P.D. Workman's Blog, page 49
June 29, 2021
Another Murder in Booktown: A Just Clause
I’ve had some great response to last week’s “Adopt a Cat Month” blog post. Check it out, if just to see all of the cute cat pictures!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
This week I read A Just Clause by Lorna Barrett, book #11 in the Booktown Mysteries series. I have read one or two in this series before, so it was familiar to me, but there is enough background included in the book to understand what is going on even if you haven’t read anything else in the series.
Fun characters, and quaint small town, and of course stumbling over bodies. And I quite enjoyed the unexpected events of the last chapter or two. I won’t spoil it for you, but it was nice!
“Down the street. There’s something lying on the sidewalk at the end of the block by the Armchair Tourist.”
Lorna Barrett, A Just Clause
Just when things are getting back to normal in Booktown, Tricia and Angelica have their lives turned upside down by a shocking visitor from their past in this latest entry in Lorna Barrett’s New York Times bestselling series.
Tricia Miles, mystery bookstore owner and amateur sleuth, is in for a surprise when her ne’er-do-well father, John, comes to town—and promptly becomes a prime suspect in the murder of a woman with her own scandalous past. Even Tricia’s faith in the old man is shaken when the Stoneham police break the news that her father is a known con man who has done jail time.
But what about bestselling thriller author Steven Richardson? Is it a coincidence that he arrived for a book signing just before the crime or that the victim was found with a signed copy of his latest bestseller?
From merlot to murder, Tricia is determined to clear the family name before another body shows up and ruins Stoneham’s first—and highly anticipated—wine and jazz festival.
June 28, 2021
Reader Kitties
In response to my Adopt a Cat post, I got a number of responses from readers with stories and pictures of their kitties. So I thought I would put the pictures together in a little gallery! You can send me your furbaby at pdworkman.author@gmail.com to be included!
June 24, 2021
Adopt a Cat Month
In 1974, The American Human Association started Adopt a Cat Month (June, of course.)
Not everyone wants to or should adopt a cat, but there are a lot of kitties out there who need good homes, despite the best efforts of many people to keep them safe and keep the population down. A lot of people believe that cats should be allowed to run wild outside, which contributes to the problem of cat nuisances, unwanted and feral kittens, and the number of cats whose lives are shortened by vehicles, bullies, or coyotes or other natural predators.
Here is a quick checklist for potential pet parents to consider, from the ARF website:
.ugb-ade702a-wrapper.ugb-container__wrapper{border-style:solid !important;border-color:#BE1E2D !important;border-top-width:1px !important;border-right-width:1px !important;border-bottom-width:1px !important;border-left-width:1px !important}.ugb-ade702a.ugb-container > .ugb-inner-block{max-width:800px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-ade702a.ugb-container{margin-bottom:0px !important;padding-right:0px !important;padding-left:0px !important}}Are You Ready to Adopt a Cat?ARF works hard to ensure that the cats we rescue will be placed into a suitable permanent home. Here are some requirements for potential adopters:
18 years or olderGovernment issued photo ID and proof of current address if the address is different than that listed on the ID provided ?Your current pets are spayed/neuteredPlan to adopt the cat into your own home ?Have never neglected or abused an animal, or surrendered a pet to a shelter, rescue organization or Humane SocietyCompassionate, with realistic expectations of newly adopted pets ?Intend for the cat to always remain indoors ?Attempt to modify clawing behaviour rather than declawing ?Financially able to care for your pet ?Abide by relevant municipal bylaws ?Permission for animals in your home ?Willingness to supervise children and animals at all times ?Consent of all household members ?Up-to-date vaccinations for current pets ?Animal Rescue Foundation
I have had several cats over the years. My son’s cat, Q-Tip, is our current furry overlord. She loves boxes of books, checks out my whiteboard when I write anything new on it, and tries to distract me when she wants to play.
Cat BooksSpeaking of books, that’s what you’re here for! So how about some books with cats?
@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2a1ec0e .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}}What the Cat KnewReg Rawlins, professional con, has really gotten herself into a bind this time.
The fortune teller gig started as a scam, but she suddenly finds herself tangled up in the case of Warren Blake, a man who she thought was dead. It turns out he may still be alive, but in mortal peril.
Reg has always taken the quick exit, the easy way out, but running out on this racket might mean someone else’s death.
Staying in it might mean hers.
Like paranormal mysteries? Psychics, witches, fairies, and more! Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman waves her wand to transport readers to the myth- and magic-filled small town of Black Sands for a paranormal cozy mystery to be solved by Reg Rawlins and her friends.
A self-professed con artist practicing as a contact to the dead, a drop-dead gorgeous warlock, and a psychic cat—what could go wrong?
This book has all my favourite things: heart, great writing, nearly-flawless editing, something unusual in the air, and a cat.
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE BINGEBOOKS BOOKBUB GOODREADS
eBook Price: free
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Reg’s cat and his psychic powers quickly becomes an important part of her practice:
@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9266625 .ugb-img{width:669px;height:auto !important}}Gluten-Free Murder
“The cat is not a pet,” Reg said sternly. “He is my helper and he deserves to be treated with respect. You need to give him his space and let him work. He enhances the psychic energy of the room, but it won’t work if you upset him.”
“Oh.” Amy’s voice was small. “I’m sorry, Kitty.”
The cat drew himself up into a tall sitting position and started his bathing ritual once more. Reg nodded.
“He’s meditating and cleansing the room of contrary spirits. It’s very important to have a clean room to make a good connection.”
What the Cat Knew
Erin Price moves to Bald Eagle Falls, a place where everyone knows everyone as well as everyone else’s business, taking over the store left to her by her aunt to start up a gluten-free bakery. The grand opening is marred by just one thing, the death of her business rival, Angela Plaint. It appears that Angela was poisoned by one of Erin’s cupcakes, making her a prime suspect.
Equipped with cupcakes, her desire for the truth, and new bakery assistant Vicky’s help, Erin goes head-to-head against Detective Terry Piper to solve the murder. Rumors of treasure hunting, drug dealing, and a missing boy swirl around Bald Eagle Falls as Erin tries to sort the clues from the red herrings and find the killer before the killer can take care of her. P.D. Workman has done it again! This introduction to a new series involves a fresh start, sympathetic characters, and a murder. I spent the last ten minutes of the book standing up to read because I was off to do something but just couldn’t put it down until I got to the end. I haven’t been that invested in a book in a while. Couldn’t put it down !! From a cute kitten to a police dog to a bakery for people with allergies ! Highly recommend!
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE BINGEBOOKS BOOKBUB GOODREADS
eBook Price: Free
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Erin moves to a new town and starts a new job, it is only fitting that she acquires a new pet as well. Enter Orange Blossom, in need of a home:
@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-329ed9d .ugb-img{width:681px;height:auto !important}}Virtually Harmless
Piper stood there, a slight dimple in one cheek, holding the terrified kitten to his chest, stroking it gently to calm it. The combination of the handsome officer in uniform and his gentleness with the helpless ball of fur just about melted Erin into a puddle right there.
“Thank you.”
“To serve and protect. That’s my job.”
Gluten-Free Murder
Micah lived a quiet, comfortable life, her involvement in law enforcement limited to the composite pictures that she produced with her computer and colored pencils.
But everything is turned upside down when she involves herself in the case of an infant found abandoned in the Sweetgrass Hills.
With the help of her knowledge of DNA and law enforcement contacts across the country, Micah is closing in on a killer. But her investigation draws the killer’s attention, and she finds herself in the middle of an operation that could mean the end of her career—or worse, her life.”P. D. Workman has outdone herself with this riveting techno-thriller featuring Micah Miller, a forensic artist specializing in composite renderings based on forensic DNA phenotyping … This book offers plenty of thrills, chills, suspense and white-knuckled tension as the plot unfolds and it kept me turning pages until late into the night. The story is clean and well-written, the plot is fascinating, the pace is relentless and the characters are realistic and relatable. I highly recommend this absorbing and thoroughly enjoyable thriller to anyone who favors CSI, NCIS, Cold Case, Forensic Files or any high-tech inspired crime-solving theme.”
—Kim, Goodreads reviewer
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE LISTEN TO SAMPLE BOOKBUB BINGEBOOKS GOODREADS
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase an ebook directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
While Micah’s newly arrived kitten doesn’t make it onto the cover, her little grey fluff ball will find a place in your heart!
And more.ugb-a72a4a7 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-a72a4a7 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-a72a4a7 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-a72a4a7 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-a72a4a7 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Knitted & Knifed
“What did you name her?” Marianna asked.
Micah squirmed. “Uh… Meow.”
Cole laughed loudly, making the kitten burrow her head back down into Micah’s arm and side. “Meow? You know, they have sites on the internet where you can look up good names for cats.”
Micah rolled her eyes. “I know. I looked at some of them. But they’re just… too cutesy. I don’t want a silly pun on some actor’s name, or something based on her color or something ironic like a dog’s name. I wanted… something suited to a cat.”
“Well, I guess I can’t argue with the suitability of a cat being named Meow, but really! It’s not very inventive, is it?”
“It’s how she communicates. Why wouldn’t you… pick a name that your pet can actually say?”
“But if everyone went by that principle, then all cats would be named Meow and all dogs would be named Bark.”
“But not everyone does.”
“No.” Cole chuckled again. “You are… you have always had your own way of thinking about things.”
Virtually Harmless
Wanted: Cat mum to manage a yarn store, corral two curious cats, all the while being tangled up in murderous mayhem and mystery.
A smart woman would dump her cheating ex, move from the city, and give herself a chance for a well-deserved do-over. A smarter woman—smarter than me, anyway—wouldn’t jump out of that same frying pan and return to Cape Discovery, a seaside village where her family is the nuttiest of all the nut-ball residents.
I’m a former high school counsellor, middle-child peacemaker, and current curator of lots of squishy/fuzzy goodness at my granddad’s little yarn store. Temporary assistant. Until I decide what to do with the rest my life. There’s only one knotty problem to untangle first. The knife sticking out of the most unpopular man in town, and the police detective trying to pin the murder on the donkey—otherwise known as my younger brother. With a pair mischievous cats determined to be underfoot and a craft group of Serial Knitters and Happy Hookers wanting the inside scoop, a girl could lose her mind. And if the killer has their way, maybe even my life…
Tessa Wakefield has her hands full juggling a cozy craft store, her crazy family, and two men who’d rather poke out their eyes than describe themselves as cute. Which they totally are. Cute, charismatic, and occasionally on her mind when she’s not stumbling over dead bodies and using her newfound sleuthing skills to track down murderers. Lucky she’s an excellent multi-tasker because digging beneath Cape Discovery’s surface can unearth secrets that kill.
From the author:
I have three rescue cats. That wasn’t exactly the plan. When my 20-year-old cat Uisce died, my dog really missed her so I took my dog Isla to our local animal rescue in the Lake District in England with the goal of finding her a kitten that wouldn’t be shy around her. Two kittens (out of about ten in the enclosure) came immediately over to her and they instantly hit it off. That is how I ended up with two cats. What I didn’t know, was that the two supposedly same-sex kittens were nothing of the sort and one of the kittens was already pregnant. It was wonderful to be present when the kittens were born, two went to Team GB Olympic rowers, and the third one I decided to keep. That’s how I ended up with Ozzy, Artemis, and Esa, each playing the role of amateur sleuth in my ‘Knitty Cat’ cozy mystery series.
At one point, we were living on a tiny island in the Channel Islands and sneaky Ozzy managed to escape on the morning we were due to fly home. Since the weather was a bit unpredictable and we would miss our landing slot at the airport in England, I had no choice but to leave without him, knowing that my friends would look after him until I could charter a plane for him a few days later. Luckily, most folks on island fly little planes, much the same as people on the mainland have cars. By the time Ozzy arrived at our new house with the courier, it was like it was just an average day for him, he had no idea of all the logistics and extra costs incurred on his behalf. Sadly my dog, Isla died of cancer last year. The cats really miss her, but little do they know that there’s to be a new addition to the menagerie soon – I’m going to be a ‘puppy raiser’ for Guide Dogs for the Blind, and I can’t wait for all the new adventures and mischief to come!
I’ve created some Ozzy, Artemis, and Esa stickers and swag on Redbubble as part of my Knitty Cat cozy mystery series. I have a T-shirt of them with me on Amazon too.
.ugb-6e86a8b .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-6e86a8b .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-6e86a8b .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-6e86a8b .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-6e86a8b .ugb-img{width:315px;height:auto !important}}Cats and CatnappingMira Michaels finally calls her old life quits. She moves out of her psychic sister’s house and is on the road to her new life. Her trip to Pennsylvania starts simply, even if her cat, Arnold, can’t stop backseat driving. She refuses to accept that she can hear his kitty voice, until the radio refuses to work. Then, at a rest stop she witnesses a catnapping of the sweet kitty that Arnold has a crush on.
Mira promises to chase the catnapper across the northeast and find the cat’s owner all before she must meet her realtor at her new house. Antics ensue.Mira Michaels finally calls her old life quits. She moves out of her psychic sister’s house and is on the road to her new life. Her trip to Pennsylvania starts simply, even if her cat, Arnold, can’t stop backseat driving.
She refuses to accept that she can hear his kitty voice, until the radio refuses to work. Then, at a rest stop she witnesses a catnapping of the sweet kitty that Arnold has a crush on. Mira promises to chase the catnapper across the northeast and find the cat’s owner all before she must meet her realtor at her new house. Antics ensue.
.ugb-b94940c .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-b94940c .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-b94940c .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-b94940c .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b94940c .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Every Trick in the BookTurning over a new leaf doesn’t always go according to plan…
When Jemma James takes a job at Burns Books, the second-worst secondhand bookshop in London, she finds her ambition to turn it around thwarted at every step. Raphael, the owner, is more interested in his newspaper than sales. Folio the bookshop cat has it in for Jemma, and the shop itself appears to have a mind of its own. Or is it more than that?
Gradually Jemma starts to make a difference … and then the anonymous letters start arriving. Who is behind them, and why?
As the threats escalate, and the shop becomes increasingly turbulent, Jemma and Raphael must work together to find the culprit. And what else will Jemma find in her investigations?
From the author:
Here are Frankie and Luna! Frankie is black and white, nearly 5, and he is Luna’s father. He’s also daft as a brush. Luna is the smart one. Luna is black apart from a little tuft of white on her chest and tummy, and she’s 3. They’re both rescue cats.
Luna has just muscled her way into book 4 of my cozy series
June 23, 2021
Undiscovered Tomb
Work in Progress!
Series: Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator #15
Genres: Cozy Mystery
eBook Price: $4.99 Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase an ebook directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Coming March 2022!
+ About Undiscovered Tomb
Her new paranormal…
Powerful rings, a couple of cuddly kitties, and never-ending ice cream in the freezer; Reg would have thought that she would be happy with her new normal. Or paranormal. But it isn’t quite as much fun as it sounds like.
With at least one of the cats determined to shred her domestic bliss and the relentless restlessness of the rings, Reg tries to move things in the right direction.
But Egypt isn’t all lollypops and rainbows either. It’s hot. It’s dusty. And Reg had hoped to have put her mummy issues behind her.
P.D. Workman’s witchy writing carries you through a world that can make you stop and wander. Could something like this really happen? Could it be possible? You sure wish it could be. Even the smile you have at the end says this might just be the beginning of a magical new life.
This book has all my favourite things: heart, great writing, nearly-flawless editing, something unusual in the air, and a cat.
Like paranormal mysteries? Psychics, witches, fairies, and more! Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman waves her wand to transport readers to the myth- and magic-filled small town of Black Sands for another paranormal cozy mystery to be solved by Reg Rawlins and her friends.
A self-professed con artist practicing as a contact to the dead, a drop-dead gorgeous warlock, and a psychic cat—what could go wrong?
Fall under Reg’s spell today.+ Praise for Reg Rawlins Psychic Detective Series
—Another great work of art by Ms. Workman. I am amazed at the diversity of her writing and how much I really enjoy them all. She can write cozy mystery, YA books that should be read by all, medical thrillers, Zach Goldman series and now a paranormal series. I am so glad to have found this author. I am honored that I get to read them early also.
—This book has all my favourite things: heart, great writing, nearly-flawless editing, something unusual in the air, and a cat. I needed a light read, and this fit the bill perfectly. Recommended.
—This book actually surprised me. I knew that a psychic cat would be entertaining. I just didn’t expect it to be this good. You really do get wrapped up in the people and story. It sounds like a fairly gentle story, but there is a lot of suspense involved. Add a bunch of humor to the mix and you are in for a treat. I love the characters. Wish I had some friends like them. And the cat is so very well done. Acts like a typical cat, but a lot smarter than his human. This is a story that you don’t want to put down.
—Extremely well written as are all of P.D. Workman’s books, the characters well developed. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make a reader get invested into the characters and thereby the book. I look forward to P.D. Workman’s next book.
—P D Workman has done it again; created a cast of characters and a storyline that are captivating and enthralling. Once I started this cozy I didn’t want to put it down (which can be a bad thing when you have a family to take care of…lol). I can’t wait for the other books in this series. I think Reg is going to turn out to be one of my favorite new characters. Pick up your copy as soon as possible.
+ Author's Note
Author’s notes may contain spoilers!
Coming Soon
+ Book Club Resources Pinterest Board on foster careComing soon
+ 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 her enough.”
“I’ll read anything by P. D. Workman that I can get my hands on.”
“Every book by PD Workman that I’ve read has been a gripping one, however different the genres are, going from lighter mysteries to really dark ones… this is one of my favourite, most dependable authors.”
“P.D. Workman is an incredibly versatile writer. No matter which of her books I read I am drawn into a great story and honestly, I don’t think I’ve followed another author that could go from cozy mystery to YA to a PI series dealing with mental health issues. Really enjoy her books!”
“[P.D. Workman’s] stories are so believable and you can’t help but feel like you know these people. You find yourself crying, laughing and feeling the characters emotions. Now if an author can make you cry and feel every emotion in a story, she is one hell of an author.”
+ Undiscovered Tomb on my Blog No posts found. #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-title a, #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .panel-title { font-size: 14px !important; line-height: 1.3 !important; color: #be1e2d !important; font-weight: 600 !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-title a:hover, #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .panel-title:hover { color: #0c0c0c !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-readmore { color: #ffffff !important; background-color: #00aeef !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-readmore:hover { color: #ffffff !important; background-color: #00aeef !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl + .pt-cv-pagination-wrapper .pt-cv-more , #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl + .pt-cv-pagination-wrapper .pagination .active a { color: #ffffff !important; background-color: #00aeef !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl { text-align: center; }
About P.D. Workman
P.D. (Pamela) Workman writes riveting mystery/suspense and young adult books dealing with mental illness, addiction, abuse, and other real-life issues. For as long as she can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure and from a very young age she was trying to write her own books.
Workman wrote her first complete novel at the age of twelve and continued to write as a hobby for many years. She started publishing in 2013. She has won several literary awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody for her young adult fiction. She made the USA Today Bestseller list in 2019. She currently has over 50 published titles and can be found at pdworkman.com.
Born and raised in Alberta, Workman has been married for over 25 years and has one son.
Careful of Thy Wishes
Work in Progress!
Series: Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator #13
Genres: Cozy Mystery
eBook Price: $4.99 Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase an ebook directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Coming January 2022!
+ About Careful of Thy Wishes
Fairy Tale Magic
Reg thought when she received the box of gemstones from the fairies that her wishes had been fulfilled and it was the end of her troubles.
But it was only the beginning.
What Reg had thought was a generous gift in recompense of saving Calliopia from certain death turns out to be a major in pain the backside. How was she supposed to know where they had originated?
But as it turns out, she’d better figure it out pretty quickly, before her luck runs out.
P.D. Workman’s witchy writing carries you through a world that can make you stop and wander. Could something like this really happen? Could it be possible? You sure wish it could be. Even the smile you have at the end says this might just be the beginning of a magical new life.
This book has all my favourite things: heart, great writing, nearly-flawless editing, something unusual in the air, and a cat.
Like paranormal mysteries? Psychics, witches, fairies, and more! Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman waves her wand to transport readers to the myth- and magic-filled small town of Black Sands for another paranormal cozy mystery to be solved by Reg Rawlins and her friends.
A self-professed con artist practicing as a contact to the dead, a drop-dead gorgeous warlock, and a psychic cat—what could go wrong?
Fall under Reg’s spell today.+ Praise for Reg Rawlins Psychic Detective Series
—Another great work of art by Ms. Workman. I am amazed at the diversity of her writing and how much I really enjoy them all. She can write cozy mystery, YA books that should be read by all, medical thrillers, Zach Goldman series and now a paranormal series. I am so glad to have found this author. I am honored that I get to read them early also.
—This book has all my favourite things: heart, great writing, nearly-flawless editing, something unusual in the air, and a cat. I needed a light read, and this fit the bill perfectly. Recommended.
—This book actually surprised me. I knew that a psychic cat would be entertaining. I just didn’t expect it to be this good. You really do get wrapped up in the people and story. It sounds like a fairly gentle story, but there is a lot of suspense involved. Add a bunch of humor to the mix and you are in for a treat. I love the characters. Wish I had some friends like them. And the cat is so very well done. Acts like a typical cat, but a lot smarter than his human. This is a story that you don’t want to put down.
—Extremely well written as are all of P.D. Workman’s books, the characters well developed. I’m a character reader, I get into the characters. Who and what they are. Why they do the things they do. The things that make a reader get invested into the characters and thereby the book. I look forward to P.D. Workman’s next book.
—P D Workman has done it again; created a cast of characters and a storyline that are captivating and enthralling. Once I started this cozy I didn’t want to put it down (which can be a bad thing when you have a family to take care of…lol). I can’t wait for the other books in this series. I think Reg is going to turn out to be one of my favorite new characters. Pick up your copy as soon as possible.
+ Author's Note
Author’s notes may contain spoilers!
Coming Soon
+ Book Club Resources Pinterest Board on foster careComing soon
+ 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 her enough.”
“I’ll read anything by P. D. Workman that I can get my hands on.”
“Every book by PD Workman that I’ve read has been a gripping one, however different the genres are, going from lighter mysteries to really dark ones… this is one of my favourite, most dependable authors.”
“P.D. Workman is an incredibly versatile writer. No matter which of her books I read I am drawn into a great story and honestly, I don’t think I’ve followed another author that could go from cozy mystery to YA to a PI series dealing with mental health issues. Really enjoy her books!”
“[P.D. Workman’s] stories are so believable and you can’t help but feel like you know these people. You find yourself crying, laughing and feeling the characters emotions. Now if an author can make you cry and feel every emotion in a story, she is one hell of an author.”
+ Careful of Thy Wishes on my Blog
The Telepathy of Gardens and other New Releases!
Sour Cherry Turnover and other free books
Launch of He was Walking Alone and other new releases
Free for Canada Day & Independence Day
$0.99 Books for Christmas! #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-title a, #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .panel-title { font-size: 14px !important; line-height: 1.3 !important; color: #be1e2d !important; font-weight: 600 !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-title a:hover, #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .panel-title:hover { color: #0c0c0c !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-readmore { color: #ffffff !important; background-color: #00aeef !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl .pt-cv-readmore:hover { color: #ffffff !important; background-color: #00aeef !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl + .pt-cv-pagination-wrapper .pt-cv-more , #pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl + .pt-cv-pagination-wrapper .pagination .active a { color: #ffffff !important; background-color: #00aeef !important; }#pt-cv-view-0d3d7f5iwl { text-align: center; }About P.D. Workman
P.D. (Pamela) Workman writes riveting mystery/suspense and young adult books dealing with mental illness, addiction, abuse, and other real-life issues. For as long as she can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure and from a very young age she was trying to write her own books.
Workman wrote her first complete novel at the age of twelve and continued to write as a hobby for many years. She started publishing in 2013. She has won several literary awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody for her young adult fiction. She made the USA Today Bestseller list in 2019. She currently has over 50 published titles and can be found at pdworkman.com.
Born and raised in Alberta, Workman has been married for over 25 years and has one son.
June 22, 2021
Reading The Princess Bride? Inconceivable!
Skunk Man Swamp, book #10 in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series is now out! If you didn’t have it on preorder or haven’t yet had a chance to pick it up, grab it now! You can also get book #1 in the series What the Cat Knew, as a free download, or books 1-3 for just $2.99 for a limited time. Check out my blog post for a pile of other new releases as well. Fill up your eReader for the summer!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
It has been a strange week for reading! I started with one book that I did not finish, went on to an audiobook that was produced like a radio play, and then a couple of other quickies, one a holiday (Christmas) special and the other: The Princess Bride. And then I am partway into another. Usually I have one or two books to pick from, this time I had five.
I listened to the audiobook of The Princess Bride, which is, unfortunately, abridged. I’ll have to read the full text another time. But that’s what I’ve got, so that’s what we’ll go with. If you have seen the fabulous The Princess Bride movie, you will be familiar with the characters and the story, and much of the classic dialogue in the movie is lifted directly from the book. A fun sword and sorcery adventure that will be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
“I am your Prince and you will marry me,” Humperdinck said.
William Goldman, The Princess Bride
Buttercup whispered, “I am your servant and I refuse.”
“I am your Prince and you cannot refuse.”
“I am your loyal servant and I just did.”
“Refusal means death.”
“Kill me then.”
William Goldman’s modern fantasy classic is a simple, exceptional story about quests—for riches, revenge, power, and, of course, true love—that’s thrilling and timeless.
Anyone who lived through the 1980s may find it impossible—inconceivable, even—to equate The Princess Bride with anything other than the sweet, celluloid romance of Westley and Buttercup, but the film is only a fraction of the ingenious storytelling you’ll find in these pages. Rich in character and satire, the novel is set in 1941 and framed cleverly as an “abridged” retelling of a centuries-old tale set in the fabled country of Florin that’s home to “Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passions.”
Audiobook: This adventure story has everything you could want: the good guy, some bad guys, the girl, sword fighting, revenge, romance, of course a happy ending, and rodents of unusual size. Join Westley the plucky farm boy, Buttercup the beautiful young maiden, Inigo Montoya the driven, embittered swordsman, and many other strange and unusual characters in this swashbuckling tale of good-natured silliness. It is read by Rob Reiner, who directed the motion picture based on this classic tale.
June 17, 2021
Skunk Man Swamp and other new releases!
Skunk Man Swamp, book #10 in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series is now live! If you preordered it, it should be in your inbox or on your device now. Skunk Man Swamp can be read as a stand alone adventure or as the next installment of your favourite series.
@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-49882f9 .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}}Skunk Man SwampDanger lurks in the water!
With the Magical Spring Games approaching, Damon hires Reg to help him to track down a missing contestant deep in the Everglades. If Reg thought this was going to be a walk in the (national) park, she’s got another thing coming.
Covering 1.5 million acres and home to both magical and non-magical predators, including those of the two-legged variety, Reg isn’t sure she is up to the challenge. Could anyone be?
Reg had better hold onto that airboat, it’s going to be a wild ride. …an everglades adventure replete mishaps, misunderstandings, magical beings, and mythological creatures. …another well-written mystery with a suspenseful plot and strong characters.
Like paranormal mysteries? Psychics, witches, fairies, and more! Award-winning and USA Today Bestselling Author P.D. Workman waves her wand to transport readers to the myth- and magic-filled small town of Black Sands for another paranormal cozy mystery to be solved by Reg Rawlins and her friends.
A self-professed con artist practicing as a contact to the dead, a drop-dead gorgeous warlock, and a psychic cat—what could go wrong?
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE BOOKBUB BINGEBOOKS GOODREADS
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase an ebook directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
If you want to check out the rest of the series, the first book, What the Cat Knew is available as a free download.
@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2a1ec0e .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}}What the Cat KnewReg Rawlins, professional con, has really gotten herself into a bind this time.
The fortune teller gig started as a scam, but she suddenly finds herself tangled up in the case of Warren Blake, a man who she thought was dead. It turns out he may still be alive, but in mortal peril.
Reg has always taken the quick exit, the easy way out, but running out on this racket might mean someone else’s death.
Staying in it might mean hers.
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE BINGEBOOKS BOOKBUB GOODREADS
eBook Price: free
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Check out these fun new releases while you are at it! Fill your eReader for the summer.
.ugb-e046c7e .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-e046c7e .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-e046c7e .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-e046c7e .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-e046c7e .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}A Flytrap FiascoHey guys, I’m Kat Crowe, and I wanna tell you about the time I spent in California which ended abruptly when someone was murdered in my store.
Maybe moving out west from Arkansas wasn’t the best move. But before everything went south, I had a lot of fun tending my magical plants and catching some waves in my spare time. I never imagined things could go so wrong. Or that I’d find myself caught up in a mystery where everyone was a suspect.
Now I don’t think of myself as an amateur sleuth, but there was no getting around the fact that I had skin in the game. So it was up to me to crack the case, or my life would be left in ruins. I’d love to tell y’all who did it… but you’ll have to read the book to find out!
.ugb-c258623 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-c258623 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-c258623 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-c258623 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-c258623 .ugb-img{width:396px;height:auto !important}}Sirgrus Blackmane Demihuman Gumshoe & The Dark-ElfBacardi and Coke. Neat.
Not the usual drink of choice for a mountain dwarf. Then again, Detective Sirgrus Blackmane is no ordinary dwarf—at least not since the Great War. Being a gumshoe during Prohibition might appear glamorous, with secret speakeasies, all-night cocktail parties, and scantily clad women displaying their knees, but crime and conspiracy lurk beneath the city’s shining illusion.
When the human half of the Mason and Blackmane Detective Agency is found dead at the scene of a rum-running bust, Sirgrus vows to find the killer. But this quest for justice leads him straight into a tangled web of underhanded deals with demihuman mobsters who are fighting for control of the rum supply.
And when two more corpses turn up, Sirgrus must work double-time if he wants to find the killer—and avoid turning up dead at the next crime scene.
.ugb-01963a3 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-01963a3 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-01963a3 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-01963a3 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-01963a3 .ugb-img{width:363px;height:auto !important}}InvasionMy name is Tula Whitlow and I’m about to bite off more than I can chew… but this time, it might bite back…
Death’s come knocking – banging really – but if Tula Whitlow has her way, it’s not gonna like what answers the door. To survive the situation with all her limbs attached Tula’s going to need magic. Boatloads of it. The question is, how much does she really have?
Tula is a true born witch from a centuries old clan that channels a formidable and dangerous power. But in her safe privileged world, being adept has never been a thing.
As a part time consultant working with local law enforcement on cases with supernatural elements, it’s not like she’s ever needed to throw around thunderbolts, slay demons, or anything quite so dramatic. But when she’s called upon by the FBI to help a dying young woman who’s been invaded by an ancient evil, Tula knows she’ll have to up her game.
To beat an enemy that’s as old as time, Tula will have to enlist the help of her unreliable relatives, and Victor, a rogue Irish vampire currently hiding out at her family’s historic and sprawling inn.
She’s gonna need every resource at her disposal, and even that might not be enough…
.ugb-587ad9d .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-587ad9d .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-587ad9d .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-587ad9d .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-587ad9d .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}By the BookKnowledge is power – or is it?
When Jemma takes on the post of Assistant Keeper, she wonders if she’s bitten off more than she can chew. Her boss Raphael has every confidence in her … but Jemma is less convinced.
It’s much easier to lose herself in getting the bookshops ready for Christmas. But when Carl hands in his notice, Jemma has to accept that things will change.
Then a mysterious developer targets the shops in their neighbourhood, with the aim of putting a transport hub in their place. When a very familiar figure from Jemma’s past shows up, Jemma can’t help but smell a rat.
.ugb-f34d4c6 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-f34d4c6 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-f34d4c6 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-f34d4c6 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-f34d4c6 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Love and Money, Another MurderNo one wants to believe murder can happen in their neighborhood.
Murder is nothing new for Sheridan Hendley, amateur sleuth, or her husband, Detective Brett McMann. Still, shots fired add a layer of tension to babysitting and being neighborly. This time the murder is too close for comfort. There are no witnesses and no verified identification of the victim, not to mention the car accident prompting Sheridan to be next door. Questions are raised about an investment company and business practices. Could a kitten have the key to the motive and killer?
As Sheridan works with the police to identify the murdered victim, she discovers investment scams that target the elderly with fake promises and visits a towering conglomerate in the middle of nowhere. What kind of company requires employees to sign a nondisclosure agreement, arranges for them to live in a designated subdivision, and plants listening devices in their homes? Was the victim killed because of what she discovered? As more information is revealed, Sheridan is in danger.
.ugb-dffbcfa .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-dffbcfa .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-dffbcfa .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-dffbcfa .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-dffbcfa .ugb-img{width:334px;height:auto !important}}The Trailer Park Princess is a Dazzling Dumpster FireAfter nearly two years of hard-fought sobriety, Salem Grimes thinks she’s on the right track to reclaim a ‘normal’ life, with her husband, Tony, by her side. She is ready to take a break from her amateur sleuth adventures with her octogenarian partner-in-crime-solving friend, Viv, and work on building a family of her own.
Until ghosts from her past reappear.
A teenage girl has run away and no one has a clue where she could be.
But Salem fears she knows what the girl ran from. They share a mutual acquaintance who left deep scars on Salem’s heart. Embarking on a road trip to search for the missing girl, Salem faces down a gang of bullying raccoons and her own flaring addictions on her mission to right the wrongs that weigh on her.
.ugb-633296f .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-633296f .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-633296f .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-633296f .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-633296f .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Bourbon Street GhostsHarper Harlow-Monroe and Zander Pritchett have been excited for their upcoming ghost conference in New Orleans for years, since before they were involved with their significant others. What was once a trip for two has now become a trip for four … but that doesn’t make them any less excited.
Ofelia Archer has just found out that her bar Krewe is about to be inundated with ghost hunters … and she’s beyond excited. She’s looking forward to a good week, which means more money to funnel into her next business venture.
Two worlds collide when Harper and Ofelia meet in Jackson Square, a ghost catching their attention. Before they realize what’s happening, they’re embroiled in a huge mystery … one that involves New Orleans’ colorful past and worry for the future.
Harper and Ofelia have a lot in common and they bond quickly. That adds a colorful edge to their friendship. Add Zander to the mix and the Big Easy is in for big trouble.
Hang on because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. Between ghosts, Zander’s attitude, and Ofelia’s mother … it’s going to be a very strange trip. It could also be deadly.
.ugb-17e8f54 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-17e8f54 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-17e8f54 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-17e8f54 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-17e8f54 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}The Asylum AberrationCharlie Rhodes has spent her entire life wondering who she is, why she was abandoned as a child, and what’s behind the magical powers she can wield in the blink of an eye.
She’s finally getting her answers.
Now that she’s been reunited with her birth mother and brother, the search is on for her father. He’s supposed to be somewhere in Boston … but where? He’s fallen out of touch and finding him is virtually impossible.
Thankfully for Charlie, the Legacy Foundation’s next assignment is in a suburb of the very city where she lives, which means there’s plenty of time to find her father and solve the mystery of a haunted former hospital that’s apparently eating construction workers on a regular basis.
Heavenstone Asylum was considered the height of sophistication in psychiatric circles back in the day. In the years since the facility closed, the main doctor’s legacy has been tarnished by horror stories of treatments gone wrong and disappearing patients.
The second Charlie walks into the building, she recognizes that the past is hardly buried within the walls. There are tortured souls at every turn, and it’s her job to help them.
Heavenstone’s history makes for interesting reading but the harder Charlie digs, the more horrifying the story. Somehow she needs to uncover the truth … and survive the ghosts long enough to free them.
It’s going to take everything she’s got to see things through until the end.
All Charlie wants are answers. She’s going to get them. Surviving long enough to do anything with them is another story.
.ugb-027aaae .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-027aaae .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-027aaae .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-027aaae .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-027aaae .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Castaways & Longer DaysA dangerous tornado. A clever crime. Can this psychic sleuth sift through the rubble to find a murder?
Mitzy Moon longs to embrace the warmth of summer at a community-wide celebration. Enjoying a midsummer sailboat regatta, strawberry cake, and bonfires on the beach sounds divine. But when dark skies unleash a superstorm, the festivities turn deadly…
While everyone pitches in to rescue stranded friends and neighbors from the wreckage, Mitzy senses evil in the debris. Her entitled feline is missing and the handsome sheriff is in no mood for her hunches. But she refuses to buy into his black cloud of skepticism, because she’s sure one of the bodies didn’t die of natural causes.
.ugb-2856063 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-2856063 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2856063 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2856063 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2856063 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Doggone ItThree dog loving sleuths. A dead body. An innocent man jailed for murder.
When Dana Fox, feisty mother of two, discovers the dead body of a bullying poodle breeder at the dog show, the Chicks are pushed deep into the middle of another mystery. The wrong man is in jail and it’s up to Dana, leader of the pack, Abigail Truelove, owner of Pampered
Pooch, and Molly Gibson, a shy romance writer, to collar the real killer.
Solving this mystery isn’t as easy as depicted in the Agatha Christie books shelved in the Chicks’ local library. Far from it. Especially when the victim is the most hated man in the show world and the suspect list reads like an open phone directory.
Dealing with a wacky fortune teller, a hot gym instructor, homeless guys armed with shopping trolleys, Queen Bee of the Yummy Mummies and an English Lord called Dumpling would keep even the inimitable Poirot himself awake at nights.
And just when they think they’ve cracked the case – another dead body says otherwise…
.ugb-8ae78a5 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-8ae78a5 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-8ae78a5 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-8ae78a5 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8ae78a5 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Haunt ‘Em HighNow that she’s absorbed the power of the Casper Creek nexus, Hannah Hickok is a witch on a mission. Her new powers require regular venting, and she’s surpassed even her limited expectations. It’s not magic on her mind when her father comes for a visit, though.
Brad Hickok has always wanted to see Casper Creek, and now that he gets to visit, he’s extremely excited. He’s not alone, though. He’s brought his new girlfriend … and Hannah is thrown for a loop by her appearance.
What’s supposed to be a simple visit spirals out of control when a local witch who has been admitted to the hospital calls for Hannah to give a warning, an FBI agent shows up asking questions, and enemy Astra loses her mind and attacks Hannah in the middle of Casper Creek before fleeing.
Hannah has her hands full, and it’s not all fun and games this go-around. She’s going to need everybody working together to come out the other side … and even then the outcome isn’t set in stone.
Hannah is a witch with a plan. How successful she’ll be is anybody’s guess.
.ugb-6271410 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-6271410 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-6271410 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-6271410 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-6271410 .ugb-img{width:332px;height:auto !important}}Cursed LanternCarl Emerson was stubborn, rude, and ungrateful, but he didn’t deserve to die for it. Much, anyway.
Carl Emerson was one of the most contrary people the gods ever stretched hide over. He had it all – a great wife, a nice house, a corner office in a building he owned – but he took it all for granted. And then he turned up dead amid some bizarre circumstances. He’d reported his wife missing while she was standing right beside him, and claimed his grandfather’s watch had been stolen even though it was right there on his wrist. His partner said he wandered around the parking lot of their office building but never came inside.
That’s a little nuts even by our standards, so I decide to take a closer look. Why me? Because through an impressively confounded set of circumstances, I set a trunkful of cursed objects loose on the unwitting non-magicals in our town. Now I have to figure out which of the pieces in his collection killed him before somebody else dies and his wife goes to prison.
Just another Tuesday in Marauder’s Cove.
.ugb-cc69e45 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-cc69e45 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-cc69e45 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-cc69e45 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-cc69e45 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}A Haunting MidlifeAva Harper may be a raiser of the dead and a not-so-famous author, but she isn’t vampire hunter. Not even close.
With the decision made to stay in Shipton Harbor, Ava Harper returns to the home she shared with her deceased husband in Pennsylvania to put it on the market. But saying goodbye to the memories of the home they raised their son in is a lot harder than it had sounded in her head.
In the months she’s been in Shipton, new neighbors moved in across the street from her Philly home. Now, Ava has nothing against vampires. But when people in the neighborhood start turning up with bite marks and Uncle Wade goes missing, she can’t help but to check into the newbies in the hood.
One of the fanged ones isn’t happy with Ava poking around and tries to scare her off the case. But he is no match for two necromancers, a tiger-ghoul, and a sheriff/hunter.
And now, as if dealing with how the sheriff makes her knees weak isn’t bad enough, the house she is trying to sell is haunted.
Just another day in Ava’s life at this point.
.ugb-48e45d9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-48e45d9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-48e45d9 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-48e45d9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-48e45d9 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Eat Prey SpellWelcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal.
The arrival of the National Spell Championships brings out High Priestess Limpet’s competitive side. Emma is forced to practice like her life depends on it and—judging from the menacing look in Limpet’s eye—that just might be the case. Unfortunately, Emma is disqualified for not being a witch, but that comes in handy when one of the best casters on a rival team is found dead and Emma is tasked with quietly finding the killer.
In the meantime, Emma’a demigod father is back in town and determined to teach Diana the old ways. Emma wants her daughter toppling blocks, not buildings, and lays down the law with dear old dad, which goes over like holy water in a vampire’s bath. With far more than a competition at stake, Spellbound’s favorite sorceress is up to her neck in magical trouble.
Will Emma prevail in her crusade against crime and cataclysm or will she finally fall prey to the forces of darkness?
Don’t miss the thrilling conclusion to the series!
.ugb-eee01c5 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-eee01c5 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-eee01c5 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-eee01c5 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-eee01c5 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Goodbye’s a WitchThe danger is rising, but this time, Holly is ready.
It’s a nightmare as old as time, creepy wraiths swirling in the shadows, waiting to strike unsuspecting humans. Following a disruption of their power, the vampires are more restless than ever and looking for one more fight.
When a young witch in need of asylum shows up at the Beechwood Manor, Holly can’t turn her away. But when the trouble nipping at the witch’s heels follows her through the manor’s front door, she might be the last guest Holly and Adam ever check in.
Will the battle between the vampires and the Haven Council prove to be the undoing of the magical world, or can Holly and her friends rise up and stop the vampires once and for all?
Find out in the final book of the Beechwood Harbor Magic Mysteries series.
.ugb-9e4edb9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-9e4edb9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-9e4edb9 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-9e4edb9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-9e4edb9 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}A Cream of PassionTempers are fraying and the cream is melting as summer temperatures hit the competition tent at Broomewode in the UK just in time for patisserie week. With only four contestants left, the pressure is mounting in the race to be chosen the best amateur baker in the UK.
Poppy’s working hard to find out who her parents were and what happened to them even as she’s trying to become a more accomplished witch, so she definitely doesn’t have time for romance. Then someone dies and it looks like a crime of passion. Can she unmask a killer before she’s the one who gets creamed?
.ugb-0f19ff8 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-0f19ff8 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-0f19ff8 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-0f19ff8 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-0f19ff8 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}A Chase of TwilightWhen an elderly woman is killed out walking her dogs, Cora doesn’t believe the stolen necklace removed from the deceased woman is the main motive. Neither does Sir Jasper, her familiar. He thinks the dogs did it…but then he he’s a little biased.
Cody is taking classes to sharpen his magic skills. However, when he meets a new woman at the meetings, will Cora have a rival? She tries to tell Nana nothing’s going on between her and Cody. But Nana knows her granddaughter all too well.
And speaking of Nana, what is it that makes her and Ben, Cora’s father, squabble so? The truth will come out sooner or later.
June 15, 2021
Meeting Old Friends in Midnight Sun
I published my Father’s Day post early this year, so you can get a head start on Dad books. Take a peek at my blog post for some you have not read before.
Be sure to check back here this weekend, as Skunk Man Swamp is released! Book #10 in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series, it can be read as a stand alone or with the rest of the series. If you haven’t read the first book year, be sure to have a look at What the Cat Knew, which you can pick up for free!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
It’s hard to believe that it has been sixteen years since Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight hit the scene. On the other hand, it has been almost that long since I last read it, and there is a lot that I only have vague impressions of. When I saw Midnight Sun, a retelling of Twilight from Edward’s perspective at my library, I thought “why not?” I enjoyed Twilight (though not as much as The Host—I am far more interested in action/suspense than romance) and it’s always nice to have something added to the canon.
And as implied by my title, it has been like meeting old friends after a long separation. They are the same people, but there are things that I have forgotten, subtexts that were never fully explored, and a rich backstory behind the action in Twilight. Edward’s gift enables the reader to hear not only his thoughts, but the thoughts of others on the scene. The storyline (at least so far) is entirely inline with the original story, as far as I remember it, and it is fun to see things from Edward’s point of view.
I enjoyed reading some Q&A with Stephenie Meyer as well, I’ll include it below the synopsis!
I could hear them all, hear every insignificant thing they were thinking as it passed through their minds. But nothing at all from the new student with the deceptively communicative eyes.
—Stephenie Meyer, Midnight Sun
When Edward Cullen and Bella Swan met in Twilight, an iconic love story was born. But until now, fans have heard only Bella’s side of the story. At last, readers can experience Edward’s version in the long-awaited companion novel, Midnight Sun.
This unforgettable tale as told through Edward’s eyes takes on a new and decidedly dark twist. Meeting Bella is both the most unnerving and intriguing event he has experienced in all his years as a vampire. As we learn more fascinating details about Edward’s past and the complexity of his inner thoughts, we understand why this is the defining struggle of his life. How can he justify following his heart if it means leading Bella into danger?
10 Second Interview: A Few Words with Stephenie Meyer
Q: Were you a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Angel? What are you watching now that those shows are off the air?
A: I have never seen an entire episode of Buffy or Angel. While I was writing Twilight, I let my older sister read along chapter by chapter. She’s a huge Buffy fan and she kept trying to get me to watch, but I was afraid it would mess up my vision of the vampire world so I never did.
I don’t have a ton of time for TV, and my kids get rowdy when I have on “mommy shows,” but I do have a secret fondness for reality shows (the good ones, at least in my opinion). I always TiVo Survivor, The Amazing Race, and America’s Next Top Model.
Q: What inspired you to write Twilight? Is this the beginning of a series? Why write for teens?
A: Twilight was inspired by a very vivid dream, which is fairly faithfully transcribed as chapter thirteen of the book. There are sequels on the way–I’m hard at work editing book two (tentatively titled New Moon) right now, and book three is waiting in line for its turn.
I didn’t mean to write for teens–I didn’t mean to write for anyone but myself, so I had an audience of one twenty-nine year old (and later one thirty-one year old when my sister started reading). I think the reason that I ended up with a book for teens is because high school is such a compelling time period–it gives you some of your worst scars and some of your most exhilarating memories. It’s a fascinating place: old enough to feel truly adult, old enough to make decisions that affect the rest of your life, old enough to fall in love, yet, at the same time too young (in most cases) to be free to make a lot of those decisions without someone else’s approval. There’s a lot of scope for a novel in that.
Q: What is your favorite vampire story? Fave vampire movie?
A: I guess my favorite vampire story would be The Vampire Lestat, by Anne Rice, simply because it’s one of the only ones I’ve ever read. I keep meaning to pick up Bram Stoker’s Dracula, because I get asked this question so often and I should probably start with the classics, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet. Again, I’m afraid to read other vampire books now, for fear of finding things either too similar, or too different from my own vampire world.
Ack! I can’t even answer the movie question. I can’t remember ever seeing a single vampire movie, outside of clips from Bela Lugosi movies on TV. I don’t like true horror movies–my favorite scary movies are all Hitchcock’s.
Q: What other young adult authors do you read?
A: My favorite young adult author is L.M. Montgomery I also enjoy J.K. Rowling (but who doesn’t?), and Ann Brashares. As a teen, I skipped straight to adult books (lots of sci-fi and Jane Austen), so I’m rediscovering the world of teen literature now.
Q: What book has had the most significant impact on your life?
A: The book with the most significant impact on my life is The Book of Mormon. The book with the most significant impact on my life as a writer is probably Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card, with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier coming in as a close second.
Q: You are stranded on a desert island with only one book, one CD, and one DVD–what are they?
A: The CD is easy: Absolution by Muse, hands down. It’s harder to give myself just one movie, but the one I watch most frequently is Sense and Sensibility–the one with the screenplay by Emma Thompson. One book is impossible. I’d have to have Pride and Prejudice, but I couldn’t live without something by Orson Scott Card and a nice, thick Maeve Binchy, too.
Q: What is the worst lie you’ve ever told?
A: My lies are all very, very boring: “No, you really look great in hot pink!” “My children only watch one hour of TV a day.” “I didn’t eat the last Swiss Cake Roll–it must have been one of the kids.” That’s the best I’ve got.
Q: Describe the perfect writing environment.
A: It’s late at night and the house is silent, but I’m still (miraculously) full of energy. I have my headphones in and I’m listened to a mix of Muse, Coldplay, Travis, My Chemical Romance, and The All-American Rejects. Beside me is a fabulous, and yet mysteriously low in calorie, cheesecake….
Q: If you could write your own epitaph, what would it say?
A: I’d like it to say that I really tried at the important things. I was never perfect at any of them, but I honestly tried to be a great mom, a loving wife, a good daughter, and a true friend. Under that, I’d want a list of my favorite Simpsons quotes.
Q: Who is the one person living or dead that you would like to have dinner with?
A: I’d love to have a chance to talk to Orson Scott Card–I have a million questions for him. Mostly things like, “How do you come up with this stuff?!” But, if he wasn’t available, I’d settle for Matthew Bellamy (lead singer of Muse).
Q: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
A: I’d want something offensive, rather than defensive. Like shooting fireballs from my hands. That way, you’re really open to going either way–hero or villain. I like to have choices.
June 10, 2021
Books for Father’s Day
Father’s Day is coming! How about some books to celebrate dads?
Many of the characters in my books are or were street kids and/or foster kids and they tend to have abusive or absent fathers. So I thought I would highlight a couple of them who had good relationships with their dads. I have also pulled together a sampling of other books showcasing good father/child relationships. I hope you find something here that you like!
@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-934ff42 .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}}Making Her MarkSecrets 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?
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE BOOKBUB BINGEBOOKS GOODREADS
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Micah lived a quiet, comfortable life, her involvement in law enforcement limited to the composite pictures that she produced with her computer and colored pencils.
But everything is turned upside down when she involves herself in the case of an infant found abandoned in the Sweetgrass Hills.
With the help of her knowledge of DNA and law enforcement contacts across the country, Micah is closing in on a killer. But her investigation draws the killer’s attention, and she finds herself in the middle of an operation that could mean the end of her career—or worse, her life.
AUTHOR DIRECT RETAILERS SAMPLE LISTEN TO SAMPLE BOOKBUB BINGEBOOKS GOODREADS
Clicking the Author Direct button allows you to purchase an ebook directly from the author using your PayPal account (blue button) or a credit card (grey button)
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
I thought I would include a couple of special mentions as well:
While Zachary Goldman came from an abusive and negligent family and dealt with a variety of other homes throughout his formative years, one foster father, Mr. Peterson, kept in touch with him over the years, helping him with his photography and providing emotional support. His partner, Pat Parker, has also been a positive father figure for Zachary in the years that he and Mr. Peterson have been together. Both Lorne and Pat get plenty of coverage in Zachary Goldman Mysteries and in the upcoming books in the Kenzie Kirsch Medical Thriller series.In Those Who Believe, Nathan’s father re-establishes contact with him.While Vanna’s father has passed away before the action in Pursued by the Past, Vanna clearly misses him and the role that he played in their family. And more!Here are a few more I have gathered together for you.
.ugb-7f571ab .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-7f571ab .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-7f571ab .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-7f571ab .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-7f571ab .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}The MesillaAt 14 years old, Jesus ‘Chuy’ Perez Contreras Verazzi Messi is too small and frail to work the land on the family farm near the Rio Bravo in Mexico. The local padre’s tutoring reveals Jesus’s unending curiosity and fertile mind. Noted Las Cruces, New Mexico attorney and politician, Colonel Albert Jennings Fountain agrees to take his nephew, under his wing. Jesus ‘reads law’ with his uncle and shares adventures and adversity with the Fountains and other historic Mesilla and Tularosa Valley citizens.
His coming of age story will take you into the wild southwest, a brewing range war, a territory struggling toward statehood, courtroom dramas, and the adventures and adversities of a boy’s quest for manhood.
*A fictional memoir by Jesus about the ten years leading to the notorious and unsolved Fountain murders.
.ugb-29d69f9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-29d69f9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-29d69f9 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-29d69f9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-29d69f9 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}The Witches of Crannock DaleWhen an enemy army threatens eleven-year old Mara’s home, she makes up her mind to save her family, one way or another. But when the knights protecting her village arrest her favorite aunt for witchcraft, she discovers that the difference between friend and foe may not be as obvious as she once thought.
This is a story of war and espionage, set in a low fantasy world. It is also about a child getting to know her mother and father in a new way.
.ugb-ce15b9d .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-ce15b9d .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-ce15b9d .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-ce15b9d .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-ce15b9d .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Nowhere BoulevardStephen Bell wants to be forgiven for reading his daughter’s diary. But he’s compelled to dredge every secret as her world changes.
This is the story of how Sarah’s perfect existence is shattered when everything trusted is stolen from her. Dad’s quit his job. Mum’s got pregnant and gone mental. But the boyfriend is a welcome distraction…until crazy is dialled to the max.
Sarah tries to be normal among her peers — but normal won’t let her be.
In a change from Black’s usual style, she breathes life into a family at breaking point. But readers will be left with no doubt that this is Katherine Black at her psychological best.
In her trademark signature of getting into the darkest corners of the psyche, she takes them one step closer to the very brink of dancing with the crazies.
This is no Disneyland. This is Nowhere Boulevard…
.ugb-1383324 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-1383324 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-1383324 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-1383324 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-1383324 .ugb-img{width:322px;height:auto !important}}A Wrinkle in TimeIt was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.
“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”
A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L’Engle’s unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.
.ugb-d1306b1 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-d1306b1 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-d1306b1 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-d1306b1 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-d1306b1 .ugb-img{width:328px;height:auto !important}}Beautiful BoyI’ll warn you ahead this one is a gut-wrenching true story.
What had happened to my beautiful boy? To our family? What did I do wrong?
Those are the wrenching questions that haunted David Sheff’s journey through his son Nic’s addiction to drugs and tentative steps toward recovery. Before Nic became addicted to crystal meth, he was a charming boy, joyous and funny, a varsity athlete and honor student adored by his two younger siblings. After meth, he was a trembling wraith who lied, stole, and lived on the streets.
David Sheff traces the first warning signs: the denial, the three a.m. phone calls—is it Nic? the police? the hospital? His preoccupation with Nic became an addiction in itself.
But as a journalist, he instinctively researched every treatment that might save his son. And he refused to give up on Nic.
.ugb-8e90ef7 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-8e90ef7 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-8e90ef7 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-8e90ef7 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8e90ef7 .ugb-img{width:331px;height:auto !important}}Between the World and MeIn a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?
Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.
.ugb-4d48695 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-4d48695 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-4d48695 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-4d48695 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-4d48695 .ugb-img{width:324px;height:auto !important}}Last Night in Twisted RiverIn 1954, in the cookhouse of a logging and sawmill settlement in northern New Hampshire, an anxious twelve-year-old boy mistakes the local constable’s girlfriend for a bear. Both the twelve-year-old and his father become fugitives, forced to run from Coos County—to Boston, to southern Vermont, to Toronto—pursued by the implacable constable.
Their lone protector is a fiercely libertarian logger, once a river driver, who befriends them. In a story spanning five decades, Last Night in Twisted River depicts the recent half-century in the United States as “a living replica of Coos County, where lethal hatreds were generally permitted to run their course.” What further distinguishes Last Night in Twisted River is the author’s unmistakable voice—the inimitable voice of an accomplished storyteller.
June 8, 2021
A Word for The Silent Patient
Did you get a chance to download some freebies over the weekend? Have you put in your preorder for Skunk Man Swamp? Reg Rawlins is back in book #10 in the series. A trip to the Everglades leads to some interesting discoveries!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I recently finished The Silent Patient, a psychological suspense/domestic thriller by Alex Michaelides. I would definitely go on to read more by Michaelides. I noticed that there are several one-star reviews at the top of the Amazon page, which is really too bad. The book has over 76,000 ratings with an over 4.5 star average and only 2% one-star reviews and it spent a year on the NYT bestseller list, so don’t get the idea that it isn’t a good book! As with most psychological suspense, it is a slow-build to the twist and climax, so don’t expect it to be a fast-paced edge-of-your-seat thriller. Michaelides builds interesting characters in a unique situation, and while some of the plot points are a bit of a stretch from reality, it is still believable enough to make entertaining reading.
Alicia remained silent throughout the interview. Her lips were pale, bloodless; they fluttered occasionally but formed no words, made no sounds. She answered no questions. She could not, would not, speak.
—Alex Michaelides, The Silent Patient
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Theo Faber is a criminal psychotherapist who has waited a long time for the opportunity to work with Alicia. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a twisting path into his own motivations—a search for the truth that threatens to consume him….
