P.D. Workman's Blog, page 129

What’s new? The release of Michelle, Between the Cracks #3 and more!

Michelle, Between the Cracks #3

You’ve been asking for it! Here it is! Michelle is the much-anticipated sequel to Ruby, Between the Cracks and June & Justin. Ruby was a winner of the Top Ten Best Books For Teens 2015 award by In the Margins, and June & Justin has been nominated for the 2016 award.

Michelle was fighting for composure. “Daddy, you’ll come see us? Right?”

“I love you, honey. You look out for your brother?”

“I will.”

Jump straight to Amazon:

Kindle

Paperback

More releases follow the description.

Fans of Jodi Picoult and S.E. Hinton will love Michelle, award-winning author P.D. Workman’s captivating account of Michelle’s thought-provoking and eye-opening story of poverty, abuse and addiction.

“Daddy… can’t we come with you when you leave this time?”

When Michelle asked to be taken away from her abusive mother, she never expected to lose everyone she loved in the process. They said they would keep her and Kenny together. Her daddy said he would be back. And she never even got to say good-bye to Marcie.

All too soon, they were trying to reunite her with her mother, and Michelle is forced to take to the streets, seeking safety in the gang life.

Michelle is third in the Ruby, Between the Cracks series, a winner of the Top Ten Best Books for Teens 2015.

Praise for Michelle:

–Something about [P.D. Workman’s] writing just blows my mind… I hate when I get too tired to read anymore and I have to wait until the next day.

–It’s a heart-breaking story.

Praise for Ruby, Between the Cracks:

–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.

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.

Workman Classic Schoolbooks

What else is new? The Workman Classic Schoolbook editions of the Dave Dashaway Series are now complete! You can get the five books separately (below) or all together in one compendium!

The Complete Aerial Adventures of Dave Dashaway includes:

Dave Dashaway the Young Aviator

Dave Dashaway and His Hydroplane

Dave Dashaway and His Giant Airship

Dave Dashaway Around the World

Dave Dashaway, Air Champion

Workman Classic Schoolbooks are specially designed and annotated for homeschoolers and other self-directed learners. The Dave Dashaway series is especially good for middle-grade boys! Click on the links to read more about Dave’s adventures and the special features built into these books.

Please pass this on to the homeschoolers in your life who may be interested! 

Keep scrolling down for foreign-language translations and some more Young Adult new releases.

Translations

Don’t Forget Steven is out in a couple new translations now! If you or someone you love prefers Spanish or Italian, here is your chance!

Keep scrolling down for more Young Adult new releases.

 

 

 

 

Young Adult New Releases

If you’re an avid reader, then even at my fastest, I can’t write enough to feed your habit! Last year I published six books, but I read 115. After you’ve read Michelle and are looking for something else to fill the void, how about one of these January releases by my friends in the community? This is a combination of books, short stories, and an anthology. And, okay, a boxed set published in December. Because, you know, zombies!

Click a cover to jump to it on Amazon.

Excerpt from Between Families

Take a look at an interview of the main character of my book, Looking Over Your Shoulder! It was a lot of fun to do.

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

This weekend I read Between Families by Karin Mitchell. It is a young adult novel that covers similar issues to my books—abuse, addiction, marginalized kids. I will warn you that the language is much more raw than the books I generally choose or highlight here. But it is written by an author who knows her stuff and obviously cares about the subject matter.

She was too drunk to realize how many times she’d already asked so she kept me up the rest of the night. She asked over and over again. She’d seem to wear out and tell me that if anything like that ever happened again, I was to tell her immediately and “I swear-ah, Ah’ll kill ’em.”

Karin Mitchell, Between Families

12-year-old Seffra knows that her drug-addicted mother isn’t perfect, but they’re family and love each other. Sometimes love isn’t enough, though, and when Seffra moves into an institution, a center with kids from all kinds of backgrounds, she gets a reality check and struggles to accept the control the institution exerts over her every decision.

This realistic account examines institutionalization, shame, sexual abuse, family, and identity and calls attention to the struggles that children of parents with addictions face.

Excerpt from The 5th Wave

In case you missed it, my hubby wrote a very sweet review of his favorite three of my books for our anniversary.

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

I’ve read a lot of Orson Scott Card and Ellery Queen over the last year! So even though I just finished another Orson Scott Card and am currently reading an Ellery Queen, I picked something different for today’s teaser. My teaser today is from The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey. An intense, alien invasion, end of the world young adult book.

It’s like a cockroach working up a plan to defeat the shoe on its way down to crush it.

There’s no way to know for sure, but I bet the Others knew about the human aliens we’d imagined. And I bet they thought it was funny as hell. They must have laughed their asses off. If they have a sense of humor… or asses.

Rick Yancey, The 5th Wave

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother–or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

Happy Anniversary, a writing tribute from my hubby

This year, my hubby came up with the most amazing idea for an anniversary present. He wrote a blog about my books! What a sweetheart he is. So, without further ado, here are his words, originally posted at http://flamestr.blogspot.ca/2016/01/m...

 

If my wife had told me that I would have read seven books of hers, I would have called her crazy. Not because they are bad books, but simply because I am not a reader. Truth be told, it is a testament to the books.

A while ago, I decided to enrich my life, to include more than just hockey. I wanted a better existence. I started reading her books and could not put them down. Now I have read seven of them.

I thought I would give you my thoughts on my favorite top three. I may do a review of the other four. But as this blog ended up being longer than I thought because of how much I love these three books.

Looking Over Your Shoulder

A brain-teasing thriller that addresses the very important issue of mental illness. You are sitting there wondering if Abe actually is being watched. This book will keep you on your edge of you seat until the end. It will get you heavily invested into Abe, and it will have you cheering for him from cover to cover.

As you watch Abe, you wonder if he is going to crack and how far. Can he handle the pressure? Will he do something that he will regret? Can he keep his family safe? Can he convince them that he is not going crazy?

What will his wife do? Can she trust him? What can she do when it comes to protecting the family? Can she keep her family from imploding? Can she allow her children to see their father?

Looking Over Your Shoulder emphasizes the importance of family. It reminds us of how grateful we should be for what we take for granted in our lives. It really puts the issue out there: How far would we go to keep our children safe? What would we do when we lose our trust for our spouse? A genuine thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.

Cynthia Has a Secret

This book is so good because it could be real. It shows what could really happen to families if they continue to ignore the real issues. Carmina Knight has everything taken away from her. She has to reevaluate her life and her ideals as she loses her family and her possessions.

You learn how she was raised and it makes you realize what kind of influence you have on your own children. You may not think they listen, but they do. Carmina was raised to believe her parents’ ideals. You learn how Julius Knight’s ideals led his child down the wrong path. It is a chilling reminder that unrighteous dominion is real and how it can affect the family unit.

With every battle she has, you find yourself hoping Carmina can win. It gives you a true understanding of self-worth. As Carmina gets to know and love herself, you are proud of her for what she accomplishes against the odds.

We read of a wonderful mother, Esther Knight, and what mental illness stole from her as she was forced into the shadows of the domineering male in the home. You hope that somehow her influence can shine on Carmina and somehow help her in the end.

You hope as Carmina is forced to live on the streets that she finds a friend to rely on and help guide her through the homeless life. You find yourself wondering if you can trust her friend Toto, or if he will he just use her.

Cynthia Has a Secret is an enticing story that keeps you wanting more, at the same time reminding you how important your role as a father can be. It gives you true insight into what a domineering enforcer can do to a youth’s life.

Questing for a Dream

A truly inspiring look into aboriginal life in Canada. Questing for a Dream shows you the prejudice that we as nation have against the Native peoples. As I was reading about Nadie Laplante’s life, I began to learn more about myself.

I recognized the judgments she was facing. I was so upset at the other characters; but at the same time, I remembered the times I saw Natives on the road hitchhiking and how I judged them because of their appearances.

Nadie was a good girl who was raised in a rough life without a mom. She was raised by her grandfather. You watch them struggling together with what the world gives them. You watch Grandfather battle with his demons, and Nadie’s fight against those demons as well.

The only way Nadie could win her battle was by facing them. In order to become whole, you have to remember you are not whole.

Questing for a Dream taught me some of the traditions of Native heritage. I truly had no idea of their beliefs. It gives you a true insight into the Native life. It gave me more respect and taught me to be more careful about judging people on first impressions. Never judge anyone until you have worn their shoes.

For those do not know, I am writing this on my anniversary to my wonderful sweetheart. With fondest regards, I give tribute to her and her writing. She is a wonderful wife and mother with a real gift for writing. I look forward to reading more and more of her books. With each book, I learn to love her talent more.

You can find her at http://pdworkman.com and you can find her books on any of the major online bookstores such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and iBooks. The links in this blog will take you to Amazon.

Excerpt from Lacy’s End

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

Today’s teaser is from Lacy’s End by Victoria Schwimley. She asked if I would take a look at it, and as it was within my wheelhouse, (YA about abuse,) I decided to take her up on it. I am engrossed in the characters and ready to throttle the antagonist.

She shook her head. “I didn’t call you for me. I made my bed and now I have to lie in it. I called you for Lacy’s sake.” She paused for an instant, remembering the day Lacy had forced the card on her. She looked down. “Lacy shouldn’t have to live like this.”

“I can help you both.” She put her hand over Brenda’s hand. Brenda pulled it back sharply, looking around to see if anything was watching.

Victoria Schwimley, Lacy’s End

For most of Lacy Waldrip’s life, she and her mother, Brenda have suffered abuse at the hands of the man who is supposed to love them, cherish them, and protect them. To make matters worse, their abuser wears a badge and uses it to keep his deputies from interfering in his right to discipline his women. Both women have accepted, each determined to stay in the relationship to help the other. Then one day, the sheriff goes too far and Lacy and Brenda end up in the hospital where they meet Dr. Allen Petoro. Together with a determined social worker, Angela Martin, Dr. Petoro vows to help the two victims break free of their abuser. However, Sheriff Peter Waldrip isn’t going to let his family go that easily.

2015 in Review

It seems like all of my social networks have been e-mailing me this week with numbers of tweets, pins, and posts that I made in 2015. But social networks are not where I spend most of my time. So I reviewed my production schedule for 2015, and here are the numbers that matter more to me:

Writing and Publishing:
Wrote 5 and a half books:

Mito
Questing for a Dream
In the Tick of Time
Intersexion
Chloe, Between the Cracks #4
Ronnie, Between the Cracks #5 (in progress)

Published 6 books of my own:

 

June & Justin, Between the Cracks #2
Cynthia Has a Secret
Lion Within
Pursued by the Past
Questing for a Dream
Once Brothers

Published 5 translations of my books:

Stand Alone (Spanish)
Stand Alone (Portuguese)
Ruby, Between the Cracks (Spanish)
Don’t Forget Steven (Spanish)
Don’t Forget Steven (Italian)

Annotated and published 7 classics:
Workman Classic Schoolbooks

Dave Dashaway the Young Aviator
Dave Dashaway and His Hydroplane
Dave Dashaway and His Giant Airship
Flatland: A Romand of Many Dimensions

Workman Family Classics


A Christmas Carol
The Life of Our Lord
Dickens Advent Reader (compendium of the two foregoing)

I posted:

97 blog posts

Reading:
According to Goodreads, I read:

115 books

Awards:
I had one book win a position on the 1015 Top 10 Best Books for Teens Award:

Ruby, Between the Cracks

And I had three books nominated for the 2016 award:

Tattooed Teardrops
June & Justin, Between the Cracks #2
Cynthia Has a Secret

Pivot TV

Ruby, Between the Cracks was also included on Pivot TV’s Secret Lives of American’s Wattpad Reading List “Personal Transformations.”

 

Excerpt from a Field of Red

I hope you had a great Christmas and are looking forward to 2016! Before my teaser, here are my current promotions! If you are looking for new reads, there are lots of opportunities to fill your Kindle (or the Kindle App on your phone or in your browser!)

Once Brothers is currently free on Kindle

Breaking the Pattern volumes 1-3 are just $0.99 on Kindle. This is part of a eight-author promo; you can see all of the other $0.99 boxed sets here

Deviation is free on Kindle, and is included in this fifty free book listing. (Some weird things are going on with the Kindle listing. If it does not show up as free, let me know!)

I am participating in the Crazy Canuck Blog Hop, which gives you a chance to win a whole stack of free books.

I think that’s all of them that are on today! Pursued by the Past will be offered on Goodreads Giveaway New Year’s day!

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

I am reading Field of Red by Greg Enslen, a kidnapping mystery/suspense. It was a bit slow to start, but I am now fully engaged and want to know how Frank is going to ferret out the kidnappers! Frank is a flawed protagonist, not your typically perfect detective.

Tyler didn’t want to take them both, but it was too public to make a scene. The second girl would be able to identify him if he left her behind.

And it was too messy to kill her here.

Greg Enslen, Field of Red

Ex-cop Frank Harper doesn’t want to get involved. Harper is visiting the small Ohio town of Cooper’s Mill, trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter and a grandson he’s never met. But he finds the town gripped in fear-two young girls have gone missing, taken in broad daylight from a busy street. And the police are coming up blank. But once Harper is drawn reluctantly into the investigation, he’ll stop at nothing to find the girls. And he doesn’t care who gets in the way.

 

 

 

Crazy Canuck Blog Hop!

Win books from nineteen authors with the Crazy Canuck Blog Hop. Each blog that you visit gives you the opportunity to enter the draw.

The theme of the blog hop is ‘Fill Your Devices with Canadian Authors.’

I thought I would mention a few of my favourite Canadian authors. I have greatly enjoyed:

L.M. Montgomery, author of the Anne of Green Gables series, Emily of New Moon, Jane of Lantern Hill, and many more. Her books are set in Canada as well, mostly the Island. My first L.M. Montgomery book was Jane of Lantern Hill, and I fell in love with L.M. Montgomery and Prince Edward Island. As have many others!

“I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I’ve never been able to believe it. I don’t believe a rose WOULD be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.”

L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Robert Munsch, author of Love You Forever, Paper Bag Princess, and Murmel Murmel Murmel. Love You Forever was the first Munsch book that I read, and it took a lot of practice to be able to read it without crying. I love the story behind Munsch’s inspiration for Love You Forever. And now my baby is big enough to pick me up and carry me! A number of Munsch’s books have very Canadian backdrops—Moose, 50 Below Zero, and A Promise is a Promise, for example.

My son’s favourite quote from Munsch:

Clang Clang Rattle Bing Bang, Gonna make my noise all day!

Robert Munsch, Mortimer

And one of mine:

Prince Ronald said, Elizabeth, your hair is all dirty. You are wearing an ugly paper bag. You don’t have any shoes on and you smell like a dragon’s ear. Come back and rescue me when you’re dressed like a real princess.

Elizabeth said, Ronald, your hair is all nice. Your clothes are all pretty. You look like a nice guy, but guess what? You are a bum.

They didn’t get married after all.

Robert Munsch, Paper Bag Princess

Farley Mowat, author of Owls in the Family, Never Cry Wolf, The Dog Who Wouldn’t Be, and Lost in the Barrens. Lots of plots based in northern Canada. Owls in the Family was my fire book by Mowat, and one of these days I’m going to have to read it. I am also fascinated by animal behaviour books, such as Jane Goodall’s works, and Never Cry Wolf enthralled me.

We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be—the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthless killer—which is, in reality, no more than a reflected image of ourself.

Farley Mowat, Never Cry Wolf

I’m going to throw in a couple of Canadian poets.

John McCrae, author of In Flanders Fields. I don’t know if U.S. students are required to memorize In Flanders Fields like Canadian students are! This poem is a staple for Remembrance Day ceremonies across Canada.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

John McCrae, In Flanders Fields

Robert W. Service, author of The Cremation of Sam McGee and the Shooting of Dan McGrew. If you are not familiar with these Canadian staples, you really have to read them! I remember doing a Reader’s Theatre presentation of The Cremation of Sam McGee in grade six.

There are strange things done in the midnight sun

By the men who moil for gold;

The Arctic trails have their secret tales

That would make your blood run cold;

The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,

But the queerest they ever did see

Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge

I cremated Sam McGee.

Robert W. Service, The Cremation of Sam McGee

Those are some of my favourite Canadian authors! Go to Rafflecopter to enter the draw!

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.