P.D. Workman's Blog, page 62
July 21, 2020
Excerpt from The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
Have you picked up my latest release yet? Santa Shortbread is out just in time for Christmas in July! If you like to beat the heat by reading Christmas stories, this is your chance. Later this week, I’ll have a blog post with a bunch of other Christmas reads for your summer reading pleasure as well.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I just recently started reading The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. It is a prequel to the Hunger Games series. I was afraid when looking for the publication date today that it came out years ago and I just never knew about it, but it was just released this year, so I’m not as out of touch as I feared.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes goes back to when President Snow was a boy, assigned to be a mentor to one of the tributes. While he was born into a high-ranking family, they were devastated by the war, and while Panem is being rebuilt, it is still a struggle for them to get enough to eat from day to day. He tries to keep their dire circumstances as secret and his ability to get into university on a scholarship prize hinges on his performance as a mentor.
So this is “the other side of the story.” You get to see Coriolanus Snow from a completely different perspective and to see what happened to make him the person he is in the Hunger Games trilogy.
Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.
― Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes
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It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined – every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute . . . and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
July 16, 2020
Release of Santa Shortbread and more
Christmas has come early! It’s release day for Santa Shortbread, book #12 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series. If you didn’t preorder it, pick up this gluten-free treat today!
Santa Shortbread
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The Grinch has come to Bald Eagle Falls
Somebody is stealing Christmas gifts from the Bald Eagle Falls children. At the rate that presents are disappearing, there soon won’t be a gift left in Whoville. Err, Bald Eagle Falls.
Gluten-free baker Erin Price and her friends are on the case to try to unmask the Grinch and bring him to justice, and toys to the children. But time is not on their side. Soon it will be Christmas Eve—will the winner be the Grinch or Santa?
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Love this series! The small town of Bald Eagle Falls has its own real life Grinch, who is stealing toys intended for needy children. Ms. Workman delivers another great mystery with nice plot twists and charming characters
—Sandy
I always enjoy the books in this series. Fun characters that keep you entertained. This one was very interesting and gave me a little taste of Christmas in July. I look forward to Erin and her friends next adventure.
—Kandy
More new releases
Fill your stocking with these other new books!
.ugb-b07360f .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-b07360f .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-b07360f .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-b07360f .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-b07360f .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Past Tense
The coldest case you ever saw…
When Pippa Parker attends a meeting about Clementina Stoate, Victorian poet and former resident of Much Gadding, she has no idea what she’s getting into.
First a file of Clementina’s letters goes missing — and of course there are no copies. Who has taken the letters, and why?
Clementina’s descendant hires Pippa to track the letters down. But as she investigates their disappearance, Pippa discovers a bigger mystery. The only problem is that everyone involved is dead.
.ugb-40d6d53 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-40d6d53 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-40d6d53 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-40d6d53 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-40d6d53 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}The Wedding Plan
If you love small towns, endearing relationships, food, animals, and a touch of murder, you will love this mystery series set in the small town of White Eagle Montana.
In book 10 in the series, Tess and Tony plan a secret wedding ceremony, Nona plans a visit, and Tess and Mike plan a face to face meeting with their father. Of course you know what they say about the best laid plans.
Meanwhile, Tess starts her new job, Tess and Tony welcome a new member to their family, the partial remains of two different men are found during a search and rescue mission, and Mike and Bree are faced with an important decision.
.ugb-2cfd99d .ugb-img{width:339px;height:auto !important}.ugb-2cfd99d .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-2cfd99d .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2cfd99d .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2cfd99d .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Red Zone
The prodigal son…
Calvin Watters hasn’t been back to USC since the day his scholarship and humility were stripped from the former running back. Calvin had cut all ties to the school, but now finds himself pulled back, when a woman’s dead body is found on the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum football field.
…returns home
Detective Charlene Taylor’s new homicide case, a freshman cheerleader’s murder at USC, is complicated. Charlene knows that the USC football team is a close knit family, and getting inside the trusted circle, as a cop, is unlikely.
Calvin Watters is a game-changer…
When Calvin and Charlene meet up on the Coliseum turf, Charlene sees an opportunity to use Calvin to penetrate the Trojan family circle. Little does the detective know, Calvin is now an outsider at USC, no longer welcomed—with many who will go a long way to see the former football star fail.
.ugb-f8987f7 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-f8987f7 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-f8987f7 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-f8987f7 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-f8987f7 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Grapes, Ganache & Guilt
Ally Sweet loves running Charlotte’s Chocolate Heaven with her grandmother, Charlotte Sweet. She is looking forward to dinner at a fancy new restaurant with her hunky boyfriend, Detective Luke Elm. They have been very busy lately and never seem to manage to spend time together. So, when Luke starts acting strange at dinner, Ally starts worrying that her relationship is on the rocks.
But that becomes the last thing on Ally’s mind when their dinner is interrupted…. when someone lands up murdered! The victim turns out to be a renowned wine critic who is in the area to write a special on a winery for its two-hundred year anniversary. Ally and Charlotte decide to do a little sleuthing. But wine tasting and wineries are not something they are very familiar with. So, they enlist Mrs. Bing, Mrs. Cale and Mrs. White, to lend a helping hand. Arnold, Charlotte’s lovable pot-bellied pig, and Peaches, Ally’s loyal feline-friend, are by their side to help steer them down the right path.
.ugb-9f351cb .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-9f351cb .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-9f351cb .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-9f351cb .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-9f351cb .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Bone is Where the Heart is
Naomi’s under suspicion of murder and the only witness is a dog. And you thought your day was ruff…
When Naomi’s big city dog grooming business goes belly up, she returns to Harmony Grove with her tail between her legs, looking for a fresh start. The good? Her family is there to support her as she gets back on her feet. The bad? Surprisingly it’s not the fact that she gets struck by lightning, but that she’s discovered next to a body and promptly suspected of murder.
Oh, and she has no alibi.
But Naomi isn’t giving up without a fight. The lightning strike has granted her a unique ability—she can speak with the victim’s dog, Winston, the only one who saw what happened. With his help, can she clear her name, save the town’s no-kill animal shelter, and stop the killer before they get away with murder?
.ugb-99739b7 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-99739b7 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-99739b7 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-99739b7 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-99739b7 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Sliced
Tis the season for pumpkin spice and everything nice! With Thanksgiving on the horizon, Lacey Luzzi is all set to cuddle her adorable baby and sexy husband after a giant feast. However, her plans turn belly-up when a dead body appears during the largest bake-off event in St. Paul history.
Amelia Rapport, the front runner to win the state-wide bake-off, has landed face-down in a pool of royal icing, and somehow, it’s Lacey’s job to save the event. If she doesn’t, not only will millions of cookies go to waste, but her life—and the lives of those she loves—will be in danger.
This is one murderer who isn’t ready to be caught, and when Lacey gets too close for comfort, he’s bound and determined the cake won’t be the only thing getting sliced…
.ugb-ddb2082 .ugb-img{width:330px;height:auto !important}.ugb-ddb2082 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-ddb2082 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-ddb2082 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-ddb2082 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Ash Trilogy
Coma Confidential:
Ash finds herself in the ER diagnosed with coma. She has no memory of what has happened to her, but what she can do—despite what everyone around her might think—is listen to the conversations of her visitors. One of them is the man who raped her.
For Ash, there is little time to gather clues: blackouts are happening not only in the hospital but throughout California. The Russian hackers who are intent on sabotaging the power grid are trying to blackmail her boyfriend, Michael, into helping their cause. And what better way for them to do it but by kidnapping her out of the hospital?
Overkill:
The last thing Ash expects when she lands in Clearwater, Florida is to be stalked by a troubled teenager. If that’s not bad enough, she is caught in a shooting spree next to the nearby elementary school. The cops think it’s an attempt at mass killing, but Ash wonders if the only victim was specifically targeted by the killer.
Will she manage to identify him and have him arrested before he comes after her?
Overdose:
After recovering from coma, Ash discovers that the man who performed her brain surgery has a questionable medical experience and a dark past, starting with his medical mission in India ten years ago and ending just recently, with his wife’s suicide. Should Ash expose him, at the risk of becoming vulnerable to his revenge?
.ugb-f3c3cec .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-f3c3cec .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-f3c3cec .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-f3c3cec .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-f3c3cec .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Gossip in the Garden
A heartwarming cozy mystery series about losing everything, taking a chance, and starting again.
After suffering a personal tragedy Abby Sullivan buys a huge old seaside mansion she has never even seen, packs up her life in San Francisco, and moves to Holiday Bay Maine, where she is adopted, quite against her will, by a huge Maine Coon Cat named Rufus, a drifter with her own tragic past named Georgia, and a giant dog with an inferiority complex named Ramos. What Abby thought she needed was alone time to heal. What she ended up with was, an inn she never knew she wanted, a cat she couldn’t seem to convince to leave, and a new family she’d never be able to live without.
.ugb-403a365 .ugb-img{width:338px;height:auto !important}.ugb-403a365 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-403a365 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-403a365 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-403a365 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Rum Raisin Ransom
When a student from a posh prep school goes missing, family members recruit former private investigator Kate Reed to join the search for the young woman. During the early hours of the investigation, Kate discovers that a major element of the crime mirrors a famous case from the past.
After her family’s bakery café closes for the day, Kate works alongside the local police to search for the victim, identify the suspects and pinpoint a motive. When a second high school student vanishes, a sense of panic sweeps through the small town of Crescent Creek. Once a link is established between the abductions and two other recent crimes, the pace of the investigation quickens to find the missing teens before it’s too late.
As she follows one lead to the next, Kate comes across a series of distinct clues. These range from a plastic King Kong figurine, mismatched running shoes and bloodstained blazer to a celebrated ice cream shop, incriminating social media posts, lyrics from an old song by the Eagles and a mischievous dog named Scooby-Don’t.
.ugb-bf7e168 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-bf7e168 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-bf7e168 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-bf7e168 .ugb-button svg:not(.ugb-custom-icon){color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-bf7e168 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}The Cats that Cooked the Books
Amazon bestselling all-star author does it again with her 11th book in “The Cats that . . .Cozy Mystery” series. It’s steamy hot in Erie, Indiana. The town is crime-free until a hitman shows up. Katz, Jake and their seven cats are happy at the pink mansion until a blast from the past blows in, leaving dire results in its wake. How does a coincidental meeting trigger such disastrous consequences?
Handsome Stevie has finally found the woman of his dreams, or has he? Why does a viral video bring disaster to the small town? Murder and havoc make this book a thrilling, suspenseful read that will keep you guessing to the very end. It’s up to Katz and her extraordinary cats to solve the puzzle before more bullets fly.
July 15, 2020
Sale on She Wore Mourning
She Wore Mourning, first book in the Zachary Goldman Mysteries series is on sale now for just $0.99. Now is your chance to get started on the Zachary Goldman series!
She Wore Mourning
$0.99 for a limited time!!!
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This was, by far, one of the most marvelous and suspenseful mysteries I have read in a long time. Memorable characters, plenty of twists and turns, a surprising ending. Is there going to be another book in this series? If so, I can’t wait!
About She Wore Mourning
A dead child.
A mother deep in mourning.
Private Investigator Zachary Goldman’s life isn’t all roses, but he tries to put his own shattered life behind him to investigate the death of five-year-old Declan Bond.
Declan’s death has been ruled an accident, but his grandmother thinks there is more to it. She fears Declan’s mother will not be able to find peace until Zachary can give them an answer once and for all. But as Zachary digs into the circumstances surrounding Declan’s death, he finds that all is not as it seems, and somebody doesn’t want him to find the truth.
AUTHOR DIRECT BUY NOW SAMPLE BOOKBUB GOODREADS
Goodreads reviews for She Wore Mourning
July 14, 2020
Excerpt from The Chain
She Wore Mourning, the first book in the Zachary Goldman Mysteries series, is currently on sale for $0.99. Take the opportunity to start this series now!
I am almost finished reading The Chain by Adrian McKinty. A fascinating read, lots of suspense and thrills! It is not just a kidnap thriller; there is so much more to it.
I do have one beef with it, though. There is a scene where one of the little girls has an anaphylactic reaction to traces of peanuts. The kidnappers do not have an epi-pen for her, so one of them goes into town to get one from the pharmacy (without a prescription) and the other stays with the little girl as she is foaming, covered with hives, breathing strictured, etc. The woman who has stayed with her wonders whether she should give the girl antihistamines, googles it, and the first Google result says that she should not administer antihistamines because it will make the anaphylaxis worse.
No. Antihistamines will not make anaphylaxis worse and may improve the situation. Epinephrine is the first line of defence and thus should always be administered first, but if epi is not available, antihistamines are not going to make it worse. You are not supposed to administer antihistamines before epinephrine not because it will make anaphylaxis worse, but because it delays the administration of epi. Epi first, then antihistamines. Epinephrine is only effective for about 15 minutes, long enough to get the patient to the hospital. When they reach the hospital, she is going to be given antihistamines as part of her treatment.
Getting medical stuff like this wrong in fiction is a problem because people believe it. I would hate for someone not to administer antihistamines when they were available because they thought it would make anaphylaxis worse, and that they’re better off waiting for an hour to get an epi auto-injector. Someone struggling to breathe after two minutes is not going to survive. (Spoiler—the little girl does survive until they get epinephrine and is fine without any further treatment. Neither point is believable.)
On to my teaser:
I kidnapped your daughter so that my boy will be released. He’s been kidnapped and is being held by a man and woman I don’t know. You must select a target and kidnap one of that person’s loved ones so The Chain will go on.
Adrian McKinty, The Chain
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It’s something parents do every morning: Rachel Klein drops her daughter at the bus stop and heads into her day. But a cell phone call from an unknown number changes everything: it’s a woman on the line, informing her that she has Kylie bound and gagged in her back seat, and the only way Rachel will see her again is to follow her instructions exactly: pay a ransom, and find another child to abduct. This is no ordinary kidnapping: the caller is a mother herself, whose son has been taken, and if Rachel doesn’t do as she’s told, the boy will die.
“You are not the first. And you will certainly not be the last.” Rachel is now part of The Chain, an unending and ingenious scheme that turns victims into criminals — and is making someone else very rich in the process. The rules are simple, the moral challenges impossible; find the money fast, find your victim , and then commit a horrible act you’d have thought yourself incapable of just twenty-four hours ago.
But what the masterminds behind The Chain know is that parents will do anything for their children. It turns out that kidnapping is only the beginning.
July 11, 2020
Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator 4-6
Bundle/Collection, New Release!
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Sample
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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.
+ About Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator 4-6
Get books 4-6 in the Reg Rawlins series for one low price!
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 set includes:
1. Night of Nine Tails
Something is disrupting the spiritual atmosphere in Black Sands, but no one else seems to be aware of its menacing presence. So Reg does her best to push it to the back of her conscious mind and to focus on new friendships and opportunities. But ignoring the presence doesn’t make it go away, and before long, Reg has been dragged into a manhunt scarier than anything she has faced in the paranormal community yet.
2. The Telepathy of Gardens
In the aftermath of fighting the Witch Doctor and his minions, Reg hopes to be able to take some time to just relax and recover. But the warlocks in her life are making things increasingly complicated, they have nine kittens to find homes for, and gardening turns out not to be such a relaxing diversion after all.
3. Delusions of the Past
When Starlight first fell ill, Reg thought that she was the cause of it. She should have been watching him more carefully. But it soon becomes clear that there is some darker force at work, and Reg is going to need all of her resources to find the culprit before it is too late.
Get your paws on these three books now!
+ 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.
+ 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!”
+ Reg Rawlins on my Blog
Happy Birthday to You Too!
Why doesn’t she leave?
Delusions of the Past and other freebies
Excerpt from The Alice Network
Delusions of the Past and other new releases
Pet Poisoning Awareness
Excerpt from Invisible Women
The Telepathy of Gardens and other freebies
Excerpt from The Reckoning
The Telepathy of Gardens and other New Releases!
Excerpt from The Cuckoo’s Calling
Freebie weekend – Night of Nine Tails and more
Fiction about Anxiety
The year ahead
Excerpt from 61 Hours
Release of Night of Nine Tails and others
Three books just $0.99
Flash sale on A Catastrophic Theft
Flash Sale on A Psychic with Catitude
Flash sale on What the Cat Knew
Excerpt from Dan Brown’s Origin
It’s my bookiversary
National Cozy Mystery Day
What’s on the drawing board?
Writers in the House
Hoppy Easter Reading
A Catastrophic Theft and other March freebies
Excerpt from The Last Anniversary
Consent is Magical
Excerpt from First Family
A Catastrophic Theft and other New Releases
Excerpt from the Shack
A Psychic with Catitude and other Freebies
A Psychic with Catitude and other New Releases
Excerpt from Gray Mountain
What the Cat Knew and other new releases
Upcoming in 2019
Release of A Psychic with Catitude
Release of What the Cat Knew
What’s coming up
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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.
July 8, 2020
Tai Chi and Chai Tea and other freebies
It’s a freebie weekend! If you’re looking for some new books for your reading list, this is your chance.
.ugb-bc6df06 .ugb-img{width:640px;height:auto !important}.ugb-bc6df06 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-bc6df06 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-bc6df06 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-bc6df06 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Tai Chi and Chai Tea
It is Thanksgiving in Bald Eagle Falls and the smells of spicy new offerings waft from Auntie Clem’s Bakery.
Mary Lou is delighted to have Campbell home for Thanksgiving dinner, but less than thrilled with his companion. Before they can get to the bakery-fresh desserts, they are joined by an uninvited guest, the kind that comes with a warrant.
You would think things couldn’t get much worse, but the appearance of a dead body raises the stakes even more.
Erin needs to do some pretty fancy contortions if she is going to figure out how to get Campbell out of this one.
And more
Looking for some more? Check these out.
.ugb-d2ed4c4 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-d2ed4c4 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-d2ed4c4 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-d2ed4c4 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-d2ed4c4 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Blues, Butterflies & Murder
Jesse Camden is minding the store at the Gilded Lily Antiques and Vintage Shop when a stranger enters and begins asking questions about Lindsey Hatch, Jesse’s friend, business partner and the barista at the tearoom next door. It’s a bad beginning to a day that just gets worse when, within hours, two people are found dead.
While trying to learn more about the man who’s stalking Lindsey, Jesse and Vivian Windsor find his body in a motel room. When it turns out they are also the last two people to see another victim alive, they become prime suspects in both deaths. Before the afternoon is out, Lindsey joins Jesse and Vivian at the sheriff’s office to defend themselves, and the ladies of the Myrtle Grove Garden Club go on high alert to solve a twelve-year-old mystery and bring a killer to justice before one of them is charged for a murder they didn’t commit.
.ugb-874a2f7 .ugb-img{width:324px;height:auto !important}.ugb-874a2f7 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-874a2f7 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-874a2f7 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-874a2f7 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Arsenic in the Azaleas
After her ex-husband leaves her high and dry, former socialite Doreen Montgomery’s chance at a new life comes in the form of her grandmother, Nan’s, dilapidated old house in picturesque Kelowna … and the added job of caring for the animals Nan couldn’t take into assisted living with her: Thaddeus, the loquacious African gray parrot with a ripe vocabulary, and his buddy, Goliath, a monster-size cat with an equally monstrous attitude.
It’s the new start Doreen and her beloved basset hound, Mugs, desperately need. But, just as things start to look up for Doreen, Goliath the cat and Mugs the dog find a human finger in Nan’s overrun garden.
And not just a finger. Once the police start digging, the rest of the body turns up and turns out to be connected to an old unsolved crime.
With her grandmother as the prime suspect, Doreen soon finds herself stumbling over clues and getting on Corporal Mack Moreau’s last nerve, as she does her best to prove her beloved Nan innocent of murder.
.ugb-88d1c5a .ugb-img{width:230px;height:auto !important}.ugb-88d1c5a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-88d1c5a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-88d1c5a .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-88d1c5a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}In for a Penny
When Lillian Summer Fairview’s husband up and dies on her, it leaves the last living member of the most prestigious family in the small town of Summer Shoals, Georgia, in a hot money mess. Desperate to keep up the family name and give the man a decent burial, penniless Lil cooks up a shady deal that lands her smack-dab in the slammer.
Burdened by her shameful secret and a crumbling family estate, Lil entrusts Summer Haven’s care to her best friend, Maggie, who recruits two more over-fifty ladies to help. But when Maggie discovers that Lil’s restitution is ten times the amount she “borrowed” from the federal government, she’s convinced Lil has taken the fall for someone else’s crime.
.ugb-8a71fe9 .ugb-img{width:246px;height:auto !important}.ugb-8a71fe9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-8a71fe9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-8a71fe9 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-8a71fe9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Cream Puff Murder
Ashley Adams is settling back into her life in Seagrass, TX after leaving a broken heart and criminal ex-boyfriend in Paris, France. Her French sweets catering company has finally landed a major job, making Ashley grateful for all that is going right – her business, her work partnership, and reconnecting with an old friend Ryan.
All that changes when Ashley overhears one of the guests arguing with a strange man in the bathroom. Things get worse when the woman is found dead the next day, poisoned by one of Ashley’s cream puffs.
Ashley must solve the mystery to save the reputation of her nascent business. She is thrust into the lives of people from her past who all have something to hide. Is the murderer a jealous lover? An out-of-towner with business interests? A local hero turned criminal? Teaming up with her old friend Ryan and her loyal dog Dizzy, Ashley sets out to solve the crime.
.ugb-0c25fda .ugb-img{width:344px;height:auto !important}.ugb-0c25fda .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-0c25fda .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-0c25fda .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-0c25fda .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Blood in the Bluegrass
A few days before the Kentucky Derby, a rising star jockey is found murdered near Churchill Downs. Louisville homicide detective Laurel Arno’s investigation takes her from the private dens of elite gamblers, to the ancestral mansions of Kentucky bourbon barons and horse breeders, to the treacherous corridors of a depraved State Capitol. Along the way, she exposes a shadowy world of political corruption, secret societies, and ancient feuds. As she closes in on a hidden killer, she discovers that a killer may also be closing in on her.
Check it out[image error].ugb-be7df1c .ugb-img{width:328px;height:auto !important}.ugb-be7df1c .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-be7df1c .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-be7df1c .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-be7df1c .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}A Sip Before Dying
The Oak Valley Vineyard has been in Emmy Oak’s family for generations. So when the small Sonoma winery is suddenly in financial trouble and in danger of being gobbled up by the corporate giants, Emmy moves home to try to save her legacy with her modern culinary know-how. First step—she throws a party showcasing her latest vintage and signature tasty treats to a group of wine country’s most elite enthusiasts. Only when one of her VIP guests sips a glass of poisoned wine and dies in her cellar, Emmy’s name is on everyone lips for all the wrong reasons.
The victim was the young, boy-toy husband of one of Silicon Valley’s most successful female CEOs… and his playboy ways and suspicious spending habits have almost no one mourning his death. Enter Detective Christopher Grant, recent SFPD transplant, who is assigned to the case and immediately homes in on Oak Valley. But Emmy is determined to clear her winery’s name—even if Grant’s dark eyes, sexy smile, and mysterious past threaten to distract her. After calling in the big guns to help her—a.k.a. her jewelry designer best friend and copious amounts of cookie dough ice cream—Emmy finds herself digging through a slew of suspects to uncover crimes, grudges, and secret affairs that could put a soap opera to shame.
.ugb-b3d9d67 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-b3d9d67 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-b3d9d67 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-b3d9d67 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-b3d9d67 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Kitty Confidential
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.
.ugb-bcc3f45 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-bcc3f45 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-bcc3f45 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-bcc3f45 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-bcc3f45 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Best Murder in Show
A dead body on a carnival float at the village show.
A clear case of murder in plain sight, thinks new arrival Sophie Sayers – but why do none of the villagers agree?
What dark secrets are they hiding to prevent her unmasking the murderer, and who holds the key to the mystery?
Hector, the gorgeous but enigmatic owner of the village bookshop
Joshua, the intrusive yet insightful old man from next door
Carol, village shopkeeper, the fount of village gossip, not all of it reliable .
And what is that mysterious ingredient that almost knocks Sophie out when she takes tea at the village bookshop? (Not the best way to start a job interview.)
July 7, 2020
Excerpt from The Chemist
I hope you enjoyed my Canada Day post. And if you live in Canada or the US, I hope you enjoyed Canada Day and/or Independence Day. Things are different this year. We live in challenging times.
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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
This isn’t my first time reading The Chemist, by Stephanie Meyer, but I don’t remember a lot of it from the first time, and I am enjoying it quite a bit. I didn’t remember there were so many great tongue-in-cheek comments and dry humour. Alex is a great character and there is a lot of… chemistry… between her and Kevin.
A fun read, lots of action and excitement, and unique new characters. I didn’t remember that there was a plot about a virus — a weaponized flu virus that is expected to kill 1.0 million people in the US. That brought things close to home!
A person who will sell out his partner always sees the partner as plotting in exactly the same way. Dishonest people don’t believe honest people exist.
― Stephenie Meyer, The Chemist
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In this gripping page-turner, an ex-agent on the run from her former employers must take one more case to clear her name and save her life. She used to work for the U.S. government, but very few people ever knew that. An expert in her field, she was one of the darkest secrets of an agency so clandestine it doesn’t even have a name.
And when they decided she was a liability, they came for her without warning.
Now, she rarely stays in the same place or uses the same name for long. They’ve killed the only other person she trusted, but something she knows still poses a threat. They want her dead, and soon. When her former handler offers her a way out, she realizes it’s her only chance to erase the giant target on her back. But it means taking one last job for her ex-employers.
To her horror, the information she acquires only makes her situation more dangerous. Resolving to meet the threat head on, she prepares for the toughest fight of her life, but finds herself falling for a man who can only complicate her likelihood of survival. As she sees her choices being rapidly whittled down, she must apply her unique talents in ways she never dreamed of. In this tautly plotted novel, Meyer creates a fierce and fascinating new heroine with a very specialized skill set. And she shows once again why she’s one of the world’s bestselling authors.
July 2, 2020
Smashwords Summer Sale is on
Did you know that the Smashwords Summer (or Winter) Sale is on?
If you’re used to buying your books in the Kindle store or Apple Books, you may not know about various other places you can get good deals on ebooks. Smashwords is a platform-independent vendor (you can get books in Kindle format, epub format, pdf, text, and others) where you can get hundreds of thousands of ebooks.
Most of my books are available on Smashwords. For the duration of the Smashwords summer sale, all of my first-in-series books are free, and the rest are on for 50% off. So if you want to stock up, now is a great time!
Jump over to my author page on Smashwords and scroll down!
July 1, 2020
Canada Day Jokes & Books
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I was trying to decide what to write for my blog today, since I’ve already posted my Birthdays Promo, which includes the books that I have on sale for Canada Day. So I checked out my list of national observances and realized that today is also International Joke Day. (I hope that isn’t saying something about what the world thinks of Canada!)
So I decided to pull together some Canadian jokes as well as some favourite Canadian books. Works, eh?
Jokes
Here is a nice (clean) page of Canadian Jokes. My favourite is:
How do you get 50 Canadians out of a swimming pool?
Say: Please get out the swimming pool.
Of course, that might not work if one of them is a moose.
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I also enjoyed this page of funny Canadian memes.
Books
I wanted to share some of my favourite Canadian authors, but first, I thought I would list my most “Canadian” book. As with many other Canadian authors, I actually don’t write a lot about Canada. Most of my books are set in the US. But Questing for a Dream is set in Manitoba and Calgary.
Questing for a Dream
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Easily one of the most thought-provoking and compelling reads of the year, Ms. Workman has written a masterful contemporary account of one native teen’s journey from home and the possibilities for hope even for those drowning in poverty, prejudice, and addiction … A must-read tale for any book lover!
About Questing for a Dream
Abject poverty. Utter tragedy. What if the only way to find yourself is to lose who you thought you were?
Life on a reservation isn’t easy.
Nadie is a bright young teen that scorns the ways of her Cree band.
Neglect and abuse are all too common. When tragedy strikes, tradition and ritual provide her little comfort.
Grief-stricken, Nadie sets off on a quest to the white man’s land in search of something better.
Something more.
Instead, she finds darkness. Prejudice and discrimination.
Incarceration.
In her search for wholeness, Nadie discovers that traditions might be more than just empty rituals.
They can be the path to healing and the journey home.
A poignant, Native American Cree saga, full of all the feels. Perfect if you love a heartfelt coming-of-age story that encourages healing from the roots up.
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My favourites…
I have to admit that I don’t like a number of the iconic Canadian authors. But there are some stand-out Canadians that I love to read.
.ugb-69a4bb1 .ugb-img{width:260px;height:auto !important}.ugb-69a4bb1 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-69a4bb1 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-69a4bb1 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-69a4bb1 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Robert Munsch
One of the articles I referenced when preparing this blog was The 150 bestselling books written by Canadian authors.
Robert Munsch appears on this list the most times of any author. He’s written 35 of the titles on the list! That means 23% of the top Canadian books are Munsch titles. He’s one prolific and beloved author.
I love Robert Munsch. He has written both poignant books that make me cry whenever I read them, to hilariously funny ones. Love You Forever was his way of memorializing two babies that he and his wife lost. The one to the right, Thomas’ Snowsuit, showcases a common Canadian problem—getting kids to dress for the weather.
.ugb-40f51bd .ugb-img{width:301px;height:auto !important}.ugb-40f51bd .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-40f51bd .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-40f51bd .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-40f51bd .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Lucy Maud Montgomery
Another favourite children’s book, our beloved Anne.
The first book that I read by L.M. Montgomery was Jane of Lantern Hill, and I was hooked. I read the Anne series, the Emily series, and many other stories about writers, orphans, and other children and adults who got themselves into scrapes.
.ugb-40f2d97 .ugb-img{width:337px;height:auto !important}.ugb-40f2d97 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-40f2d97 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-40f2d97 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-40f2d97 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Alan Bradley
I read a number of books in the Flavia De Luce series before I found out that Alan Bradley is Canadian. The Flavia books are set in England, and I just assumed that was where the author was from!
As I said above, a lot of Canadian authors do not write about Canada. LOL.
While Flavia is a young girl, 11 years old at the beginning of the series, it really isn’t a children’s/YA series. Flavia has a much older voice and is brilliant beyond her years, so while she faces the emotional issues and some limitations of childhood, the books are more adult books than young adult.
.ugb-8df77c0 .ugb-img{width:318px;height:auto !important}.ugb-8df77c0 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-8df77c0 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-8df77c0 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-8df77c0 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Louise Penny
Last but not least, Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series has held me spellbound many times.
Like Robert Munsch, Louise Penny’s books are very Canadian, set in backwoods Quebec, with all of the beauty and challenges that setting entails.
If you’re looking for a Canadian police procedural, you can’t go wrong with Louise Penny and her Chief Inspector Gamache.
June 30, 2020
Excerpt from The Hate U Give
This week is my birthday, Canada’s Birthday, Independence Day, and Q-Tip’s birthday. Don’t miss my promotion!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas. I knew this book was popular as a window into the world of young POC, but I skimmed past it a number of times without picking it up. Why? Honestly, it was the cover. It looks to me like high school chick lit. Relationships, putting on a public face, figuring out who you are.
But that is a gross misjudgment of what The Hate U Give is. If you are looking for a book that will help you to understand what #blacklivesmatter is all about, the poverty, violence, and racism faced by those living in the ghetto (to use the word that Starr, the protagonist employs,) then this is a great place to start.
I am nearly finished, and while I wasn’t sure when I started it that this would be a “real” book—one that dug deep to really expose the emotions and cultural underpinnings that is the reality for so many people—rather than a drama about high school cliques, I was not disappointed. I’m glad that I picked it up.
The Hate U Give covers a lot of the issues that have been in the media the past few weeks: police on black killings, black lives matter, protests and riots, and the spectrum of racism in everything from not smiling at black children to outright prejudice/judgement against people of colour. Thank you, Angie Thomas, for a great story.
“People like us in situations like this become hashtags, but they rarely get justice. I think we all wait for that one time though, that one time when it ends right.”
― Angie Thomas, The Hate U Give
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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.
