megan and Emmett share many of the same quirks and problems as other married couples. The way they deal with them might take you aback.
[image error]Sketches of Wakefield, by Philip Ross
Sketches of Wakefield is a book of digitally enhanced original photographs taken in and around the Wakefield district and edited to represent pencil sketches.
The Historic value of Wakefield is also available free!
[image error]Condemned by Fate, by V.L. McBeath (Instafreebie)
Rural England in 1839 shouldn’t be a place of conspiracy and betrayal. But when farm labourer Charles Jackson is imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit, he wants answers … and revenge.
From the fields of Staffordshire to the despair of a squalid prison cell, one thing is clear. Charles has enemies.
March 21, 2017
Excerpt from Michael Connelly’s The Drop
[image error]Did you miss the new release of Making Her Mark on St. Paddy’s Day? There are lots of other new releases that might excite you as well, so drop in for a look.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am reading another Michael Connelly novel today, one of the Harry Bosch series, The Drop. The title is a clever double entendre (or triple). Bosch is investigating two cases, and I don’t know whether they are going to intersect or not. I am interested in seeing how it is all going to play out. As always, Michael Connelly keeps you on your toes!
“It came from a small smear of blood,” Shuler said. “It was found on her neck, right below the right ear. She had no wounds in that area. It was assumed that it had come from the killer, that he had been cut in the struggle or maybe was already bleeding. It was just a drop. A smear, really.”
James Connelly, The Drop
Harry Bosch has been given three years before he must retire from the LAPD, and he wants cases more fiercely than ever. In one morning, he gets two.
DNA from a 1989 rape and murder matches a 29-year-old convicted rapist. Was he an eight-year-old killer or has something gone terribly wrong in the new Regional Crime Lab? The latter possibility could compromise all of the lab’s DNA cases currently in court.
Then Bosch and his partner are called to a death scene fraught with internal politics. Councilman Irvin Irving’s son jumped or was pushed from a window at the Chateau Marmont. Irving, Bosch’s longtime nemesis, has demanded that Harry handle the investigation.
Relentlessly pursuing both cases, Bosch makes two chilling discoveries: a killer operating unknown in the city for as many as three decades, and a political conspiracy that goes back into the dark history of the police department.
March 17, 2017
New Releases, including Making Her Mark
[image error]Today is launch day for Making Her Mark!
About Making Her Mark
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?
Other exciting new releases:
[image error]In the Market for Murder, by T.E. Kinsey
Spring, 1909, and Lady Hardcastle, amateur sleuth and all-round eccentric, is enjoying a well-deserved rest. But a week after a trip to the cattle market, Spencer Caradine, a local farmer, turns up dead in the pub, face-down in his beef and mushroom pie. Once again, it is up to Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence, to solve the case.
Armed with wit and whimsy, not to mention Florence’s mean right hook, the pair set out to discover what really happened and why. Was it poison or just ill luck?
[image error]Umbrae, by Debbie Manber Kupfer
Miri’s world at P.A.W.S. in St. Louis is falling apart. First, Danny is accused of stealing her opapa’s charm. But before he can defend himself, he mysteriously disappears. Miri seeks Josh for help and advice, but he too has gone missing.
[image error]Island of Glass, by Nora Roberts
As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley—and the wolf within her…
[image error]Redemption, by T.L. McDonald
Hanna Harper did the only thing she could do—she stabbed Jared, the love of her life, through the heart to stop the apocalypse. But she was too late. The Fallen were released, and now that Jared has ascended, they intend on using his blood to complete their plan to end the world.
[image error]Norse Mythology, by Neil Gaiman
I’ve been hearing a lot about this one!
Gaiman fashions these primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds and delves into the exploits of deities, dwarfs, and giants. Once, when Thor’s hammer is stolen, Thor must disguise himself as a woman—difficult with his beard and huge appetite—to steal it back. More poignant is the tale in which the blood of Kvasir—the most sagacious of gods—is turned into a mead that infuses drinkers with poetry. The work culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and rebirth of a new time and people.
[image error]Buried, by Elisa Dane
High school senior, Claire Reilly’s world revolves around All-Star cheerleading. The Diamond Girls, are gearing up for a major competition, which, if they win will allow them to compete at Worlds for the first time. But the unimaginable happens, and both Claire and her team are rocked by a devastating loss. Determined to get to Worlds any way she can, Claire finds help from the last person she imagined would give it—up and coming UFC fighter and notorious bad boy, Ryker Vaughn.
[image error]Never Never, by James Patterson and Candice Fox
A month without a new release by James Patterson? I don’t think so!
Never assume you know someone. Harry Blue is the top Sex Crimes investigator in her department. She’s a seasoned pro who’s seen it all. But even she didn’t see this coming: her own brother arrested for the grisly murders of three beautiful young women.
[image error]The Boy Next Door, by Jo Ho
It’s the summer break before Kim starts college, but instead of spending it with Chris and their large group of friends, she finds herself isolated from everyone she knows and loves.
The day she starts to notice the strange boy next door, however, her life begins to change as she starts to worry about someone other than herself.
[image error]My (not so) Perfect Life, by Sophie Kinsella
Everywhere Katie Brenner looks, someone else is living the life she longs for, particularly her boss, Demeter Farlowe. Demeter is brilliant and creative, lives with her perfect family in a posh townhouse, and wears the coolest clothes. Katie’s life, meanwhile, is a daily struggle—from her dismal rental to her oddball flatmates to the tense office politics she’s trying to negotiate. No wonder Katie takes refuge in not-quite-true Instagram posts, especially as she’s desperate to make her dad proud.
[image error]Arrows & Angels, by Kristin D. Van Risseghem (preorder – release date March 31)
Kieran’s job of being a guardian angel is straightforward: observe and learn—and don’t intervene in their lives. But then he watches as his first charge dies at the hands of evil while he does nothing to help.
Overcome with grief and doubt, Kieran flees back to the safety of heaven. With guidance from his mentor, he learns all he can about the Battle of the Fallen and the creation of evil itself. With renewed determination, he vows he will save the Ordinaries in his care.
[image error]Right Behind You, by Lisa Gardner
Once upon a time, Sharlah’s big brother saved her life. Now, she has two questions of her own: Is her brother a hero or a killer? And how much will it cost her new family before they learn the final, shattering truth? Because as Sharlah knows all too well, the biggest danger is the one standing right behind you.
[image error]Crashing Into Me, by R.L. Jackson
A year after being left at the altar, headstrong E.R Nurse, Lana McKenzie is finally piecing her life back together. Tired of dealing with seeing her ex and his new girlfriend at every turn, she longs for blissful solitude and can’t wait to enjoy a peaceful vacation alone in the mountains. However, her plans go awry when a rude stranger literally embeds himself into her life and mind.
March 14, 2017
Excerpt from Gone Again
[image error]I am publishing Making Her Mark later this week. Read a free preview here and sign up for the Goodreads Giveaway for chance to win a paperback copy.
I also finished the first draft of a new project yesterday. It’s a new kind of project for me, but I can’t tell you about it yet!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am currently reading Gone Again by James Grippando, a legal thriller in which Jack Swyteck is trying to save a death row inmate from his imminent date with the electric chair. Dylan Reeves was convicted of killing a seventeen-year-old girl, but the mother of the victim doesn’t belief she is dead. I recognized almost immediately that RAD (Reactive Attachment Disorder) was going to play a big part in this book, which means that so far, I have anticipated all of the twists. But I am still enjoying it!
“No, you don’t understand. Sasha isn’t dead.”
Jack did a double take. “What?”
“My daughter is alive.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know. But Sashi is alive. I know she’s alive. And I need you people to help me prove it, before they execute this man for killing her.”
James Grippando, Gone Again
Sashi Burgette vanished three years ago on her way to school. The night after the teenager’s disappearance, ex-con Dylan Reeves was stopped for drunk driving.
An article of Sashi’s clothing was found in his truck, and a police videotape of his drunken explanation under interrogation sealed his fate at trial. Now, just days from Reeves’s execution, Sashi’s mother visits Jack Swyteck, doing pro bono work at the Freedom Institute, and delivers shocking news: “Sashi called me.”
The police dismiss the call as a cruel hoax. The State Attorney refuses to consider the new evidence, insisting the case is closed. An innocent man may be executed and time is running out—unless his lawyers can locate Sashi.
A man of principle who believes in justice, Jack jumps into the investigation. But nothing is what it appears to be. Not the victim. Not her alleged killer. And definitely not Sashi’s parents. As their gut-wrenching and hopelessly conflicting version of events unfolds in a Miami courtroom, it becomes clear there is something even more difficult to find than a long-missing girl . . .
The truth.
March 9, 2017
Goodreads Giveaway! Making Her Mark
Making Her Mark will be released soon. Be one of the first to read it by entering to win a paperback copy through this Goodreads Giveaway!
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?
Praise for Making Her Mark
“Another amazing read. The way [Workman] writes makes me feel like I’m living the story through the main character … I love [Workman’s] writing so much I build this relationship with the characters and it makes me think about them even outside of reading about them.”
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.”
March 7, 2017
Excerpt from On Turpentine Lane
Don’t forget to check out all of the great deals on Smashwords’ World eBook Week!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I picked up On Turpentine Lane by Elinor Lipman on a whim, not having read anything by Lipman before, and knowing next to nothing about the book. While the description and the book begin with the description of mysterious artifacts in the attic, it is not a murder mystery, but a romantic comedy. Not one of my usual genres. It had me laughing out loud a number of times. Elinor Lipman is definitely an author I would read again, and the narrator of the audiobook captured her voice exactly.
I gave it some time—accepting the new, softer, vegetarian Stuart 2.0. When friends heard about his walk and asked me if he was a nonconformist or a nut, I told them that this was just a new lifelong goal, to find himself by crossing the country on foot, a sabbatical of sorts after his agency had closed its doors.
Elinor Lipman, On Turpentine Lane
At thirty-two, Faith Frankel has returned to her claustro-suburban hometown, where she writes institutional thank-you notes for her alma mater. It’s a peaceful life, really, and surely with her recent purchase of a sweet bungalow on Turpentine Lane her life is finally on track. Never mind that her fiancé is off on a crowdfunded cross-country walk, too busy to return her texts (but not too busy to post photos of himself with a different woman in every state). And never mind her witless boss, or a mother who lives too close, or a philandering father who thinks he’s Chagall.
When she finds some mysterious artifacts in the attic of her new home, she wonders whether anything in her life is as it seems. What good fortune, then, that Faith has found a friend in affable, collegial Nick Franconi, officemate par excellence…
March 6, 2017
World eBooks Week on Smashwords!
Are you looking for great deals on eBooks? This week is World eBooks Week, and Smashwords has lots of books 25-100% off! Including mine, of course. Find them here. Click on a book and look in the upper right-hand corner to find the sale price and coupon code.
Smashwords offers books in multiple formats — Kindle, ePub, pdf, etc.
March 3, 2017
World Book Day! A review of EDS, Medical Kidnap Files #2
Reblogged from hubby’s website.
[image error]Today is World Book Day, and as I’ve done a couple of times, I thought I would post a review of one of my wife’s recent books, EDS, Medical Kidnap Files #2. You can find a review of book #1 of the series here.
Once you meet Katt, you’ll never forget her. She has a way about her. That is because the only people who seem to meet her are in the medical field. And they appear to get to know her too well.
[image error]Katt is a clumsy, awkward teenager. She has awful time fitting in with her classmates. She spends more time with the school nurse than in her classes. She lands in the emergency room a little too often. While the world sees her as a clumsy, awkward teenager, the medical world sees her as a typical abused child. Either way, Katt’s life is no picnic. And just when it seems like it cannot get any worse, she is told her mother is unfit to raise her.
Her only hope is Gabriel and his Merry Band of Misfits. Who, as luck would have it, have had their share of misdiagnosed bloopers. As Katt fears the worst, can Gabriel and his helpers bring tranquility into her life? All Katt wants is the life of a normal teenager. But there is nothing normal about this remarkable young woman.
P.D. Workman brings you an all-too-familiar torn-from-the-headlines drama. As you dive into this novel, you will forget it is a fiction story and not a biography. You will not be able to put it down. Do yourself a favour; pick up your copy today.
You can read a free sample of EDS here.
