P.D. Workman's Blog, page 128

Excerpt from Death Wears a Beauty Mask @maryhigginsclark

Last minute gifts? ebooks are quick and easy and suit all kinds of tastes!

How Kindle Matchbook will Save Your Christmas (It’s not too late to order paperbacks through Amazon Prime.)

In case you missed my new release, pop over for an bonus teaser!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

I love Mary Higgins Clark’s novels, and recently finished a collection of her short stories in Death Wears a Beauty Mask. They run the gamut from suspenseful to silly, and were written at various points in Mary Higgins Clark’s career. If you want to read more by the Queen of Suspense, bestselling author of Where are the Children? pick it up!

“You mean my sister arrived in New York three days ago and you haven’t heard from her?” Janice demanded.

Emma shook her head. “She was due in from that Beauty Mask trip Monday evening. When that Wilson fellow called, he said that they all arrived on the chartered plane but separated at the airport. He told me Miss Alexandra was supposed to be driven home by the owner of the charter airline. He hasn’t seen her since…”

Mary Higgins Clark, Death Wears a Beauty Mask

From Clark’s first-ever published story (1956’s “Stowaway”), to classic tales featuring Alvirah and Willy, My Gal Sunday and many more, Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories gives readers the chance to revisit the short story highlights from the “Queen of Suspense.” The jewel of this collection is the novella showcasing the dazzling and dangerous world of high fashion in 1970s New York City: Death Wears a Beauty Mask, which Mary began in 1974 and put aside to write Where Are the Children, the book that launched her career. Mary returned to Death Wears a Beauty Mask nearly forty years later and the result is spectacular.

Featuring the same chills and heart-pounding drama we’ve come to expect from a Mary Higgins Clark title, and including an exclusive author’s introduction, Death Wears a Beauty Mask and Other Stories is a spine-tingling read and glimpse into the evolution of the remarkable career of the “Queen of Suspense.”

New Release: Once Brothers

Amidst the Christmas craziness, I have been working away behind the scenes to bring you Once Brothers, a story about brotherhood and belonging. I just love all of the brothers in this book, especially little Sammy.

(Keep scrolling down for information on my latest classic book releases.)

I’ll start you off with a teaser:

There was an ache in Deke’s chest that had nothing to do with bruised ribs. He pressed his hand to his breastbone. Deke had once had brothers too. He remembered them walking him to school. It seemed like a long time ago. Another life. But now he had his gang brothers. Plenty of guys to watch his back. Or to fight with. They were just like brothers. There was no difference.

Jacob, fifteen and a loner, never thought he’d get mixed up with a gang.

Deke, older now, had sought the gang out for protection when he had no family of his own to rely upon.

And Sammy, only ten, pressed into service as a gang courier, is terrified of where his job with the gang will lead.

Three boys, each brothers, their lives all converging. Can they survive within their gangs? Without them?

—An easy-to-read portrait of urban gang life and the tough and trying bonds between family, friends, and brothers in arms.

—Courage and strength tested to the core of life and death in this exhilarating story of three remarkable boys.

—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.

Click to buy Once Brothers.

I have also been beavering away on classic book releases. Don’t miss these Workman Family Classics and Workman Classic Schoolbooks:

Workman Family Classics

I have brought together some great books for families to read together for Christmas!

A Christmas Carol, Special 24-day Advent Reader

This edition of A Christmas Carol is perfect for families to read together, and has been specially formatted into 24 readings suitable for reading during December. experience one of the greatest Christmas stories of all time all over again!

The Life of Our Lord

This story of the life of Christ is perfect for families to read together, and has been specially formatted into 24 short readings suitable for reading during December. Sit back and listen to the master storyteller Charles Dickens share the life of our Lord with his children.

Dickens Advent Reader

Two for one! Dickens’ widely beloved A Christmas Carol and his little-known The Life of Our Lord are brought together in this reader, specially formatted into 24 readings suitable for reading during December.

Workman Classic Schoolbooks

Do me a favor, and if you have friends who are homeschooling, send them these links!

Dave Dashaway the Young Aviator

(middle-grade reader, grades 4-6)

Dave has run away from his miserly, abusive guardian with no money or possessions of his own—even his clothing has been stolen—but armed with his wits and a cheerful nature, he makes friends quickly and gets ever closer to his dream of flying an airship.

Dave Dashaway and His Hydroplane

The irrepressible Dave Dashaway has returned for another adventure, along with faithful sidekick Hiram Dobbs. They are off on an aerohydroplane, over Lake Superior, on the track of smugglers over the Canadian border

More Dave Dashaway books on are their way!

Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions

(Junior High/Middle School Level, grades 7+)

Flatland was first published in 1884 and is a unique combination of satirical comment on Victorian society and mathematical exploration of geometry and the first through fourth dimensions. Though not as well-known as Jonathan Swift’s satire, Gulliver’s Travels, it has been commented on by Einstein, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, and Stephen Hawking, and has even been mentioned in the television series The Big Bang Theory.

A Square’s journey through Pointland, Flatland, and Spaceland will give you a unique perspective on English society in the 1800s that stands on its own merit today.

Excerpt from The False Prince

A couple of Christmas reminders:

How Kindle Matchbook will Save Your Christmas

Dickens Advent Reader

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

I am reading the Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A Nielsen and today’s teaser is from book once, The False Prince. It is full of action, adventure, and twists and turns. A great young adult fantasy read!

“Let me finish,” Conner said. “Four years ago, when he was nearly eleven years of age, Jaron was to be sent north to the country of Bymar, always a friend to Carthya. He was sent there not only to be educated abroad but, frankly, to stop embarrassing the king and queen. However, on the way, his ship was attacked by pirates. There were no survivors. Pieces of the boat washed ashore for months, but Jaron’s body was never found.”

Jennifer A. Nielsen, The False Prince

In this first book in a remarkable trilogy, an orphan is forced into a twisted game with deadly stakes.

Choose to lie…or choose to die.

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king’s long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner’s motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword’s point — he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage’s rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner’s sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats.

Excerpt from Accused

(Before I start, don’t forget that I have a Goodreads Giveaway running for an autographed copy of Questing for a Dream. Don’t miss it! Click here)

A couple of Christmas reminders:

How Kindle Matchbook will Save Your Christmas

Dickens Advent Reader

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

I just finished Accused: A Rosato & DiNunzio Novel by Lisa Scottoline. I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator does such a good job of the various voices and accents, it’s a very fun read. I see there are a number of semi-negative reviews of people who like Lisa Scottoline’s gritty thrillers and did not like Accused because it is more of a fun book. Not quite a cozy, but pretty close. So if you’ve previously read Scottoline’s work, pick this one up with the understanding that it is not an edge-of-your-seat thriller.

Her father shouted, “IS THIS KID THE RICH ONE?”

Her mother was already engulfing Allegra in a big hug. “Che carina! Si carina!”

“Whoa, hi.” Allegra giggled as she righted her cap, which had come askew in the love attack.

“Ma, please don’t hug the clients!” Married hurried over to extricate Allegra. “Sorry, this is my mother and father.”

Lisa Scottoline, Accused

Mary DiNunzio has just been promoted to partner and is about to take on her most unusual case yet, brought to the firm by a thirteen-year-old genius with a penchant for beekeeping. Allegra Gardner’s sister Fiona was murdered six years ago, and it seemed like an open-and-shut case: the accused, Lonnie Stall, was seen fleeing the scene; his blood was on Fiona and her blood was on him; most damningly, Lonnie Stall pleaded guilty. But Allegra believes Lonnie is innocent and has been wrongly imprisoned. The Gardner family is one of the most powerful in the country and Allegra’s parents don’t believe in reopening the case, so taking it on is risky. But the Rosato & Associates firm can never resist an underdog. Was justice really served all those years ago? It will take a team of unstoppable female lawyers, plus one thirteen-year-old genius, to find out.

How Kindle Matchbook will Save Your Christmas

(Before I start, don’t forget that I have a Goodreads Giveaway running for an autographed copy of Questing for a Dream. Don’t miss it! Click here)

What is Kindle Matchbook, and how can it save your Christmas?

With Kindle Matchbook, you can buy print books for everyone on your Christmas list, and add copies to your own Kindle library as well! The Kindle copies range from free to $2.99.

If you have purchased qualifying books from Amazon in the past, or you are buying books this Christmas, click to see your Kindle matchbook matches. If you buy any of my print books through Amazon for Christmas presents this year, you can the get the Kindle copy for $0.99! How can you say no to anything that will add ebooks to your library?

Excerpt from Lois Lowry’s The Giver

December 1 is the first day of Advent! You could be reading the first day of the Dickens Advent Reader right now. Read both A Christmas Carol and The Life of Our Lord with your family before Christmas!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

I’m reading a couple of YA dystopian fiction books right now. I’m quite impressed so far with The Giver by Lois Lowry. It has been on my TBR list for a while!

‘I liked the feeling of love,’ [Jonas] confessed. He glanced nervously at the speaker on the wall, reassuring himself that no one was listening. ‘I wish we still had that,’ he whispered. ‘Of course,’ he added quickly, ‘I do understand that it wouldn’t work very well. And that it’s much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live.’

Lois Lowry, The Giver

The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

Excerpt from Lisa Lowry’s The Giver

December 1 is the first day of Advent! You could be reading the first day of the Dickens Advent Reader right now. Read both A Christmas Carol and The Life of Our Lord with your family before Christmas!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

I’m reading a couple of YA dystopian fiction books right now. I’m quite impressed so far with The Giver by Lois Lowry. It has been on my TBR list for a while!

‘I liked the feeling of love,’ [Jonas] confessed. He glanced nervously at the speaker on the wall, reassuring himself that no one was listening. ‘I wish we still had that,’ he whispered. ‘Of course,’ he added quickly, ‘I do understand that it wouldn’t work very well. And that it’s much better to be organized the way we are now. I can see that it was a dangerous way to live.’

Lois Lowry, The Giver

The Giver, the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, has become one of the most influential novels of our time. The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community. Lois Lowry has written three companion novels to The Giver, including Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son.

Excerpt from A Christmas Carol

 

 

 

I just validated my NaNoWriMo win! The first draft of Chloe, Between the Cracks #4 clocked in at 114,699 words. 20 days of writing (since three days were Sundays and I don’t write on Sunday.) At least 5,000 words per day.

Did you miss my announcement last week? Stuff is happening around here!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

Tis the season… for A Christmas Carol and special family readings as we count down the days to Christmas! Who hasn’t read some version of A Christmas Carol, or at least watched one of the movie versions? This advent reader will have you reading it in twenty-four readings from December 1 to Christmas Eve. How about this teaser from the December 3 reading:

“A poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December!” said Scrooge, buttoning his great-coat to the chin. “But I suppose you must have the whole day. Be here all the earlier next morning.”

The clerk promised that he would; and Scrooge walked out with a growl.

Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

Dickens’ widely beloved A Christmas Carol and his little-known The Life of Our Lord are brought together in this reader, specially formatted into 24 readings suitable for reading during December.

Experience two of the greatest Christmas stories of all time with your family

This Workman Family Classics Edition Contains:

• Background/Introduction

• Biography

• Footnotes

• a scriptural passage and discussion question after

each day’s reading

• Extension activities

 

Reading the Classics

I have recently embarked upon a new venture!

Apparently writing a 125,000 novel during November for NaNoWriMo was not enough to keep me busy. I also moved forward on a new plan to publish classic novels with hand-crafted, value-added content just for you.

I am currently working on two streams, Workman Classic Schoolbooks and Workman Family Classics. You can find out about their selection and features here or by clicking “Buy Classics” on the menu bar.

What have I worked on so far?

Dave Dashaway the Young Aviator is the first book in the Dave Dashaway series, a little-known series put out by the same publishing house as the Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins, Rover Boys, and many more highly successful children’s books. The other four books in the series will be coming! My Workman Classic Schoolbooks edition includes vocabularly exercises, comprehension questions, discussion questions suitable for a book club, class, or family, extension activities, and more. Workman Classic Schoolbooks are a great resource for homeschooling families, and Dave Dashaway is an adventure of particular interest to busy boys.

I have also published A Christmas Carol and The Life of Our Lord, two books by Charles Dickens, as Advent readers just in time for the Christmas holiday. Each is divided into twenty-four bite-sized readings so that you can start reading them with your famiy on December 1 and finish on Christmas Eve. Each day’s reading includes a scripture and an open-ended discussion question to get talking with your kids, spouse, or book club. Extension activites are included in the back.

While you can get both of these Advent readers separately, you can save money and get both of them in the Dickens Advent Reader. (Available in Kindle or paperback.) Order now, and you will have it in time to start reading these timeless Christmas classics with your family on December 1.

 

Excerpt from Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card

Nanowrimo is coming along well. Halfway through, and I am up over 80,000 words.

I hope to have a special announcement for you next week. Oh, I know, I’m such a tease…

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, read the rules at A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along!

I have been reading another Orson Scott Card book (I’m not sure how many that is this year… six, maybe?) This one, rather than being set in a sci fi or fantasy world is set in early American times, a world steeped in religion and witchery.

Good boys, doing their work just right, Vigor shouting directions while Alvin could only watch, helpless at the back of the wagon, looking now at Faith who was trying not to have the baby, now at the Hatrack River that was trying to push them all down to hell.

Orson Card, Seventh Son: The Tales of Alvin Maker, Volume I

From the author of Ender’s Game, an unforgettable story about young Alvin Maker: the seventh son of a seventh son. Born into an alternative frontier America where life is hard and folk magic is real, Alvin is gifted with the power. He must learn to use his gift wisely. But dark forces are arrayed against Alvin, and only a young girl with second sight can protect him.