P.D. Workman's Blog, page 57
November 17, 2020
Humour in a police procedural? Read A Bad Day for Sunshine
I published a blog last week on Books with Racially Diverse Main Characters. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t seen it yet!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
It isn’t often that you come across a police procedural infused with humour. Not just occasional, subtle humour, but full of laugh-out-loud tongue in cheek humour.
I have really been enjoying Darynda Jone’s A Bad Day for Sunshine. Sunshine is the name of the police chief in this small town police procedural featuring the kidnapping of a teenager who is friends with her own daughter.
If you’ve seen Gilmore Girls and enjoyed the verbal repartee between the mother and daughter in that show, you will love A Bad Day for Sunshine. Lightning quick jokes, tones of sarcasm, and a voice similar to that of Stephanie Plum in Janet Evanovich’s books.
Just a warning for sensitive readers that it does have some colourful language in it and one particularly graphic romantic scene.
I am getting close to the end and I want to finish it to find out who the kidnapper is and how the kidnapping was planned and executed—oh, and the mystery in Sunshine’s past—but I also don’t want to get to the end because I have enjoyed it so much.
Auri shook her head, tsking as she headed for the side door. “I swear, Mom. You’d lose your head if that nice Dr. Frankenstein hadn’t bolted it onto your body.”
Darynda Jones, A Bad Day for Sunshine
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Sheriff Sunshine Vicram finds her cup o’ joe more than half full when the small village of Del Sol, New Mexico, becomes the center of national attention for a kidnapper on the loose.
Del Sol, New Mexico is known for three things: its fry-an-egg-on-the-cement summers, strong cups of coffee—and, now, a nationwide manhunt? Del Sol native Sunshine Vicram has returned to town as the elected sheriff—thanks to her adorably meddlesome parents who nominated her—and she expects her biggest crime wave to involve an elderly flasher named Doug. But a teenage girl is missing, a kidnapper is on the loose, and all of this is reminding Sunshine why she left Del Sol in the first place. Add to that the trouble at her daughter’s new school, plus and a kidnapped prized rooster named Puff Daddy, and, well, the forecast looks anything but sunny.
But even clouds have their silver linings. This one’s got Levi, Sunshine’s sexy, almost-old-flame, and a fiery-hot US Marshal. With temperatures rising everywhere she turns, Del Sol’s normally cool-minded sheriff is finding herself knee-deep in drama and danger. Can Sunshine face the call of duty—and find the kidnapper who’s terrorizing her beloved hometown—without falling head over high heels in love…or worse?
November 12, 2020
Auntie Clem’s Bakery 1-12
Bundle/Collection, Coming Soon!
Series: Auntie Clem's Bakery
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Author DirectSample
eBook Price: $29.99 ($60 value!) 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
These cozy mysteries by P.D. Workman have more twists and turns than a woodland path! They are well-plotted and the characters are believable. These three books are the beginning of a great series.
Sandy, Amazon reader
+ About Auntie Clem's Bakery 1-12
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Save $30 by getting 12 books bundled!
Two bonus short stories!
Erin Price is a baker, not a sleuth. It’s really not her fault that mysteries keep landing in her lap while she’s trying to run Auntie Clem’s Bakery and make a living from baking gluten-free and specialty goods.
Sink your teeth into these sweet mysteries!
This ebook includes books 1-12 in this series:
1. Gluten-Free Murder
2. Dairy-Free Death
3. Allergen-Free Assignation
4. Stirring Up Murder
5. Brewing Death
6. Coup de Glace
7. Sour Cherry Turnover
8. Apple-achian Treasure
9. Vegan Baked Alaska
10. Muffins Masks Murder
11. Tai Chi and Chai Tea
12. Santa Shortbread
Bonus: You also get two holiday shorts, Witch-Free Halloween and Dog-Free Dinner
Goodreads reviews
Reviews from Goodreads.com
+ Praise for the Series
—This lady knows how to write!! I read this during hurricane Irma on my Kindle so I didn’t care the power was out!
—It was very good! But made me hungry!
—Oh my goodness I loved it! The murder mystery was so awesome… I couldn’t put this book down. Props to you again for another amazing read!
—I really enjoyed this book … Would make a great Hallmark movie.
—This very enjoyable story with uncomplicated characters and a sweet and easy storyline was well done.
+ Book Club Resources
Gluten-Free Pinterest Board
Disease and Disorder Pinterest Board
Food families reference
+ 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!”
+ Gluten-Free Murder on my Blog
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.
Reading List: Books with Racially Diverse Main Characters
There are an increasing number of books out there featuring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Colour) main characters. The “default” is still white main characters, but the call for more diverse characters is louder and more insistent, and authors are stepping up to fill the gap. BIPOC authors writing characters from their own cultures (#ownvoices) are particularly sought after.
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(Just so there is no confusion on the matter or accusations of appropriation, I am not BIPOC. There’s my face over there, so white I practically glow in the dark. But I am doing my best not to people my books with homogenous white characters. Writing with racial, neurological, and LGBTQIA diversity is important to me. There is wonderful variety in the world; let’s write about it.)
The fifth book in my Medical Kidnap Files series, Pain, releases very soon. Readers of the first four books in the series will know that the main characters, Gabriel and Renata, are Black and Hispanic respectively. In this volume, the child/family that they are trying to help are also Black. (If you want to check out the series, you can currently get book #1 in the series, Mito, for free!)
.ugb-83c8b3a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-83c8b3a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-83c8b3a .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-83c8b3a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-83c8b3a .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}}Pain, Medical Kidnap Files #5
When your child is in pain, everything else takes a backseat.
Fae Glover has put everything else on hold while she tries to help her daughter to get a diagnosis and effective treatment. Unfortunately, DFS has other ideas and in short order has apprehended Hannah. And they have no intention of ever giving her back.
Gabriel and Renata are in a race against the clock to keep the family together and reunite Hannah with her mother before the court severs all of Fae’s rights permanently.
I have rounded up some more books with BIPOC characters that you may enjoy. A few more of mine are sprinkled throughout. A special thanks to K.R.S. McEntire, who runs a reader group for Diverse Books with Magic and gave me lots of suggestions! Check out her blog post on #blackstoriesmatter.
Ginger Li has also written a blog post on diverse characters in Sci Fi and Fantasy that you should check out.
.ugb-7811209 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-7811209 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-7811209 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-7811209 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-7811209 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}The Hate U Give
Black #ownvoices
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger.
Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
.ugb-d4ee9a9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-d4ee9a9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-d4ee9a9 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-d4ee9a9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-d4ee9a9 .ugb-img{width:425px;height:auto !important}}Saving Eden Saga
Black, Asian, and bi-racial characters #ownvoices
Sixteen-year-old Angela thinks she and her father are the last survivors on Earth. She dreams of adventure and romance but only finds it in books. In the confines of her garden paradise, she’s untouched by contaminants that caused the rest of humanity to mutate into murderous beasts or die. But the lure of the outside world is irresistible.
When a seventeen-year-old boy stumbles upon Angela’s home with news about a thriving community, she dares to leave her garden for the first time. The dystopian society that she finds is deadlier than she expected, and the wardens tasked with protecting the settlement have murderous secrets. Does she have what it takes to stay alive and save humanity in the process?
.ugb-5a5164c .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-5a5164c .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-5a5164c .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-5a5164c .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-5a5164c .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Poisoned in Paradise
Caribbean
Public Health Officer Rynelle MacLeod loves keeping her Caribbean island pristine for visitors. But when a visiting billionaire is struck down with food poisoning, she has to cut her own vacation short to stop a nasty crisis. And she’s sure the skin-and-bones stalker who keeps hitting on her is actually a reporter sniffing out a dirty scoop.
NASA Astronaut Joe Johnson struggles to blend into the blue-water paradise. Secretly on an underwater mission, the ISS-stationed scientist is focused on avoiding people and pathogens and getting his gravity-laden body back into shape. But it’s the larger-than-life, germ-busting beauty he continually bumps into that’s making his heart work overtime.
In a race to prevent microbial mayhem, Rynelle slowly warms up to the scrawny man interfering with tracking down the toxin-inducing culprit. But when Joe thinks she’s about to expose his hidden research habitat, he’s forced to choose between career contamination and an out-of-this-world romance.
.ugb-3f2bc71 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-3f2bc71 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-3f2bc71 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-3f2bc71 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-3f2bc71 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Light and Fire Series
Asian #ownvoices
Seventeen-year-old Lia struggles to keep it together. Her nights are plagued with the same terrifying nightmare. A handsome, silver-eyed warrior transforms into a dragon and then begs for her to kill him. Lia chalks up the nightmares to an overactive imagination. Until the day the guy from her dreams arrives at her Jersey diner, and she’s transported to his cursed world.
On the outside, it looks like Kieren has it all. He’s betrothed to a princess, next in line for the throne, and admired as one of the best dragons hunters in Solair. Everything is finally going well for him. Until the day he’s cursed to become one of the beasts that he hunts.
Together, Lia and Kieren must journey to uncover the long hidden secrets behind unlocking her magic and breaking his curse. Their hunt for answers has far-reaching consequences, both for the fate of their worlds and for their hearts.
.ugb-2767ae0 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-2767ae0 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2767ae0 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2767ae0 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2767ae0 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Dragonfly Dreams
Asian #ownvoices
It’s 1880 in Fresno, California when 17-year-old Topaz Woo dies after giving birth. She can get an extension in a non-physical body—if she uses The Ten Commandments to influence her newborn. Over the course of ten years, she finds herself stymied in parenting by intergenerational drama and spiritual battle. Will she adjust to an otherworldly existence and give her daughter a solid foundation? Or will she become mired in family disputes and forfeit her soul to evil?
.ugb-3ad7b7a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-3ad7b7a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-3ad7b7a .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-3ad7b7a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-3ad7b7a .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Ruthless Magic
Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages’ Exam.
Disadvantaged by her parents’ low standing, Rocío Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reeling—and determined to fight to keep her magic.
Long ashamed of his mediocre abilities, Finn Lockwood knows the Confederation accepted him only because of his prominent family. Declaring for the Exam instead means a chance to confirm his true worth.
Thrown into the testing with little preparation, Rocío and Finn find themselves becoming unlikely allies—and possibly more. But the Exam holds secrets more horrifying than either could have imagined. What are the examiners really testing them for? And as the trials become increasingly vicious, how much are they willing to sacrifice to win?
.ugb-f37564c .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-f37564c .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-f37564c .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-f37564c .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-f37564c .ugb-img{width:332px;height:auto !important}}Mito
Black and Hispanic
Gabriel has dealt with mysterious medical issues his whole life. Just when he finally thought that they had all of the answers and he was on the road to good health, he is apprehended by DFS on the grounds of medical neglect.
At first, he thought that he would be back home in a few days, once the misunderstanding was cleared up. But when Renata tells Gabriel her crazy conspiracy theories, Gabriel feels the first pangs of doubt. Is there really a conspiracy? Will he ever be able to get well and go back to his mother, or is he doomed to be another guinea pig for Doctor De Klerk?
.ugb-446efce .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-446efce .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-446efce .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-446efce .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-446efce .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Shifters and Secrets
Hispanic #ownvoices
Senior year was supposed to be the best part of high school. I planned to skate by and figure out what I wanted to do with my life— but the universe decided for me.
I was promised to some evil witch coven before I was even born. Thanks, Mom. To make it worse, I develop the ‘sight’, which is the snooty way of saying I can see things normal humans can’t. Like my dad’s ex-employee turning into some freakish jaguar-man. Trust me, you don’t want to see what I’ve seen.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, I’m orphaned and forced to live with my only remaining relatives. A filthy rich family of monster hunters a.k.a. GRIMM, determined to add me to their ranks.
.ugb-2045ce7 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-2045ce7 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2045ce7 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2045ce7 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2045ce7 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Paranormal World Series
Black #ownvoices
Magic was my saving grace, but my power is my damnation.
My transition into a supernatural creature was the only reason I survived the apocalypse. I thought that was the worst I’d ever have to endure, but I was definitely wrong.
With half the human population wiped out and a majority of the survivors developing a power of their own, the non-gifted humans aren’t happy with their station in life.
My brother and I have to go on the run from humans who want to steal our magical blood for a power-inducing serum. Our only hope for survival, and the continued existence of the friends we left behind, is to find a hidden paranormal city and the literal man of my dreams.
A handsome and alluring stranger plagues my dreams by night but by day? A not-so friendly–but oh-so sexy–werejackal claims my attention. We journey to the promised land together, but once we find it? It’s definitely not what we expected and we have to face incredible peril that may prevent me from saving my friends.
.ugb-d537061 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-d537061 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-d537061 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-d537061 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-d537061 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Order
African American, Mexican American #ownvoices
As leader of the Shadow wolves, Valeria has had more than her share of heartache and burdens. Family taken by a world-shattering curse, a mate who abandoned her, and a pack losing faith in their leader. But when a human boy begs for her help, she can no longer ignore the cruelty of her kind. Even when helping him will put her pack and her own heart at more risk.
McKenzie was supposed to be leaving the coven. But when the worldwide spell went wrong, she was left to take her sister’s place as Witch Queen of Savannah. Now, she must figure out a way to stop the curse from claiming more lives, even if it means making a deal with Prince Ryn, notorious heir to the vampire throne. But when he turns out to be nothing like the rumors say, she can’t deny the pull she feels toward him. Is his care genuine or just an act to destroy her and her witches?
.ugb-b0874c9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-b0874c9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-b0874c9 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-b0874c9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b0874c9 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Seraphim Falling
Black #ownvoices
She wanted peace. Her enemies brought her war.
Titaia Angelfyre, the most powerful Seraph of Flames, proved her might and earned herself a crown. She’s a coronation away from sealing her fate to rule and protect all angels and their lands.
But when she’s attacked by darkness only heard of in legends, Titaia will be forced to run and make a life altering decision
.ugb-b442367 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-b442367 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-b442367 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-b442367 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b442367 .ugb-img{width:675px;height:auto !important}}Questing for a Dream
Indigenous
A compelling and poignant account of Native teen Nadie Laplante’s quest for meaning and purpose. This thought-provoking and eye-opening story of poverty, prejudice and addiction will inspire readers of all ages and remind them that they are not alone.
Nadie is a bright but rebellious teen growing up Manitoba Cree. Living in abject poverty, she tries to help care for the younger children in the band. Devastated by the drowning death of her little cousin and unable to overcome her grief, Nadie leaves the band.
How can she find her own place in a foreign world where she is abused and discriminated against, and for the first time in her life, completely alone?
.ugb-7df6739 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-7df6739 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-7df6739 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-7df6739 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-7df6739 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Ignite the Shadows
Hispanic #ownvoices
Seventeen-year-old Marci is a hacker. The best in the city. Ever since she can remember, her mind has been under attack, but lately it’s getting worse. A dark force overrides her and makes her do awful things. Her mother and best friend believe that she’s a rebel child and that she meant to race her bike with the cops hot on her tail.
She wasn’t in control. Someone else was.
Time and time again, Marci defeats the invading shadows and remains herself. The ability to prevail doesn’t go unnoticed by James McCray, the leader of a rebellious group known as IgNiTe. He soon recruits her and assures her she’s not crazy.
It turns out it’s far worse.
Marci is infected by a terrible plague, and so is half of Seattle.
.ugb-73e2671 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-73e2671 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-73e2671 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-73e2671 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-73e2671 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Flesh and Metal Series
Black #ownvoices
Is she the killer she’s hunting?
The cybernetic arm was supposed to help Lena—not turn her into a monster. Now, she’s stuck with it, and her friends are terrified of her.
And maybe they should be.
The arm’s artificial intelligence takes Lena’s thoughts to the extreme. It acts when she doesn’t tell it to, even when she’s asleep.
Ever since she got the new limb, she’s been sleepwalking and waking in odd places. To Lena, this is just another example of how CyberCorp—her parents’ company and the manufacturer of the arm—screws up everything.
As the rollout of CyberCorp’s new android approaches, a murderer targets children of the company’s employees. And thanks to her sleepwalking, Lena doesn’t know what she was doing during the murders.
When the evidence points to her, Lena decides to prove her innocence—or her guilt.
.ugb-2d5e320 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-2d5e320 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2d5e320 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2d5e320 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-2d5e320 .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}}Pursued by the Past
Hispanic
Vanna had a good life. She had her challenges—like her mother’s high expectations of her—but all in all, she had a job she enjoyed, a fun hobby and friends. She didn’t need any complications.
But that all changed shortly after trying to break things off with Tino. The phone calls with no one on the other end. Anonymous gifts.
Someone moving things around in her bedroom.
A restraining order changed nothing. If anything, it caused things to escalate. If Vanna wants her life back, she will have to take things into her own hands.
.ugb-7af71d8 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-7af71d8 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-7af71d8 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-7af71d8 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-7af71d8 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}The Salted Series
Black #ownvoices
After a merfolk king offers a royal bounty for the recapture of a dangerous fugitive, a misfit crew of slave catchers are sent ashore to find the elusive runner. Succeed, and they’ll share in the reward to buy freedom for themselves and their families. If any among them doesn’t return or they come back empty-handed, their loved ones will be killed for the crew’s shared failure.
But when the hunt leads to a deeper mystery and the possibility of greater riches for all, the crew faces a moral dilemma that threatens to tear their loyalties apart – what is the cost of one life worth against the needs of the many . . . and are any among them willing to pay the sacrificial price?
Five souls with hard choices to make. Five destinies interlinked.
.ugb-0c7b385 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-0c7b385 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-0c7b385 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-0c7b385 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-0c7b385 .ugb-img{width:671px;height:auto !important}}Endless Change
Black
Parker’s mother always said he jumped into things without thinking first, and that’s exactly what he did when he saw Dakota, cold and hungry, fending for herself on the city streets. How could he ignore the pain and fear in her dark eyes? Dakota was eager to go to school and she made friends quickly, eager to make up for a dismal childhood full of deprivation and abuse by enjoying every moment she could.
But there was something wrong with Dakota. It wasn’t just the hollowness in her eyes or her traumatic past. Others sensed it too and warned Parker not to get too close to Dakota. But despite his questions, he just can’t help falling for her.
Dakota holds her secrets close, and Parker is worried that if he pushes too hard for answers, she’ll just run away.
.ugb-65dc41b .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-65dc41b .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-65dc41b .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-65dc41b .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-65dc41b .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Forestborn Series
Black #ownvoices
In the only surviving part of the earth sits the post-apocalyptic West-African kingdom of Nayja. In the only place where humans still exist lives four tribes, the Kingfishers, the Ammirians, the Rowans and the Arnazuris but one tribe is dominant and must remain so.
Seventeen-year-old Genesis Romunda is one of the elite hunters of the Arnazuri community where there is no electricity except for solar-powered lamps sent from the capital, King’s Forest.
Genesis, the only elite hunter not joining the rebellion is distraught that her father believes in the rebellion. She even gets into a fist fight with her friend Remmington over this. Why join a stupid rebellion when you know you have no chance? Why believe in prophetic songs of Griots when you know they are merely fairy tales?
.ugb-97d9723 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-97d9723 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-97d9723 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-97d9723 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-97d9723 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}The Fenway Stevenson Series
Black
Blood is thicker than oil–until murder is involved.
Fenway Stevenson doesn’t want to return to the coastal town where her estranged father is practically king. But the death of her mother draws her back home–and the murder of the county coroner draws her into a deepening conspiracy. As the body count rises and all signs seem to point toward her father’s oil company, will Fenway uncover the truth before family bonds become deadly?
.ugb-d666a15 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-d666a15 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-d666a15 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-d666a15 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-d666a15 .ugb-img{width:397px;height:auto !important}}Dragon Tamers of Pyralis Series
Black #ownvoices
My life is as wild as you would expect for a girl named Kaos. When the dragon I stole bonds with me, I’m forced to enroll in the Dragon Academy to save myself from execution.
Nestled in the heart of a volcano, the Dragon Academy is a brutal training school where the country’s best dragon tamers are forged by fire—aka gruelling combat training and cutthroat competitions. The only things that make this place tolerable are a swoon-worthy lieutenant that’s got a soft spot for me, my mis-matched pair of friends, a sweet old alchemist, and my majestic dragon, Ignimitra.
But chaos follows me to the Academy too. It only takes me a few days to realize the incident that tore my family apart is linked to the ruthless Headmaster.
November 10, 2020
John Fiske is looking for The Simple Truth
Did you get a chance to pick up some freebies on the weekend? Some of them are still available.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I have just started in on David Baldacci’s The Simple Truth.
I always pick up Baldacci and have rarely been disappointed. This is a book along the lines of a Grisham legal thriller or Michael Connelly’s Lincoln Lawyer series.
There is some kind of plot that has sent a man to prison for life. He has already served 25 years when it starts to come to light. Michael Fiske, a clerk for the Supreme Court, gets tangled up in it and is killed, and his big brother joins in the investigation to find out what happened.
I’m not very far in yet, but the foundation that has been laid is promising!
Several times Rider’s eyes widened as Harms’s words spilled over him. Finished, the prisoner sat back and looked at him.
“You going to help me, ain’t you?”
David Baldacci, Simple Truth
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It’s never what it seems…Young attorney Michael Fiske broke the law when he took Rufus Harms’s prison letter from the Supreme Court. But he also sealed his own fate. Suddenly everyone who has anything to do with Harms or his appeal mysteriously dies. Now Michael’s brother John, a cop turned attorney, comes to Washington to find out why his brother was murdered–and what it had to do with a crime that Harms committed twenty-five years before. But the one man who can help John, the one man who knows what really happened more than two decades ago–and why–has escaped from prison and is running for his life.
November 5, 2020
A Whisker’s Breadth and More Freebies!
A Whisker’s Breadth, book #9 in the Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator series is free this weekend only! Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone. If you haven’t read book #1, you can also pick up What the Cat Knew free below!
Keep scrolling down for more freebies.
About A Whisker’s Breadth
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Reg acquires a client with terrible luck. Reg needs all of the psychic powers that she and Starlight possess to see Vivian King’s future and what catastrophic accidents stand in her way.
But this is Black Sands, and all is not as it seems. Reg faces unexpected barriers as she tries to prevent Vivian’s death.
One day Reg hopes to understand all of the ins and outs of this business. But today is not that day.
AUTHOR DIRECT BUY NOW SAMPLE BOOKBUB GOODREADS
Download format options for author direct are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Always an interesting time hanging out with Reg, Corvin and the rest of the fun characters in this series.
Kandy, Goodreads Reviewer
More freebies
I have gathered together some more freebies for you. See if any of these tickle your fancy.
You can add all of the freebies available in the Kindle store with one click, or pick which books or which stores you want individually. As always, check prices before you check out, as prices may change without warning or not be free all days or in all markets.
.ugb-8b1c806 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-8b1c806 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-8b1c806 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-8b1c806 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-8b1c806 .ugb-img{width:724px;height:auto !important}}What the Cat Knew
Book 1 in the series is currently free too!
Reg 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 SAMPLE
.ugb-6ca02ca .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-6ca02ca .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-6ca02ca .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-6ca02ca .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-6ca02ca .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}The Imperfect Psychic
When Charlotte, at a crossroads, gets a vision on what she should do next in life, she follows it, and it leads her to a quaint town upstate, her beloved cat and companion Oliver by her side. Quiet and peaceful, the town offers the exact escape she needed. And when her own vision leads her to a charming historic for sale, she spontaneously decides to buy it and follow her forever dream of running a bed and breakfast.
But Charlotte is in way over her head. Desperate to keep it running, she is forced to rely on her psychic abilities once again, and decides to open a psychic booth once again. Everything finally seems to be going her way—when a shocking murder puts her right in the middle of the crime.
Now Charlotte must solve the case—or lose her bed and breakfast, her clients, and her future.
.ugb-51d2c2f .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-51d2c2f .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-51d2c2f .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-51d2c2f .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-51d2c2f .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Kitty Confidential
This talking cat has a murder to solve… But will his new human agree to play Watson to his Sherlock?
I was just your normal twenty-something with seven associate degrees and no idea what I wanted to do with my life. That is, until I died… Well, almost.
As if a near-death experience at the hands of an old coffeemaker wasn’t embarrassing enough, I woke up to find I could talk to animals. Or rather one animal in particular.
His full name is Octavius Maxwell Ricardo Edmund Frederick Fulton, but since that’s way too long for anyone to remember, I’ve taken to calling him Octo-Cat. He talks so fast he can be difficult to understand, but seems to be telling me that his late owner didn’t die of natural causes like everyone believes.
Well, now it looks like I no longer have a choice, apparently my life calling is to serve as Blueberry Bay’s first ever pet whisperer P.I while maintaining my façade as a paralegal at the offices of Fulton, Thompson & Associates.
I just have one question: How did Dr. Dolittle make this gig look so easy?
.ugb-f785681 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-f785681 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-f785681 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-f785681 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-f785681 .ugb-img{width:328px;height:auto !important}}Scent of a Killer
Witches, cats, and murder — oh, my!
Socialite/Aromatherapist Ella Sweeting wasn’t expecting much for her twenty-second birthday. But when three mysterious Aunts (and their cats) barge into her home and introduce her to her latent magical powers, her life turns upside down.
But just as she’s getting to know her eccentric and endearing Aunts and learn how to harness her newfound magic, a shocking murder threatens the entire world she’s just uncovered. When her mother’s best friend Vanessa is found dead, and her Aunts’ fingerprints all over the murder weapon, Ella realizes she has to act to save her family.
Combining forces with Rory, the cute mailman she’s been crushing on, Ella uses her skills of scent and sense to track the killer. But things get sticky when clues cross social classes, and Ella realizes that catching the killer and clearing her family’s name could alienate Rory.
.ugb-eb2779b .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-eb2779b .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-eb2779b .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-eb2779b .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-eb2779b .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}The Ghostly Grounds
Marie Fortune, 39, a successful dog groomer in Boston, has had enough of catering to the wealthy and their pampered dogs. Realizing it is time to make a change, she quits and heads to a small coastal town in Maine where she remembers fond summers as a kid. Marie expects to go for a brief getaway—and is shocked to learn that her great-aunt left her an inheritance: a dilapidated, historic house high up on a hill overlooking the harbor.
Marie feels an instant connection. Although the locals tell her it would be folly, Marie decides to renovate and give it a second life as a B&B.
But there is one thing she couldn’t have planned for: the house is haunted.
Two things, actually: her great-aunt also left her a dog—and he is far from a typical dog.
When an unexpected death occurs soon thereafter, solving the crime will be more than just a matter of curiosity for Marie—her very future may depend on it.
.ugb-7b2fd89 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-7b2fd89 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-7b2fd89 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-7b2fd89 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-7b2fd89 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Witches Brew
Pepper Jasper moves from Sydney to the cozy town of Lighthouse Bay, answering a desperate plea from her aunts to help with their failing Bed and Breakfast business.
She discovers her aunts are more eccentric than she remembered, the Bed and Breakfast does not serve breakfast, and the cottages for lease have strange themes. And what’s more, within minutes of her arrival, she stumbles across a dead body.
Pepper soon has her hands full, contending with a murder mystery, irritating guests including the enigmatic Lucas O’Callaghan who is convinced every woman wants to fall into his arms, and her aunts, who are hiding more than one deep secret.
.ugb-182573c .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-182573c .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-182573c .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-182573c .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-182573c .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Wisteria Witches
Zara Riddle moved to a charming new house in a small town so her life could be simple. But now that her witch powers have kicked in, life is anything but simple. Long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork. It turns out the family tree is riddled with magic.
When a ghost shows up, Zara finds out her powers come with a cost. She must solve the woman’s murder. Zara teams up with her handsome neighbor, a wolf shifter who’s both mysterious and perfect. Maybe too perfect? He did save her life during an attack, but he’s definitely hiding something behind that sly smile.
The town of Wisteria may be quaint on the surface, but danger lurks around every corner. To protect her family, Zara must risk her heart and her life. Forces of good and evil will face off in a battle where one side has a secret advantage.
One thing’s for sure. Zara Riddle is keeping these new powers, blue lightning balls and all.
.ugb-fb86b5a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-fb86b5a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-fb86b5a .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-fb86b5a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-fb86b5a .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Bound
The Bonheim triplets live seemingly ordinary lives, hiding their magic from their neighbors in the small, mountain town of Doyle, California. But then a body is found in flighty, big sister Jayce’s coffee shop. Confronted by a sheriff with a grudge, a sister in denial, and a sexy lawyer with an agenda of his own, no-nonsense Karin must prove her sister innocent.
But as Karin works to unravel the murder, the knottier the mystery of her small mountain town becomes.
.ugb-4cf309c .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-4cf309c .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-4cf309c .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-4cf309c .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-4cf309c .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum
When Maddie Kosloski’s career flatlines, she retreats to her wine country hometown for solace and cheap rent. Railroaded into managing the local paranormal museum, she’s certain the rumors of its haunting are greatly exaggerated. But then a fresh corpse in the museum embroils Maddie in murders past and present, making her wonder if a ghost could really be on the loose.
With her high school bully as one of the detectives in charge of the investigation, Maddie doubts justice will be served. When one of her best friends is arrested, she knows it won’t be. Maddie also grapples with ghost hunters, obsessed taxidermists, and the sexy motorcyclist next door as outside forces threaten. And as she juggles spectral shenanigans with the hunt for a killer, she discovers there truly is no place like home.
.ugb-bbaa23e .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-bbaa23e .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-bbaa23e .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-bbaa23e .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-bbaa23e .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}}Witch Way to Go
Evian Wavily will do just about anything to escape her predictable life and domineering grandmother — even sign up for a cross-country scavenger hunt. She’s expecting action, adventure, and possibly a sunburn. She didn’t agree to the ghost in her hotel room, or her best friend Rita sneaking into the race. But all’s forgiven — if not forgotten — they race across Kenya.
The plan is simple. Too bad nothing else is. Evian and Rita are plagued with luck that redefines bad. Flat tires and a faulty GPS are only the beginning in a race that includes pirates, poachers, explosive secrets, and a ticking clock. What could possibly go wrong?
.ugb-04a0c57 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-04a0c57 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-04a0c57 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-04a0c57 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-04a0c57 .ugb-img{width:326px;height:auto !important}}Gone with the Ghost
Bailey Burke has had a rough six months—it’s not easy thinking your romantic overtures toward your best friend caused him to kill himself. Except that’s exactly what happened. Ryan is very much dead, having shot himself with his own police-issued gun. Guilt and grief shouldn’t cause hallucinations though, but six months after Ryan went into the ground, Bailey is freaking out and swearing his ghost is standing in her kitchen. Which he is…
Ryan claims he didn’t commit suicide, but was murdered, and he needs Bailey to help him find his killer so he can earn his ticket out of purgatory. Ryan’s counting on a stairway to heaven, as opposed to wings, since that might be a little unmanly for a cop, even a dead one.
An expert in home design, with her own staging business, Bailey can tell you where to place a couch to improve flow and comfort, but solving a crime? Not her area of expertise. But with help from Ryan’s former partner, Marner, she is unraveling the mystery of what happened to Ryan that day… and unwittingly putting herself in grave danger.
November 3, 2020
Real-life intrigue in Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill
I hope you had a happy and safe Halloween! If you’re still looking for more Halloween-themed or spooky books, grab them from my blog.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I recently read Ronan Farrow’s Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators, an account of his investigation into and exposure of Harvey Weinstein’s long history of sexual abuse in Hollywood, of the cover-ups that took place over decades by not only Hollywood, but by police departments, prosecutors, and the media.
It’s fascinating to read Farrow’s account of his investigation, the many women he talked to, and the way the story was suppressed by his news agency. He also lays out the corporate espionage and pressure tactics used against him by Weinstein, who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to a private investigation firm to surveil and investigate Farrow himself to see who he was talking to and what he knew.
It was the exposure of Weinstein that triggered the sudden explosion of the #metoo movement in October 2017. It really is shocking to hear how sexual harassment and abuse was ignored in Hollywood (and certain political campaigns and other industries). It was widely known, but allowed to go on for decades.
Catch and Kill, by the way, does not refer to killing women, but the practice of buying the exclusive rights to someone’s story in order to suppress it rather than to publish it, a practice that was used over and over again by certain media outlets in order to protect Harvey Weinstein.
I returned to… a story about the Hollywood “casting couch”—performers being harassed or propositioned for transactional sex at work… “You should look at Rose McGowan, she tweeted something about a studio head…”
Ronan Farrow, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
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In 2017, a routine network television investigation led to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood’s most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth, and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite war-hardened spies, mounted a secret campaign of intimidation, threatening his career, following his every move, and weaponizing an account of abuse in his own family. This is the untold story of the exotic tactics of surveillance and intimidation deployed by wealthy and connected men to threaten journalists, evade accountability, and silence victims of abuse. And it’s the story of the women who risked everything to expose the truth and spark a global movement
October 27, 2020
The Searcher: Tana French is Master of the Slow Burn
I posted week about my writing career. It has been seven years since I first published, and a lot has happened since then. If you didn’t get a chance to read my post yet, have a look!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I just finished reading The Searcher by Tana French. Earlier this year, I read another book by French, The Witch Elm. I enjoyed both, but I think The Searcher was more cohesive.
The Searcher is slow burn suspense. If you are looking for a high-octane thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end, this is not the book for you. Instead, it is a walk out on the Irish heath on a sunny day, watching the sheep graze, as the clouds gradually roll in, getting darker and darker, with the forest closing in around you.
Good character development, strong setting and cultural foundation. Enough action to keep the plot moving forward.
This morning, footprints, in the dirt under his living-room window. Sneakers, going by the fragments of tread, but the prints were too scuffed up and overlapped to tell how big or how many.
Tana French, The Searcher
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Cal Hooper thought a fixer-upper in a bucolic Irish village would be the perfect escape. After twenty-five years in the Chicago police force and a bruising divorce, he just wants to build a new life in a pretty spot with a good pub where nothing much happens. But when a local kid whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating, Cal uncovers layers of darkness beneath his picturesque retreat, and starts to realize that even small towns shelter dangerous secrets.
October 21, 2020
My 2020 Bookiversary
[image error] My first published book
October is the anniversary of publishing my first book. (The first book I published, not the first book I wrote—that was not fit for publication.) Believe it or not, that was back in 2013. I was dipping my toes into the publishing world to see whether it would be possible for me to write full time as my office job wound down in on a predicted five-year timeline. While I have continued to work that job up until now, I am now working from home and expect to claim the title of full-time writer in the new year, though I will continue to provide administrative support a few hours a week.
[image error] Top Fiction Award
In the Margins Committee
I have learned so much during this time. I have put in a lot of hours and unrelenting effort. I have published over sixty full-length books, for the last four years writing a novel a month. I have written almost 1,000 blog posts. I have a mailing list of over 15,000 subscribers. I have won literary awards and this month held the #1 position in the entire Kindle free list for a day.
[image error] #1 Free Download in the Kindle Store
I have polished my writing craft and process. I have learned cover design, website design, html/css coding, and new marketing and advertising techniques. I have put in full-time hours writing and publishing while working a full-time office job and homeschooling.
I have commissioned foreign-language translations and audiobooks.
I have sold or given away almost a quarter of a million books. I hit the USA Today bestseller list. I have helped several other people publish their first book and have given and received so much advice in online forums. I’ve discovered my books in traveling collections and libraries.
[image error] Do No Harm hit the USA Today bestseller’s list
I have done presentations at conferences and schools. I have made many friends, both authors and readers. I’ve received the best emails from readers who have fallen in love with a book, series, or character and reached out to tell me about it. I’ve had readers beg me to add to existing series that I had thought were finished, and I did. My readers are truly the best.
[image error] New series coming out in 2021
I am committed to continuing to write and publish, entertaining and educating you with the best stories I can write. I have not twelve, but fourteen books lined up for publication next year, most of them already written. I’ll be bringing you a little local Calgary flavour with my Parks Pat Mysteries series and will be updating and relaunching an older series. I will be updating covers in my Auntie Clem’s Bakery and Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator series.
I hope you will continue the journey with me! Knowing that there are readers waiting for my next book(s) and falling in love with my favourite characters is an awesome feeling.
October 20, 2020
Don’t forget this one — Mr. Nobody
Have you had a chance to pick up a copy of my latest release, A Whisker’s Breadth yet?
And make sure you take a look at my blog post about Halloween books. I’m adding new entries to it each week this month.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
This week’s teaser is Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman. I’ve read a couple of this author’s books the last few weeks, and they are very engaging. Great medical or psychological thrillers.
Mr. Nobody is about a man with amnesia and the doctor—with a past—who is treating him. But this is not your run-of-the-mill bang-on-the-head amnesia case. It’s not even a run-of-the-mill fugue case. Well-researched and presented, you’ll enjoy the twist and turns of the plot. Interesting, well-developed main characters. An engaging read.
Even if we somehow managed to survive all that, I’m probably the only person who would be able to fix us afterward. I’m the only doctor with relevant clinical experience in a hundred-mile radius.
Catherine Steadman, Mr. Nobody
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When a man is found on a British beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him, to international medical experts who are baffled by him, to the national press who call him Mr. Nobody, everyone wants answers. Who is this man? And what happened to him?
Some memories are best forgotten.
Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient in a small town deep in the English countryside. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she’s been waiting for, and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same town fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then.
Places aren’t haunted . . . people are.
But now something—or someone—is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes that he knows the one thing about her that nobody is supposed to know.
October 15, 2020
A Whisker’s Breadth and other New Releases!
It is release day for A Whisker’s Breadth, book #9 in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series.
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About A Whisker’s Breadth
Reg acquires a client with terrible luck. Reg needs all of the psychic powers that she and Starlight possess to see Vivian King’s future and what catastrophic accidents stand in her way.
But this is Black Sands, and all is not as it seems. Reg faces unexpected barriers as she tries to prevent Vivian’s death.
One day Reg hopes to understand all of the ins and outs of this business. But today is not that day.
AUTHOR DIRECT BUY NOW SAMPLE BOOKBUB GOODREADS
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Other New Releases
Here are some other new releases that you might be interested in picking up!
.ugb-791d233 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-791d233 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-791d233 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-791d233 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-791d233 .ugb-img{width:230px;height:auto !important}}March Street Malice
A cozy New Years Eve. A house burned to the ground. A mysterious death.
Kelly Bordeaux wants nothing more than to celebrate the New Year by staying in and listening to her grandmother’s stories. But their time together is interrupted by a fire at a neighboring home.
A dead man in the rubble shocks the town. When the fire turns out to be arson, Kelly is pulled into a new investigation.
.ugb-0b6c0dd .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-0b6c0dd .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-0b6c0dd .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-0b6c0dd .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-0b6c0dd .ugb-img{width:236px;height:auto !important}}The Watchful Coroner
There’s another killing in the cozy beach town of Estancia. This time, Coroner Fenway Stevenson needs to solve the murder of one of the most prominent businessmen in town.
But everyone has ulterior motives.
The new mayor is pressuring her to make a quick arrest. Is he eager for justice or does he have something to hide?
Fenway’s relationship with her boyfriend is strained when the investigation threatens to unearth a terrible secret and tear his family apart.
Her father lies comatose after being shot by a bullet meant for Fenway. His company is on the brink of disaster.
The investigation quickly turns into a political and personal battleground. Her friends, colleagues, and family get caught in the web of complicated relationships and contradictory evidence—and as the mayor turns the screws on Fenway, her emotions reach the boiling point.
When the primary suspect’s alibi changes, Fenway knows something isn’t right.
You can also get book 1 in the series for free.
.ugb-1aa3303 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-1aa3303 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-1aa3303 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-1aa3303 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-1aa3303 .ugb-img{width:217px;height:auto !important}}Brought to Book
Not all new brooms sweep clean…
Business is booming at Burns Books — so much so that Jemma and Raphael hire a new assistant. And that’s when things start to go wrong.
Luke’s helpful, he’s knowledgeable, and the customers like him. So why is the shop up to its old tricks, and a few new ones? And what’s the matter with Folio?
Jemma and Carl take it upon themselves to investigate, and end up finding out a lot more than they bargained for.
.ugb-b6279c4 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-b6279c4 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-b6279c4 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-b6279c4 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-b6279c4 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Deadly Patterns
My name is Dana, I’m a private investigator and hired to find a missing woman. Thinking it would be a straightforward case like all my others, instead, I’m thrust into a web of kidnappings, deceit, and murder.
The investigation leads me to a prominent doctor who abducts his patients after their surgery, but all the evidence is circumstantial. With the help of my detective brother and his partner, we discover more bodies and link cold cases where we establish a similar MO.
During the investigation, the man who left me for dead is back and wants more.
.ugb-46ce290 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-46ce290 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-46ce290 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-46ce290 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-46ce290 .ugb-img{width:353px;height:auto !important}}The Jack Hansard Series
Jack Hansard is the man who can sell you anything. Luck in a bottle, fame in a box, dreams on a leash: anything is possible when you’re a trader on the occult Black Market.
Jack is used to a life of handling dangerous goods, dodging disgruntled customers, and sometimes running away very fast.
But when Ang – two-and-a-half feet of furious Welsh coblyn – buys his help to find her missing kin, Jack suddenly finds the goods are riskier, the customers more treacherous, and escape is anything but guaranteed.
.ugb-6574e7f .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-6574e7f .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-6574e7f .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-6574e7f .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-6574e7f .ugb-img{width:217px;height:auto !important}}The Maisie Frobisher Mysteries 1-3
Meet Maisie Frobisher, a Victorian socialite travelling in search of adventure — and it doesn’t take her long to find it.
All At Sea
When socialite Maisie Frobisher heads off on a cruise to India in search of adventure, little does she know what form it will take. First some jewellery, then an important document goes missing from an ambassador’s cabin.
Maisie already suspects a fellow guest — however, when he turns out to be a police inspector travelling incognito, her nose is put firmly out of joint. Then a new crime rears its head, and Maisie finds that the past she is trying to escape just won’t let her go…
Off The Map
When Maisie Frobisher arrives in Bombay she is looking forward to a life of parties and sightseeing. Fate, though, has other plans.
At first Maisie thinks her biggest problem will be adjusting to the restrictions of life in Bombay. But when an information leak sparks conflict, and Maisie receives a bizarre message via the personals column of the local newspaper, she has no choice but to get involved. Soon Maisie finds herself ostracised by society — but that becomes the least of her worries as danger looms.
Gone To Ground
Maisie Frobisher and Inspector Hamilton are planning a triumphant return to England; but Inspector Hamilton is chained to his desk, trying to uncover the network of operatives who are sowing discord throughout India. Then a mysterious stranger turns out to hold a key to the mystery — and she will only speak through Maisie…
Leopard is still at large, and Inspector Hamilton envies Maisie her position at the centre of the drama. Then, amongst the small talk, an ally is murdered…
.ugb-60e9d07 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-60e9d07 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-60e9d07 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-60e9d07 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-60e9d07 .ugb-img{width:329px;height:auto !important}}The Color of Sunshine
Sunshine Destrier was an incandescent child, her clair abilities off the charts. When her family left Fleur to found a space station in the asteroid belt, all of that changed.
The neural node and physical mods her father insisted on dampened Sunshine’s abilities and made her just one more pretty, useless Elite.
When her Aunt Jey came to the Station, everything changed, as it usually did when Jey showed up. Pandemics, mind melds, nanobot infestations, secrets and journeys followed.
.ugb-d3c08cf .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-d3c08cf .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-d3c08cf .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-d3c08cf .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-d3c08cf .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}}Shades of Grayson
When author Grayson Cleary crosses the Atlantic, he has his sights set on two prizes—one literary and one romantic.
Things are going well until a harmless favor for his girlfriend leads Grayson into a minor mystery that morphs into murder. And the evidence all points toward him—either as the killer or the next victim.
With the police, a murderer, and the ghost of a dead writer all pursuing him, Grayson has only his author friends and one exceptional seeing-eye poodle to help him sniff out the killer and clear his own name.
.ugb-29cfcba .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:24px !important}.ugb-29cfcba .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-29cfcba .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-29cfcba .ugb-button:before{border-radius:24px !important}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.ugb-29cfcba .ugb-img{width:217px;height:auto !important}}The Mechanic
Eight years retired from the army, Tyler manages his PTSD and begins a job as a classic car mechanic. He’s a single dad to Lexi, who’s about to enter college. Life is looking up.
Then, everything comes crashing down.
Tyler’s former commanding officer is out of prison and hellbent on revenge. Their mutual hatred has been simmering for years. When it finally boils over, everyone and everything in Tyler’s life is threatened.
He wanted to be a father and a mechanic. To save himself and his daughter, he’ll need to use the deadly skills he thought he left behind.
