P.D. Workman's Blog, page 119

Reading the Book of Mormon one day at a time: release of The Book of Mormon 365-Day Reader

Reading the Book of Mormon in a year is a common goal for many LDS members. Many of you will be setting goals to read it again beginning January 1. With that in mind, I have released this special edition of the Book of Mormon, the Workman Family Classics 365-Day Reader.

This edition of the Book of Mormon has been split into 365 readings and all that is left for you is to open the book. Read the Book of Mormon by yourself, with your family, or a study group. Space has been provided for your thoughts and study notes.

This Workman Family Classic edition contains:

• Background/Introduction

• Reading schedules

• Family reading strategies

• Extension activities suitable for families, personal study, students or book clubs

Some additional notes:

There are downloadable Bonus Materials available for this book.

If you purchase a paperback or hardback edition available through Amazon, you also qualify to get the Kindle version through Kindle Matchbook for $1.99.

I have made a special spiral-bound, lay-flat edition of The Book of Mormon 365-Day Reader available through Lulu.

Excerpt from After the Storm

The entries for my contest for ten new thriller, suspense, and mystery eBooks are in and the winner has been drawn! I will be sending out a notice to the winner shortly.

If you are looking for some Halloween reading this week but aren’t a fan of paranormal, check out my Scary but Not Spooky blog post!

Ruby, Between the Cracks is still free at the Kindle store and other ebook retailers. I am getting excited about publishing book four in the Between the Cracks series in January. Chloe is a heart-wrenching story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules at Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along.

I have just started reading After the Storm: A Kate Burkholder Novel by Linda Castillo. It’s a bit of a mashup with a female detective, a natural disaster, and a cold case murder in a Pennsylvania Dutch Amish community. I’m having fun with it so far! See if this grabs you:

He tugged a long plank from the collapsed floor, when something round and white rolled out from beneath it. At first, Josh thought it was a rock, but it was a little too round and rolled easily. Too light to be a rock. Definitely not a soccer ball. Dropping the plank, he walked over to it and knelt, rolling the thing over with his hand.

After the Storm, Linda Castillo

When a tornado tears through Painters Mill and unearths human remains, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is tasked with the responsibility of identifying the bones and notifying the family. When evidence emerges that the death was no accident, Kate soon finds herself plunged into a thirty-year-old case that takes her deep into the Amish community to which she once belonged.

Meanwhile, turmoil strikes close to home as Kate’s budding relationship with state agent John Tomasetti reaches the breaking point. Can they weather the storm that threatens to tear them apart? Under siege from an unknown assailant―and her own personal demons―Kate digs deep into the case only to discover proof of an unimaginable atrocity, a plethora of family secrets and the lengths to which people will go to protect their own.

Scary but not Spooky Books for Halloween Readers

People love Halloween. Well, some people love Halloween. Some people hate it. On the one hand, there are boxes of fun-sized chocolate bars and an excuse to pull that old costume (you know the one) out of your closet for one last crazy fling. But on the other hand, there are yards full of crazy death-oriented decorations, weird episodes of your favourite TV series, and children knocking on your door or ringing your doorbell nonstop, letting in all the cold air. Because here, at least, Halloween tends to be the coldest night of the season.

The commercial book sites have books on sale that are full of vampires (sparkly or bloody, your choice), werewolves, witches, and other spooky stuff. But maybe that’s not your thing. I don’t have any zombie or ghost stories on offer, but I do write stuff that will scare you. Not the books that make you look under your bed, but the ones that make you look at your neighbour a second time. And maybe a third.

So for my Halloween themed post, I decided to feature stories that are Scary but not Spooky (no paranormal elements). Click on a cover to jump to that book in the Kindle store.

What scares you?

Bugs

Okay, Matt Malloy, my infectious diseases expert, will tell you that ticks and spiders are not bugs. And he’s right. But I didn’t feel like heading this section arthropods. So, bugs it is. Creepy crawlies. Things with lots of legs.

  

Animals

Bigger animals can be scary too…

There is currently a Goodreads Giveaway running for Loose the Dogs.

People

Stalkers, abusers, and serial killers…

There are plenty more villainous characters in my other books too, including Mito, which is free Oct 21-23. Feel free to take a look around.

Download Mito and more for free

I have some freebie deals for you!

Mito, Medical Kidnap Files #1 is free this weekend, October 21-23. Jump straight to the Kindle store to download it now!

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

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

I also have a Goodreads Giveaway running for a paperback copy of Loose the Dogs. Click to get your entry in!

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!

Seven dogs are adopted by families all across the country who do not know their history…

“Of one thing I am sure,” Glenn declares. “These dogs are perfectly harmless.”

Frank knew it wasn’t true.

He would never forget walking into that trailer. He saw it in his mind every time he closed his eyes. He woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, seeing those eyes and those teeth, screaming soundlessly, gasping for breath.

“He never saw those dogs. How could anyone make such a stupid a decision, knowing what they did?”

Looking for some more free books for your Kindle? Here are some more options:
Kindle

          

Instafreebie

   

Smashwords

Excerpt from School Monitor

Are you looking for some Halloween reading? Enter my contest for ten new thriller, suspense, and mystery eBooks for your Kindle reader (or the Kindle App on your phone, tablet, or browser.)

And for a limited time, you can download Ruby, Between the Cracks for free.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules at Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along.

I just finished a recent release by Alex Dunn, School Monitor. A young adult psychological thriller about boarding school and bullying, it has just the right twists to keep you reading. However, if you don’t want those twists spoiled, do not read the blurb on Amazon! I have given you an amended blurb below.

According to the prospectus, this is a Tudor manor house, and there is currently a collection to repair the bell tower. If there is a collection to install Wi-Fi or behead a few vomiting gargoyles that have procreated over most of the turrets — I might donate.

School Monitor, Alex Dunn

Richard is too busy making films and having fun with his best friends, but when he and his twin, Chrissie, are sent to St. Bart’s boarding school, Richard is framed for stealing and finds himself on a mission to clear his name, trapped in a real-life psychological horror.

It’s my bookiversary! Get Ruby free

Oct 15, 2016 is the third anniversary of publishing my first book. That is, not publishing the first book I wrote, but publishing for the first time. Three years ago, I released Looking Over Your Shoulder into the world. If you haven’t read it, you can currently pick up the ebook from Kindle or any of the other major online stores for $0.99.

But you can’t have a bookiversary without a freebie! (Yes, that’s a rule.) So I have put Ruby, Between the Cracks on for free at the Kindle Store and other major online stores. Last year, Ruby won a place on the In the Margins Top Ten Books for Teens list. It is much beloved on Wattpad (with 169,000 reads and 3,000 votes) and now you can add it to your virtual bookshelf for free.

Read a sample or jump directly to the Kindle store.

In case you’re wondering what to read after Ruby, books 2 and 3 of the series, (June & Justin, Michelle) are out, and book 4 (Chloe) is scheduled to be published in January. And well, if you are looking for something else, I have quite a variety to choose from, including the new Medical Kidnap Files series.

If you asked Ruby, she’d tell you she’s happy with her life.  She’s tough and independent and doesn’t depend on anyone else.  The road that has led her here has not been easy, and she’s blocked a lot of it from her memory.

But things aren’t as rosy as she would have everyone believe, and the road ahead of her is filled not only with gangs, drugs, and depression, but other challenges that Ruby hasn’t even imagined.

You know it’s a great book when you have to keep reminding yourself that the characters are not real people. I really cared about Ruby, and she gave me some bad moments. I desperately hoped her story would have a happy ending. 

“Ruby” exposes the complex and brutal relationship between mental illness, poverty and abuse … a page turner I had to finish 

“Ruby” really put me through the wringer and I actually had to put it down a few times because I needed to return to reality … There was no chance I was going to stop reading until I knew how the story ended! … I seriously can’t wait for book two!

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

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

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

Excerpt from Spells and Scones

Lena Mae Hill’s Huge YA Paperback Giveaway, featuring a paperback copy of Once Brothers is still open for entries! Ten paperbacks for your TBR pile!

Are you looking for some Halloween reading? Enter my contest for ten new thriller, suspense, and mystery eBooks for your Kindle reader (or the Kindle App on your phone, tablet, or browser.)

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules at Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along.

I have read some pretty heavy stuff lately, so I picked up a nice cozy mystery to give my brain a holiday. I am reading Spells and Scones, part of Bailey Cates’ Magical Bakery Mystery series. It is a fun read, with lots of interesting characters, and a puppy or two.

His phone rang, and he whipped it out of his pocket like it would reveal the secrets of the universe. “It’s her assistant,” he said to me as he thumbed the screen. “Phoebe! Is everything all right? Where are you?”

Spells and Scones, Bailey Cates

When the bookshop next to the Honeybee Bakery hosts a signing for a Savannah radio celebrity’s new self-help book, magical baker Katie Lightfoot is happy to provide some delectable desserts. A big crowd has turned out for the event, curious about the book (and maybe to sample some goodies), but the final chapter comes too soon for the author when she is found dead at the event.

The prime suspect is Angie Kissel, a former witch whose familiar was once Katie’s own terrier, Mungo. Katie is at first hesitant to help, afraid of losing the little dog who has become so important to her. But after a little nudge from Mungo himself, Katie decides to try to conjure up the real killer—before Angie gets served…

Thrills, Chills, and Mystery 10 eBook Prize Pack

Looking for some Halloween reading? Here are ten thriller, suspense, and mystery Kindle eBooks to keep you reading all night long! Click below to enter the contest now, or scroll down to see the details of all the books in the giveaway.

 

Loose the Dogs – Seven dogs are adopted by families all across the country who do not know their history . . .

“Of one thing I am sure,” Glenn declares. “These dogs are perfectly harmless.”

Frank knew it wasn’t true.

He would never forget walking into that trailer. He saw it in his mind every time he closed his eyes. He woke up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat, seeing those eyes and those teeth, screaming soundlessly, gasping for breath.

“He never saw those dogs. How could anyone make such a stupid a decision, knowing what they did?”

Redemption Road – Jesse is a drug addict, a low-level thug, and a drug dealer. He leads a life of lies and cares for little but his own pleasure and ease. Despite this, someone thinks his soul is worth saving and has offered their sponsorship. When he goes missing, dealers Vincent and Duke want to find him and the product they believe Jesse stole from them.  

Jesse’s ex, Kate, believes something awful has happened to him. When the police and Jesse’s father turn their backs on her, telling her Jesse isn’t worth the trouble, Kate goes to Vincent and pleads for him to help her find Jesse.

Unintended Consequences – A killer discovers new opportunities while stalking a cat burglar.

A gruesome crime scene shocks a small town. When faced with a bloody room and a missing body, Detective Ethan Anderson is forced to look at the dark truths of his childhood and the secrets he keeps. Evidence in the investigation could implicate his cousin—something he won’t believe to be true. His loyalties are tested, but when another person goes missing, he has to act fast before the killer strikes again. 

Saving Sophie – A teenage girl is missing. Is your daughter involved, or is she next?

Your daughter is in danger. But can you trust her?

When Karen Finch’s seventeen-year-old daughter Sophie arrives home after a night out, drunk and accompanied by police officers, no one is smiling the morning after. But Sophie remembers nothing about how she got into such a state.

Twelve hours later, Sophie’s friend Amy has still not returned home. Then the body of a young woman is found.

Karen is sure that Sophie knows more than she is letting on. But Karen has her own demons to fight. She struggles to go beyond her own door without a panic attack.

As she becomes convinced that Sophie is not only involved but also in danger, Karen must confront her own anxieties to stop whoever killed one young girl moving on to another – Sophie.

Tool & Die – Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree traded her power-broker life for a run-down dream house in peaceful Eastport, Maine. But the do-it-yourself enthusiast is learning that no matter how carefully you build your home, murder has a way of slipping in through the cracks….

It’s a bright June afternoon and old-house-fixer-upper Jake Tiptree is driving through downeast Maine on an unusual errand. She’s getting ready to interview a large, angry man with a criminal history. Jim Diamond may or may not be harassing his ex-wife with life-threatening letters, but Jake promised her new housekeeper, Bella Diamond, she’d look into the matter. An ex-con and a deadbeat, Jim Diamond doesn’t have a history of violence…that is, not until Jake arrives at his apartment and discovers that a killer has been there first.

Suddenly Jake and her best friend, Ellie White, find themselves at the center of a murder with too many suspects and too few clues. And as if that’s not enough, Jake is now saddled with the manic Bella, whose certainty that she’ll be the next victim is fueling a supercompulsive neatness–one that threatens to clean Jake and her long-suffering husband, Wade, out of house and home.

Add to that a moose in her kitchen, a rebellious son with a habit of dumping Miss Right for Miss Wrong, and a troublesome ex of her own, and Jake is already at wit’s end. Then she gets word that a horde of her dad’s long-lost relatives mean to descend on Eastport, intending to be put up at her far-from-fixed-up fixer-upper.

When the killer does strike again, it’s not where Jake expects…and the victim couldn’t be more of a surprise. For this is a case bigger than the usual angry—ex-spouse variety, and now that Jake and Ellie have gotten themselves involved, they’ve each won a special place in a ruthless murderer’s master plan of greed, deception, and death. And the prize? A pair of eternally private rooms–six feet under!

Don’t Go, Ramanya – Three men running from secrets and tragedies in their past. Four tense days in and around Bangkok. A taut literary thriller that you won’t soon forget.

 

 

A Dead End – Kit Wilder is all washed up at the ripe old age of twenty-three. Blackballed by the producers of her hit TV show, she returns home to the affluent town of Westdale, chock full of Mayflower descendants, to enroll in college and lead a quiet life…until she discovers a skeleton in her house.

Kit quickly finds herself embroiled in a murder investigation led by the handsome detective, Romeo Moretti. With the help of her new neighbors, Kit channels her former character, hotshot detective Ellie Gold, in order to solve the murder so she can get back to renovating her house and avoiding the Mayflower Madam, who also happens to be her hypercritical, gin-swilling mother.

In the Tick of Time – Matt Malloy, infectious diseases expert for the DOH vector-borne disease division, knew there was something wrong with the Buffalo Head infection cluster as soon as it hit his desk. But knowing it instinctively and proving it were two completely different things, especially when his boss and coworkers already suspected that, battling sleep deprivation, he’d already gone around the bend.

Matt knew that solving the mysteries of the Buffalo Head cluster was a matter of life and death. He just didn’t know that it could be a matter of his life and death.

Looking Over Your Shoulder – Just because you’re paranoid, that doesn’t mean someone isn’t out to get you. 

Things were going well for Abe. Despite all of his past struggles with his inner demons, he was happily married, had three wonderful children, a nice home, and a fantastic consulting business that satisfied his creativity and brought in a good income.  

But you can never get too comfortable. 

When Abe becomes a prime suspect in a jewel heist – one of the largest successful jewel heists in history – his schizophrenia becomes unmanageable and everything begins to spiral out of control. Abe’s own investigation into the heist has the jewel thieves hot on his tail… or is it all just part of his paranoia, like everyone keeps telling him? 

With everyone against him, how is Abe ever going to get his life back?

Darkness in the Light –  While driving cross-country to surprise a friend, Holly O’Neill searches for a gas station and unknowingly stumbles into the confines of the Children of the Light cult. When the sheriff throws her in jail on a trumped-up charge, she discovers that is only the beginning of her nightmare.

Author Olivia Vandermeer has just published her new novel about a cult. She put her main character, Holly O’Neill, into a dangerous and volatile situation. But when Olivia’s book raises the ire of the Children of the Light’s leader, Holly isn’t the only one in jeopardy. Fiction coincides with reality, and the question isn’t whether or not Holly will escape. More importantly, will Olivia?

Enter the contest now!

Get these books on your Kindle bookshelf!

Giving Thanks for Indie Authors!

This weekend is both Canadian Thanksgiving and Indie Author Day. Combining both celebrations, I am posting today about my gratitude for indie publishing and indie authors. And of course, even if you don’t want to read the rest, you must scroll down for some great new reading material!

Independent (indie) authors come in many shapes, colours, personalities, and flavours. They may be self-publishing through Kindle Direct Publishing, iBooks, Nook, Kobo, Smashwords, Draft2Digital, or any number of other distributors. They may be publishing print books through Createspace, Ingram, Lulu, or another POD printer, or they may be publishing through a small press or micropress publisher or a local printer. They may be recording audiobooks themselves or with a narrator. They might be publishing in another language. They may be selling direct through their websites.

Indie authors might be teenagers or seniors publishing their first book. They might be experienced writers publishing their twentieth or fiftieth book. They might be hybrid authors who either started out in traditional publishing or split their work between self and trad publishing.

They might be your next-door neighbour, niece, or grandfather publishing under a pen name.

They run the gamut from those who have sold only a few copies to those who are drawing six figures. Or more.

I have greatly enjoyed indie publishing. I have learned so much in the past few years, and I have improved not only my writing craft, but my knowledge of graphic design, marketing, web design, social networking, mailing list management, and so much more. In the past three years, (October is the third anniversary of publishing my first book!) I have published twenty of my own books (with three more coming in the next three months), five translations, three collections, eleven annotated classics, one audiobook (with two more coming out shortly), and have helped with a few other projects that were only published privately or were published by others. What a great time!

So why am I thankful for indie publishing?

I have control over my product(s)
I can set my own hours and deadlines
I can publish more than the one or two books a year that a traditional big publisher would allow
I have met so many great authors

What is so great about indie authors?

They help each other, sharing their tips and knowledge and sometimes even free services with each other
They cooperate and help to cross-promote each other’s books, rather than competing or trying to corner the market
While of course, they come in all different personalities, they tend to be down-to-earth, genuine, everyday people ready to share a laugh or to commiserate
They publish lots of great reading material!

And with that thought, here are some of the indie authors in my online communities and the books they are offering!

David M. Kelly, Three Lives of Mary

This is an awesome cover, David. Three Lives of Mary, a short story, is currently priced at $0.99.

Mary is part of an elite CySapient team, surveying planets looking for potential worlds to colonize. Her partner, Ben, is a total conversion sentient spaceship—and her husband. 

While investigating the surface of a rare, potentially habitable planet, Mary encounters a strange plant-animal hybrid that threatens to destroy her despite her near invulnerable Cynetic body. Ben rescues her, but the lifeforms create a violent lightning storm and almost blast him out of the skies, severely damaging his systems—including his highly expensive Dataract.

Sparrow R. Jones, The ABCs of Autism Acceptance

Sparrow is an autistic author writing about autism. I have read Sparrow’s first book, No You Don’t, and really enjoyed it. I have read some of the essays in The ABCs of Autism Acceptance, and am looking forward to reading the entire book. This is one book that encourages thoughtful consideration.

Autism awareness is merely a starting point. Awareness without acceptance and understanding does more damage than good. The ABCs of Autism Acceptance takes the reader on an Autistic tour of the alphabet, visiting important topics ranging from healthcare access to bullying and trauma to love, and much more, stepping beyond simple awareness into the understanding and acceptance that are required of each one of us if we hope to truly welcome and support the Autistic members of our huge and diverse human family.

Talena Winters, The Friday Night Date Dress

I recently met Talena at a Writer’s Conference. She attended a couple of my panels, and her book was next to mine on the display table. She beta-read Chloe, the fourth book in the Between the Cracks series for me, and came back with some great feedback.

The Friday Night Date Dress: She sews runway masterpieces… but who will mend her damaged heart?

Tragic loss has made Melinda Myers invisible. She hides as a nondescript waitress at an average diner during the day. But each night, she sews runway masterpieces that she wears only once before putting them into a box forever. Peter Surati, an aspiring Asian Indian photographer, can’t help but notice beautiful, sad Melinda. He makes it his mission to help her find her smile again. But can he find a way to mend her damaged heart?

Mahrie G. Reid, Came Home Dead

Mahire G. Reid, a Nova Scotian, a minister’s daughter, and a lover of mysteries, oceans and islands penned her first book at age eight. Decades later she came back to pen and paper and has published three books with the Atlantic and an island in them. The Caleb Cove Mystery Series will be followed by book #4 (Came Home to a Grave) in 2107. 

S.K. Wee, Absence of Color

Find Absence of Color here.

Are our destinies preordained? Darby and Wagner are hired mercenaries employed by an organization called The Black Rose, led by a woman sometimes known as Lil Red. Their newest mission is to rescue two children and then escort them across the country while posing as peddlers. Join the adventure of this Coming of Age Fantasy. Magic, friendship, and romance abound.

Meredith Rose, Chains of Silver

Chains of Silver is free on Kindle

In the high-stakes world of the theater, stage fright can seriously crank your career, so apprentice Minx Mellor hides her phobia, studying as a technomancer to create fantastic, steam-powered devices. 

But when the mysterious serial killer known as The Peacock targets one of their own, Minx can hide no longer. To save the life of the woman she loves like a mother, she teams up with her sworn enemy and a dashing young director whose powerful magic wakes the nightmares she’s kept secret for years. 

C.C. Naughton, Don’t Piss Off the Faeries

I had to include CC’s full title and subtitle, which is: Don’t Piss Off The Fairies: An offbeat fairy tale about a spirited girl, her enigmatic grandmother, an incredible forest, baffling quests, and adorable (but also slightly creepy) fairies!

Nellie stopped believing in fairies when she was very small, although her Gran insisted they make extremely tiny shoes and give them a bowl of milk to drink each night. Why they had to be the ones to keep the irritating little things clothed and fed was beyond Nellie’s understanding. 

Lena Mae Hill, When in Rome, Find Yourself

Lena Mae Hill currently has a YA Paperback Giveaway going which includes Once Brothers.

When in Rome, Find Yourself is on sale for $0.99. Rory Hartnett has sworn off love, so boys will not be a distraction on her six-week study abroad trip to Rome. She has her plate full dealing with her anxiety in a foreign country, making new friends to explore the city with, taking classes, and applying for an internship at a travel e-zine. But when she meets the cute artist sharing her eccentric host mother’s lodging, all bets are off.

Joanne Van Leerdam, Leaf

This poetry book by Joanne Van Leerdam can be found here.

Excerpt from The Girl from the Sea

In case you missed it, yesterday I released Mito, Medical Kidnap Files #1! Books #2 and #3 are also available for preorder. My post includes a number of other new releases that you may be interested in.

Lena Mae Hill’s Huge YA Paperback Giveaway, featuring a paperback copy of Once Brothers is still open for entries! Ten paperbacks for your TBR pile!

Many of my writer friends are gearing up for Nanowrimo in November. If you have been following me for a while, you know that I always do Nano. If you are thinking of writing a novel next month and are looking for some advice or a buddy, head on over to my Nanowrimo page.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules at Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along.

I have just started reading The Girl from the Sea by Shalini Boland. A young woman washes up on the beach with retrograde amnesia; no idea who she is or how she got there. I have just barely started, but so far it is well-written and believable. Something awful happened to Mia; she has waking dreams of the attack that may have preceded her near-drowning, and she has uneasy feelings of impending doom and a general distrust of people around her.

No, I don’t remember anyone. Just the woman who found me on the beach. She had a dog, I think. Poppy. That’s the dog’s name. She wore glasses. The woman, I mean, not the dog.’ I give a short strangled laugh. I must sound like a lunatic. ‘Sorry,’ I add.

The Girl from the Sea, Shalini Boland

Washed up on the beach, she can’t remember who she is. She can’t even remember her name. Turns out, she has a perfect life – friends and family eager to fill in the blanks. 

But why are they lying to her? What don’t they want her to remember?