P.D. Workman's Blog, page 68
April 2, 2020
Delusions of the Past and other freebies
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Looking for some new books to add to your Kindle? Delusions of the Past, book #6 of the Reg Rawlins Psychic Investigator series is free this weekend only.
And I have gathered together a few other freebies you might be interested in as well. Scroll past Delusions of the Past to find the rest.
About Delusions of the Past
What kind of a monster poisons a psychic’s cat?
When Starlight first fell ill, Reg thought that she was the cause of it. She should have been watching him more carefully. She should have found out about household plants and chemicals that could hurt her familiar. She was clearly a negligent owner.
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 if she is to have any chance of saving her furry companion’s life.
DOWNLOAD SAMPLE BOOKBUB GOODREADS
Other freebies
Looking for a few more? Check these freebies out.
One-click to add all freebies to your Amazon cart at once, or you can choose to download them 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-90830ba .ugb-img{width:327px;height:auto !important}.ugb-90830ba .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-90830ba .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-90830ba .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-90830ba .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Adventures of a Vegan Vamp
Undead and vegan? Not the afterlife this girl had planned.
Waking up thin is one thing. But waking up gaunt, hangry, and undead makes for a very bad day. Mallory’s killer better hide, because she’s just discovered blood, meat, and dairy don’t agree with her, and a future with no cheese is grim indeed. She’s out to find her killer…and maybe a vegan cheese that doesn’t melt her nose hairs.
.ugb-bb85d1a .ugb-img{width:323px;height:auto !important}.ugb-bb85d1a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-bb85d1a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-bb85d1a .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-bb85d1a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}The Undercover Witch
My mother says trouble began the day I was born, but I’d disagree. I think trouble started the day I crashed my broomstick into an undercover cop car.
My name is Ainsley Shaw, and I’m a Guardian Witch. The title sounds fancier than it is—really, I’m a glorified bodyguard for magical people. I love my job, and I’m good at it… most days.
Except today. While I was flying around town on my broomstick thinking about life, love, and the latest episode of The Bachelor, I zoned out and ran smack dab into the taillights of a speeding police cruiser. Unfortunately, the man inside was a human cop, which made explaining how I appeared from thin air in the middle of a crime scene a bit of a challenge.
Now, the police think I’m trouble—not least of all Detective Hotterson, the one responsible for denting my shiny new broomstick. Which means that if I can’t find the real bad guys before I’m put in jail, I’ll be locked away for a crime I didn’t commit.
However, when magic is involved, things are never as simple as they appear…
.ugb-9d39879 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-9d39879 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-9d39879 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-9d39879 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-9d39879 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Better Haunts & Garden Gnomes
Lily Goode wasn’t aware she had an inheritance waiting for her in the form of a huge Victorian house in Lucky Valley, Colorado. Life might finally be coming together for her. That is if you don’t count the endless home repairs, dealing with eccentric Aunt Polly who claims they’re both witches, and Nolan Dawson the handsome home inspector who seems to have it out for her, then, sure, life is grand. Oh and not to mention the strange hallucinations and garden gnomes who are far more than lawn ornaments.
If mysterious accidents don’t do her in, then the rebellious gnomes just might. With the help of Aunt Polly, it’s up to Lily to discover who’s sabotaging her new home and trying to drive the Goodes out of Lucky Valley once and for all.
.ugb-98937d2 .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-98937d2 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-98937d2 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-98937d2 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-98937d2 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Potions & Pageants
Welcome to Humble High, where magic meets mayhem and murder.
Meet Percy Prince, the daughter of a witch. No matter how hard she tries, trouble follows wherever she goes. But even Percy is shocked when she helps out at her school’s Charity Beauty Pageant and a pageant judge turns up dead.
Percy is sure the judge’s death is no accident but to her frustration everyone thinks she’s is crazy. She is desperate to stop things getting worse. With the race to be crowned Miss Humble High heating up, succubus mean-girls resort to using banned magic — and potions and pageants are a killer mix.
When Percy publicly cries “Murder!” she falls victim to someone’s malice. With no one on her side, can Percy persuade skeptical pageant organizer, teen witch Nan Gooding, to believe her? Percy needs help to discover the truth. Because someone at Humble High is willing to kill to win.
.ugb-962d72f .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-962d72f .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-962d72f .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-962d72f .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-962d72f .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Ghost of a Chance
Maggie Mulgrew runs The Ash Leaf, an antique shop in the quaint village of Holmestead, England ~ which has nothing to do with Sherlock, thank you very much. She sells her goods to disappointed tourists, and locals who appreciate her eclectic taste.
Professor Pembroke Martin is hunting down an artifact that had been stolen by a former assistant ~ a hand-blown apothecary jar that is the center of an old ghost story. His search leads him to Holmestead, and a stubborn, fascinating American who has acquired the box that once contained the rare jar.
When the missing jar turns up, clutched in the hand of the very dead local historian, Martin becomes the prime suspect. With his future on the line, Martin turns to Maggie for help, and they join forces to find the real killer.
.ugb-122efba .ugb-img{width:325px;height:auto !important}.ugb-122efba .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-122efba .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-122efba .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-122efba .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Witchnapped in Westerham
All it takes is one morning for Sydney Photographer Lily Bianchi’s life to go off the rails and over a cliff.
A well-dressed English woman turns up at her door, swearing she’s a witch. If that’s not crazy enough, she explains Lily’s brother, James, has been kidnapped and the Paranormal Investigation Bureau needs Lily’s help finding him.
And the craziest part? The Englishwoman tells Lily she’s a witch too. Before she can say, “Where’s my coffee?” she’s on a plane bound for Westerham, England. Unfortunately, England’s not as welcoming as she hoped–she’s barely arrived before she gets set up, arrested and almost shot.
Things can only get better from here, right? Yeah, right…
.ugb-093f2b9 .ugb-img{width:323px;height:auto !important}.ugb-093f2b9 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-093f2b9 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-093f2b9 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-093f2b9 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Southern Spirits
One simple mistake…
When out of work graphic designer Verity Long accidentally traps a ghost on her property, she’s saddled with more than a supernatural sidekick—she gains the ability see spirits. It leads to an offer she can’t refuse from the town’s bad boy, who also happens to be the brother of her ex and the last man she should ever partner with.
Ellis Wydell is in possession of a stunning historic property haunted by some of Sugarland Tennessee’s finest former citizens. Only some of them are growing restless—and destructive. He hires Verity to put an end to the disturbances. But soon, Verity learns there’s more to the mysterious estate than floating specters, secret passageways, and hidden rooms.
.ugb-f0af38d .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-f0af38d .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-f0af38d .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-f0af38d .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-f0af38d .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Contemptible Cadavers
Only one thing could bring her home…
Blackmail, murder and ruin
Khione Darkstone is a witch with dark magic, and when she was escorted from Brightstone and banished, she told them ‘good riddance’. Being dragged home, was not on the cards and solving the murder that has the heir to the village and her baby sister in prison – care factor of zero.
But they have left her no choice. They will destroy her livelihood if she refuses, so from the ashes of her bitter childhood, she is going to have to relive, relearn and get a new perspective on her quaint little hometown. Her mother, ugh. Her father. Argh. Her sister. Sigh. And the whole town of busy-body, know-it-alls. Shudder.
It will be easy, solve one little murder and she’s free to return to her urban life.
There’s just one problem…
There’s something terribly wrong in Brightstone.
.ugb-55fe303 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-55fe303 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-55fe303 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-55fe303 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-55fe303 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}The Ghost of Marlow House
When Danielle Boatman inherits Marlow House, she dreams of turning it into a seaside bed and breakfast. Since she’s never visited the property, Danielle’s not sure what awaits her in Oregon. She certainly doesn’t expect to find one of the house’s previous owners still in residence. After all, the man has been dead for almost ninety years—shouldn’t he have moved on by now?
Charming Walt Marlow convinces Danielle the only way he can move on is if she solves the mystery of his death. Danielle soon discovers her real problems may come from the living—those who have their sights on Marlow House’s other secrets.
.ugb-bffb850 .ugb-img{width:338px;height:auto !important}.ugb-bffb850 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-bffb850 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-bffb850 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-bffb850 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Cookies, Corpses and the Deadly Haunt
Cookies, Corpses and the Deadly Haunt is the first book in a haunting new paranormal cozy mystery series about house flippers living in the spirited world of Bohemian Lake. If you like haunted Halloween balls, murmurs of madness, and skeletons in the attic, then one-click this book today and meet Jack & Juniper’s ghostly guests. Edited Version – This book has been re-edited and uploaded so if you’re still seeing errors, please contact Amazon to update your Kindle’s version or contact me with location and errors and I’ll contact Amazon. Thank you!
House flippers Jack & Juniper agree to lend and help prep their latest purchase–The Doctors House–an old Victorian mansion to act as the eerie setting for the town’s Halloween bash, they’re expecting to find missing floor boards, and pesky bats, not the ghostly specter of the murdered Doctors Wife.
But when the head of the council is found stuffed in a trunk in the attic, it appears history is repeating.
As June and the team, carry on with party preparations, they unravel a century of family secrets, whispers of lunacy–and the number one suspect goes on the run. But the victim’s family insists that the ball must go on, even with a killer on the loose. With Halloween fast approaching, June sees the woman in white and wonders if keeping the killer out was ever really a possibility.
Now she’s desperate to unmask the killer before the Annual Halloween Bash turns into even more of a deadly haunt…
March 31, 2020
Excerpt from 30 Red Dresses
Some of you have wondered about my planning processes. I spent a little time last week taking pictures and write up some information on Project Planning, Scheduling, and Bullet Journals. Pop over and have a look if you are interested.
And be sure to come back on Friday for some special deals.
On to the teaser!
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 short book 30 Red Dresses by Johan Twiss. This is a book that was featured in my post on books about human trafficking in January, and it caught my eye. If you’ve been reading my work for a while, especially my young adult fiction, you know that human trafficking, street kids, and abuse are topics close to my heart. While this story focuses on Cambodia, human trafficking is happening all over the world, including North America. Young girls and boys are particularly vulnerable, and while the majority are lured, others are kidnapped or are sold or bartered by their families.
It is an uncomfortable topic to read about, but Twiss handles it well and it is not explicit. There are many heroes in this book and it does (SPOILER) have a happy ending. Unfortunately, in real life, many of these kids do not have happy endings.
Veata froze, her face flushed with anticipation at the unexpected birthday surprise. She had spent her entire life in their small village and this would be her first trip to Phnom Penh…
Johan Twiss, 30 Red Dresses
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I did not expect to be sold into slavery, especially on my birthday.
While on a book tour in Cambodia, author James Moore unwittingly seeks refuge in a brothel to escape a devastating flash flood. He and his translator witness the atrocities of girls forced into prostitution, including a young child with a special gift. Together, they fight to not only save the girls from the rising floodwaters, but from the menacing brothel owner and his men.
March 26, 2020
Project Planning, Scheduling, and Bullet Journal
Planners/Bullet Journal
I have read several articles or posts recently talking about how Bullet Journals are ineffective and take too much time and do not result in productivity. The complaint that a lot of people have is that a Bullet Journal requires you to make fancy layouts that need to be constantly redrawn, which takes a lot of time and is more artsy than productive.
A lot of people do put a lot of time into fancy artwork, templates, special markers, tabs, stickies, stickers, pockets, washi tape, covers, and constantly trying out the latest layouts on Pinterest… but that’s not what Bullet Journals are about. If that’s what turns your crank, that’s fine. Visual aesthetics and taking the time to craft something special is important and fulfilling to some people. But it isn’t what makes most people more productive.
Bullet Journal Principles
The idea behind Bullet Journals is that you can take any blank notebook (typically a Moleskin style perfect bound notebook, but any notebook at all) and you can jump right in and make task lists and other required plans and records in quick bullet form. Numbering the pages and keeping a Table of Contents in the front few pages helps you to quickly find what you need. Bullets can be turned into symbols to indicate your progress (open, completed, deferred, etc.)*
These are the principles behind the Bullet Journal and do not require any artwork, washi tape, coloured pens, calligraphy, or specially-crafted layouts.
I thought I would showcase my planner and how I use the Bullet Journal principles and adapt it to my needs.
Notebook style
Rather than using a bound notebook, I use a discbound planner with a combination of Rocketbook pages and conventional printed pages. Rather than having my pages in a random order with a Table of Contents in the front, I have tabbed sections for yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily records, and freeform notes and lists in the last section.
Rocketbook pages allow me to quickly digitize and store pages that I am finished with, and then wipe them clean, so that my planner does not need to contain anything but current records/upcoming plans. When I was using a paper planner, using two-page layouts for each month, week, and day of the year would take almost 500 pages. That is a full ream of paper. It’s heavy, even if you are only carrying a month with you at a time. My current planner is executive (half page) size and very light.
The discbound system, like a ringed binder, allows me to add, move, or remove pages as I please. I can add printed pages or move around Rocketbook pages.
Digital Calendar and Task List
It may surprise you that I keep both an analogue planner and digital calendars and task list. I reference 15 digital calendars and my task list is currently over 1,000 items long. Each new book starts with a template of tasks about 100 items long, and I am writing a new book each month. Some of those books are parts of collaborations that include a lot of other tasks that need to be completed, and various promos require templates that are 20 or 30 tasks long. I prefer to keep all of this in an electronic system where I can filter and set dates and reminders as necessary. Paper records of that length and complexity are difficult to manage.
My analogue planner does not contain all of my calendars and tasks. It is a planning system that helps me to break down my yearly plan into daily priorities so I can approach my day knowing I am focused on my goals.
So, without further ado, here is how I use my planner/Bullet Journal.
* The only symbols that I use regularly are bullets for tasks to be done, an X through the bullet if it is done, a > if it is deferred, a W if I am waiting for something before I can complete it, or a strike through if I have removed it from my list.
Year projects
As you can see, this is a very high level list of my publishing focus(es) for the year. During the last quarter of 2020, I’ll set up a page for 2021 and jot down my overall plans for 2021.
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Year Overview
The Year Overview is a month-by-month breakdown of what I’m writing, what I’m publishing, ideas for promotional focuses, and other life events on one page. I print it at the beginning of the year, and write in changes as needed. If it gets too messy, I’ll update it on the computer and print it out again.
I also have a year-at-a-glance calendar showing all of the days of the months with local holidays and observances noted.
Month calendars
I have this month and next month printed on fold-out sheets so I can get a quick overview for the events of the month. On the computer, I have four calendars, another that shows my task feed, additional calendars for my son and my husband, nine for my boss’s schedule, and a couple others for church or other events. If I viewed them all at the same time it would be a huge mess, but they are set up in various views and combinations that work for me.
Only my main calendar gets printed for my planner. A high-level view. Nice big squares, plenty of space to scribble in if I want.
Monthly Objectives
The year overview feeds into my monthly objectives. I also add other roles, projects, or big goals that I need to do or be focused on for the month. No fancy templates, stickers, or artwork here. Just a bullet list. I have pages ready for the next few months so that I can add to it as it occurs to me that in I need to
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Month Dashboard
The monthly objectives then feed into my month dashboard. They are side-by-side in my planner. The month dashboard breaks the month down into weeks. I look at the monthly objectives, and figure out what needs to be done each week to get them done. I’ll also add in other things that I know need to be done that week so I can anticipate problems and keep things balanced.
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Blog Posts and Cross Promo
I rough out blog posts and cross promotions and special events that I need to ask for newsletter swaps and shares on for each month. I draw from the year plan and jot down other ideas. I often check through lists of days/weeks/months of observance to see how they may fit with themes that I write about or particular books.
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The blog posts that this list fed into were:
Freebie weekend – Night of Nine Tails and moreTeen Dating Violence AwarenessThe Telepathy of Gardens and other New Releases!International Prenatal Infection Prevention Month
I didn’t have any other big promotions going on that month that I needed to get other authors involved in. If I did, they would go here. In addition to these blogs, I also have a weekly Tuesday Teaser for the book I am reading, and other announcements, notices, awards, events, etc. as they come up.
Weekly Schedule
For my weekly schedule, I use a printed template. I don’t draw it out every week. It is printed landscape on a letter size page and folds in accordion style to an executive size, so I can pull it out when necessary.
It is broken into the time blocks that my schedule operates on. It isn’t hourly. All of the blocks are the same size even though the number of hours vary. Writing out what I will be doing during the week allows me to block in my creative writing time, editing, blogging, exercise, office job, family time, etc. Looking at my schedule in this way each week allow me to spot conflicts between my schedule and my goals and to adjust for them.
Yes, all of my calendars start with Monday. I do my weekly planning on Sunday, and when I started my Weekly Schedule with Sunday, there was always a disconnect with not planning Sundays until it was too late, because Sunday had already happened by the time I did my planning and the next Sunday didn’t show up on my Weekly Schedule.
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Week Dashboard
Since the Month Dashboard and the Week Dashboard do not sit side-by-side in my planner, the week objectives are transferred from the Month Dashboard to the top of the Week Dashboard. As I review the month dashboard and work through my electronic task list, I may add a few other things I need to work on that week as well.
Then the week objectives at the top are broken down and slotted into daily priorities. This looks like a pretty light week, but writing 5000 words per day, doing month end reports and billing, and preparing for an extended family get together (our rescheduled Christmas lunch) is nothing to sneeze at. Remember this is just the “big rocks,” the rest of my life/tasks will fill in around them, but the big rocks need to be placed first.
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Daily Schedule
The Weekly Schedule feeds into the Daily Schedule (big surprise by now, I’m sure.) The Daily Schedule tends to include more detail and any additional items that have come up since I did my week planning. I refer to my electronic calendars as well as the written Weekly Schedule.
No gridlines or pre-set dates on the Daily Schedule. Just the day’s schedule with times on the left and a short description on the right. Some items are written in without times, indicating the rough order I intend to do them in, but no specific times requirement.
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Daily Tasks
The Week Dashboard feeds into the Daily Task list. I also pull in high-priority items from my electronic tasks list or high-priority items that come up during the day. No grid/template here. Generally, I have writing/publishing tasks at the top, office job at the bottom, and family items, chores, errands, etc. in the middle. To me, it’s just like making piles on my desk. I don’t need gridlines and labels to show me where to put each pile. I just make lists, and keep them in the same general format each time.
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So that’s the process. I begin with yearly focus and break everything down through the various stages until I reach the Daily Schedule and Daily Tasks, a two-page layout that stays in front of my face all day to keep me focused.
March 23, 2020
Excerpt from The Alice Network
Did you get a chance to look at my new release last week? Delusions of the Past, book #6 in the Reg Rawlins series has launched! Pick up your copy today. Lots of people are stuck at home looking for things to do… books are a good choice!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am currently reading The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn. I don’t read a lot of historical novels, but I am enjoying the twists and turns and the great historical and geographical details that are woven into the story. It is an engaging suspense book, and I am looking forward to finding out more about the espionage network and what has happened to Charlie’s cousin.
“Life is not a math problem, Charlotte.”
Kate Quinn, The Alice Network
If it was, I’d have been a lot better at it. I’d often wished I could work out people as easily as I did arithmetic: simply break them down to their common denominators and solve.”
1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She’s also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie’s parents banish her to Europe to have her “little problem” taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.
1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she’s trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the “Queen of Spies”, who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy’s nose.
Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn’t heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth…no matter where it leads.
March 19, 2020
Delusions of the Past and other new releases
It’s launch day for Delusions of the Past!
Delusions of the Past is book #6 in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Detective series. If you love paranormal cozy mysteries, this one is for you. The books in the Reg Rawlins series can be read as stand-alone mysteries, or you can read the whole series and enjoy the development of Reg and the supporting cast of characters in Black Sands. The set of books 1-3 of the series is still available for the sale price of $2.99, if you haven’t read them.
About Delusions of the Past
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What kind of a monster poisons a psychic’s cat?
When Starlight first fell ill, Reg thought that she was the cause of it. She should have been watching him more carefully. She should have found out about household plants and chemicals that could hurt her familiar. She was clearly a negligent owner.
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 if she is to have any chance of saving her furry companion’s life.
BUY NOW SAMPLE BOOKBUB GOODREADS
She saw the tip of Starlight’s tail behind the kitchen island and was relieved.
“You finally decided to come out of the tree?”
His tail didn’t twitch. Reg rounded the island and gasped.
More new releases
If you are stuck at home, this might be just the right time for a stack of new reads for you! Did you know that Amazon is currently offering US readers two months free in the Kindle Unlimited program? Over a million books, read as many as you like each month!
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Whether you are in KU or not, see if any of these other new releases tickle your fancy!
.ugb-022235b .ugb-img{width:334px;height:auto !important}.ugb-022235b .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-022235b .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-022235b .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-022235b .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}The Yellow-Bellied Scaredy Cat
The town of Magnolia Cove has lost its magic. It’s up to Pepper Reign to reclaim it.
When Blake Calhoun sets out to steal the heart fire, the object that makes the town of Magnolia Cove, Alabama, magical, his plan backfires. The heart isn’t stolen, instead it breaks into four pieces and scatters across the state. Now, newly married Pepper and Axel Reign must work to track down each piece. Lucky for them, when a person finds a piece, they are bestowed with strange abilities.
.ugb-8b09c0e .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-8b09c0e .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-8b09c0e .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-8b09c0e .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-8b09c0e .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Only One Cure
When a private plane whisks CDC epidemiologist Madeline Hamilton to Washington D.C. for an urgent medical symposium, she knows something significant is underway—but she doesn’t expect to face the most disturbing medical mystery of her career. A debilitating neurological toxin has stricken the children of several political families, and one of them is the son of U.S. President Anna Moreland.
With the lives of children on the line, Madeline assembles a team of medical experts. The investigation takes a horrifying turn when she starts receiving communications from the terrorists, who want to engage in a deadly political game.
Desperate to find the perpetrators and a cure, the White House recruits FBI antiterror specialist Quinn Traynor to run a parallel investigation. As the teenagers start dying and the answers seem no closer, Madeline and Quinn fight to prevail before President Moreland is forced to make an impossible choice: give in to the terrorists’ demands or let her only child succumb to an agonizing death.
.ugb-98be10e .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-98be10e .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-98be10e .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-98be10e .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-98be10e .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Mystic Guests
Fortuna Delphi’s plans to open an art studio while searching out her mysterious origins are derailed when she discovers a punk ghost raging against her in the middle of the night. As his bones are unearthed along with the town’s secrets, she is determined to find out who killed the mohawked teen and why. At least, if she can do it without tipping her hand to the townspeople that she’s a witch.
Between the hot detective that suspects she’s a con-woman up to no good, the smolderingly sexy manager of the local greyhound track that seems to be full of secrets, and a conspiracy theorist reporter determined to enlist Fortuna in her war against the town’s corruption, Fortuna’s life is becoming
.ugb-e01e5b5 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-e01e5b5 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-e01e5b5 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-e01e5b5 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-e01e5b5 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Her Darkest Hour
Eve Blackburn is a happily married woman, which is why she’s startled to find herself waking up in another man’s bed. She doesn’t remember how she got there, and she doesn’t recognize the stranger sleeping next to her.
That isn’t the only startle Eve receives. When she begins missing chunks of time and finds herself holding a bloody knife she has no recollection of using, her life plummets into a dangerous free fall.
Is she being framed? Should she tell her husband? And how will these dramatic developments affect the baby they’re trying desperately to conceive?
.ugb-2bcf62b .ugb-img{width:313px;height:auto !important}.ugb-2bcf62b .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-2bcf62b .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2bcf62b .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2bcf62b .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Sugar Skulls & Suspects
Sunnyside is a town filled with witches and other paranormal beings. Sure, normal folk come through, but most of the residents are dyed in the wool supernatural.
Maxine Aspen owns the Sugar Skulls Bakery right downtown Sunnyside, in the heart of the madness. She and her family have been running it (sort of) successfully for two generations, but times are getting tough and Max finds herself thinking outside the box to keep the doors open.
Just in time for Halloween, she starts creating Day of the Dead cookies, which are nothing fancy. Just a little fun and spice and all things (magically) nice.
But when her customers start falling down dead, Max has to scramble to figure out just what exactly is going on because she’s the prime suspect.
.ugb-2e21863 .ugb-img{width:331px;height:auto !important}.ugb-2e21863 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-2e21863 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-2e21863 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-2e21863 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Peace Talks
When the Supernatural nations of the world meet up to negotiate an end to ongoing hostilities, Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, joins the
White Council’s security team to make sure the talks stay civil. But can he succeed, when dark political manipulations threaten the very existence of Chicago–and all he holds dear?
.ugb-9cfc74a .ugb-img{width:338px;height:auto !important}.ugb-9cfc74a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-9cfc74a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-9cfc74a .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-9cfc74a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Ghosts & Gateaux
When a nasty and unpopular resident of Brookdale is murdered, Fern has to set aside personal feelings to find justice for the victim. Unfortunately, her investigation puts her directly in the killer’s line of sight.
The danger also pushes her closer to Detective Mitch Landry. Will Fern’s involvement in the case put their new feelings on ice?
.ugb-4e01979 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-4e01979 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-4e01979 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-4e01979 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-4e01979 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Wisteria Woven
Zara Riddle was looking forward to her first Halloween as a witch.
Then the little girl ghost showed up.
Zara puts costume shopping on hold, rolls up her sleeves, and does her usual witcher-i-doo.
But nothing works as planned. Mistakes are made. Dinner parties are ruined. (More than usual.)
Could this stubborn spirit be connected to a family member’s past? Perhaps the Big Tragic Secret nobody talks about?
Zara won’t rest until she gets to the truth, even if means pushing the whole coven to the breaking point. And break they do.
In Wisteria, when things start falling apart, there’s no telling what powerful forces will be unleashed.
.ugb-adc04b1 .ugb-img{width:333px;height:auto !important}.ugb-adc04b1 .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-adc04b1 .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-adc04b1 .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-adc04b1 .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}The Haunting of Bechdel Mansion
A paranormal phenomenon, a mysterious curse, and an unsolved murder forty years in the making.
A young couple move into their dream home only to find a dark presence lurking from within. For Curtis and Mary, the small town of Redwood, Indiana seems too good to be true.
Everything is perfect, including the Victorian mansion they purchased at a great price. But they soon experience terrifying supernatural encounters tied to the deadly secrets of an unsolved mass murder.
March 17, 2020
Excerpt from Dark Sacred Night
I made an announcement last week about the upcoming High-Tech Crime Solvers multiauthor series coming out in April. My book in the series is Virtually Harmless.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am currently reading Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly. It is officially part of the Renee Ballard series, but also features Harry Bosch as well. While there are a number of negative reviews on Amazon, I have enjoyed it so far. Michael Connelly is a master writer, he knows how to build characters the reader cares about and he knows his police procedure.
“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.
Michael Connelly, Dark Sacred Night
The man froze. He slowly raised his hands out of the open drawer he was looking through and held them so she could see them.
“That’s good,” Ballard said. “Now you mind telling me who you are and what you’re doing?”
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Detective Renée Ballard is working the night beat–known in LAPD slang as “the late show”–and returns to Hollywood Station in the early hours to find a stranger rifling through old file cabinets. The intruder is retired detective Harry Bosch, working a cold case that has gotten under his skin.
Ballard can’t let him go through department records, but when he leaves, she looks into the case herself and feels a deep tug of empathy and anger. She has never been the kind of cop who leaves the job behind at the end of her shift–and she wants in.
The murder, unsolved, was of fifteen-year-old Daisy Clayton, a runaway on the streets of Hollywood who was brutally killed, her body left in a dumpster like so much trash. Now Ballard joins forces with Bosch to find out what happened to Daisy, and to finally bring her killer to justice. Along the way, the two detectives forge a fragile trust, but this new partnership is put to the test when the case takes an unexpected and dangerous turn.
March 14, 2020
Announcing the High-Tech Crime Solvers series
Under the supervision of Uvi Poznansky, several of the authors who contributed to the Do No Harm medical thriller anthology banded together to write a new suspense series. The result is the High-Tech Crime Solvers series. Eight books of thrills, cutting-edge technology, and brilliant sleuths. Here is the official description:
High-Tech Crime Solves is a multi-author series tied together by an interlocking cast of characters, all centered around the fantastic new promise of high technology and the endless possibilities for crime that technology offers, in a world where getting away with murder can be not only plausible, but easy… if you just know how.
My book in the series is Virtually Harmless, which explores the field of forensic DNA phenotyping—analyzing DNA to put faces on unknown suspects or victims.
.ugb-261557a .ugb-img{width:681px;height:auto !important}.ugb-261557a .ugb-button{background-color:#BE1E2D;border-radius:25px !important}.ugb-261557a .ugb-button .ugb-button--inner,.ugb-261557a .ugb-button svg{color:#ffffff !important}.ugb-261557a .ugb-button:before{border-radius:25px !important}Virtually Harmless
Micah lived a quiet, comfortable life, her involvement in law enforcement limited to the composite pictures that she produced with her computer and colored pencils.
But everything is turned upside down when she involves herself in the case of an infant found abandoned in the Sweetgrass Hills.
With the help of her knowledge of DNA and law enforcement contacts across the country, Micah is closing in on a killer. But her investigation draws the killer’s attention, and she finds herself in the middle of an operation that could mean the end of her career—or worse, her life.
Virtually Harmless is available on preorder now. It will be released on April 17.
All of the books in the High-Tech Crime Solvers series can be read as stand alones, but your enjoyment will be multiplied if you read them as a series and enjoy the interweaving of the characters and delve more deeply into their lives.
Explore the Series Now!
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March 13, 2020
Virtually Impossible
Coming Soon!
Series: High-Tech Crime Solvers #8
Genres: Thriller
The Author Direct option, if shown above, allows you to purchase directly from the author using PayPal
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
+ About Virtually Impossible
From USA Today Bestseller, Barbara Ebel, comes a gripping techno-thriller, part of a multi-author series tied together by an interlocking cast of characters, all centered around the fantastic new promise of high technology and the endless possibilities for crime that technology offers, in a world where getting away with murder can be not only plausible, but easy…if you just know how.
More coming soon…
Virtually Undetectable
Coming Soon!
Series: High-Tech Crime Solvers #7
Genres: Thriller
Buy Now
eBook Price: $1.99 The Author Direct option, if shown above, allows you to purchase directly from the author using PayPal
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
"Libby Hellmann’s prose is powerful. Every part of her yarns are methodically researched, taut, twist-filled and colorful with well-developed supporting characters."
+ About Virtually Undetectable
From critically acclaimed bestselling crime writer, Libby Fischer Hellmann, comes a gripping techno-thriller, part of a multi-author series tied together by an interlocking cast of characters, all centered around the fantastic new promise of high technology and the endless possibilities for crime that technology offers, in a world where getting away with murder can be not only plausible, but easy…if you just know how.
Trawling through the lawless corners of the dark internet is the last thing respectable bank manager, Rachel Foreman, expected to be doing. But she’s just been fired after falling for a cyber-scam, resulting in the identity-theft and online targeting of a female Fortune 500 CEO, accused, among other things, of the murder of a disgruntled former employee.
Lucky for Rachel, her mother is renowned investigator Ellie Foreman. In an effort to find out who’s targeting the CEO and to salvage what’s left of Rachel’s reputation, both mother and daughter trail shadowy hackers and ruthless cyber-criminals through an increasingly dangerous web of deception.
★★★★★ “Libby Hellmann’s prose is powerful. Every part of her yarns are methodically researched, taut, twist-filled and colorful with well-developed supporting characters.”
Virtually Timeless
Coming Soon!
Series: High-Tech Crime Solvers #6
Genres: Thriller
Buy Now
eBook Price: $3.99 The Author Direct option, if shown above, allows you to purchase directly from the author using PayPal
Download format options are Kindle or ePub (iBooks, Nook, etc.) format
Will they discover the connection before it's too late?
+ About Virtually Gone
From USA Today Bestselling Author, Casi McLean, comes a gripping techno-thriller, part of a multi-author series tied together by an interlocking cast of characters, all centered around the fantastic new promise of high technology and the endless possibilities for crime that technology offers, in a world where getting away with murder can be not only plausible, but easy…if you just know how.
Virtually Timeless
A strange inheritance lures a doctor and his private-eye sister to a remote cabin in the northwest Connecticut mountains …
A lost woman wanders through the woods with no memory …
When strangers in hot pursuit open fire …
Will they discover the connection before it’s too late?
