P.D. Workman's Blog, page 82
June 25, 2019
Savage Art
FBI profiler Casey McKinley survived a brutal attack by the notorious serial killer known as “Leonardo” for his penchant for dissecting his victims as DaVinci once did human cadavers; now he’s back and she must catch this clever killer before he can unveil his ultimate masterpiece—her.
Savage Art is part of the Do No Harm collection, which is now available for preorder!
HBS Spotlight Author Interview
Do No Harm
Excerpt from The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared
Did you catch my new release on Friday? If not, hop on over to my post to pick up Vegan Baked Alaska and some of the other new releases that I featured.
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 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. This is not like most of the other books that I have read. The book that I have read that it is most similar to is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. Or maybe Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy set in WWII Europe. It is the ridiculous adventure of an audacious Swede who runs into trouble and makes new friends at every turn. Both jinxed and charmed, you never know what’s going to happen to Allan Karlsson next. (And by the looks of the rest of Jonasson’s covers, they all have a similar bent.)
Allan sat on the newly stolen suitcase, not knowing what to say and in any case lacking the energy to say it. But he looked steadily at the man, letting him make the first move.
Jonas Jonasson, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared
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After a long and eventful life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home, believing it to be his last stop. The only problem is that he’s still in good health, and one day, he turns 100. A big celebration is in the works, but Allan really isn’t interested (and he’d like a bit more control over his alcohol consumption). So he decides to escape. He climbs out the window in his slippers and embarks on a hilarious and entirely unexpected journey.
It would be the adventure of a lifetime for anyone else, but Allan has a larger-than-life backstory: Not only has he witnessed some of the most important events of the twentieth century, he has actually played a key role in them. Quirky and utterly unique, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared has charmed readers across the world.
June 20, 2019
Enjoy Vegan Baked Alaska and these other great reads!
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The day you have been waiting for has come! Vegan Baked Alaska, book 9 of the Auntie Clem’s Bakery mystery series is out!
Erin needs a little break from everything that has been happening in Bald Eagle Falls (you can only be subjected to so many murders, thefts, fires, and threats before it gets to be a bit much.) She ends up on a cruise to Alaska, far from civilization and criminal conspiracies, where the biggest problem should be that she wasn’t expecting it to be a vegan cruise.
“At least you won’t be stumbling over any bodies on an Alaskan cruise,” Mary Lou had said. But Mary Lou couldn’t have been more wrong.
Sparking an international incident wasn’t quite what Erin had planned for her relaxing vacation, but she is determined to prove that she saw what she did and to bring the culprits to justice.
Read sample
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Other new releases
Looking for some other great new reads? Have a look at what else is out!
Like a Bad Penny
Meredith Brady doesn’t just hunt ghosts; she broadcasts her adventures on the internet. The good, the bad, and the ghoulish, streaming live and in color to thousands of subscribers.
When Meredith and her team of ghost hunters take on a case in the tiny town of Oak Cliff, Georgia, they don’t expect anything out of the ordinary, just a ghost in a white dress that may or may not be related to a missing persons investigation. But this case is unlike anything Meredith has taken on before. Oak Cliff is a town awash in mysteries and lies, and the spirit Meredith’s searching for may not be the only one haunting the MacIver mansion.
Determined to unearth the truth, Meredith and her team dig their way through layers of mysteries and strange occurrences, getting closer to the truth—and real danger. Because it’s becoming clear that someone, or something, wants the past to stay buried, at any cost, and Meredith’s search for the truth just might get her and her team killed.
Drowning Lessons
Welcome to Bocas del Toro, a remote chain of islands off the Caribbean coast of Panama. Five days of glorious sun and lush rainforest await the forty guests celebrating Bridezilla Olivia’s dream wedding—but will a murder sink the catered affair? Before anyone’s got time to start working on a tan, an unfortunate snorkeling accident eliminates a member of the wedding party. Maid of honor Lexie Marino smells trouble, and is thrust into the responsibility of investigating, needing to solve the case before her bestie’s trip down the aisle gets tropically derailed. The show must go on.
Lexie’s a little too tall, a little too awkward, and a little too brokenhearted, but she’s determined to nail the real killer. Can this unlikely sleuth stay afloat as she’s hit by wave after wave of wildly entertaining characters, including an alpha bride, surfing detectives, and a high school flame long forgotten?
You’ll find yourself laughing until the very end of Drowning Lessons, a debut cozy mystery that makes the perfect beach read. Rub in some coconut oil, dangle your feet in the crystal-blue waters of Dolphin Bay, and sip a cool drink as Lexie discovers the deductive superpowers she never knew she had. Let the party begin!
Wrong Side of the Claw
When a string of robberies escalates to murder, Willa is baffled by the behavior of her sister, the county sheriff. Normally the gung-ho lawwoman would be all over the case, but she seems more interested in doing her nails and picking out jazz music instead.
Willa has no choice but to take it upon herself to investigate. After all, her sister’s reputation is at stake, and a killer is running loose around town. Plus she has a secret weapon—she can see ghosts. Talking to the spirit of a murder victim usually helps solve the case, but not this time. This ghost seems reluctant to help Willa out. Even her boyfriend, neighboring county sheriff Eddie Striker, can’t get the spirit of the victim to give them a straight answer.
But things are even worse than they seem. Pandora and the cats of Mystic Notch know the real reason behind the crime goes a lot deeper than robbery or even murder. Someone has evil plans for Mystic Notch, and the cats need Willa’s help to stop them.
The Teatime Mystery
Jenny Starling is doing the catering for the village cricket match. But she’s not expecting one of the players to turn up dead.
Everyone from the village has turned out to watch the match, and with this being the club’s centenary, Jenny Starling has been hired specially to provide her stunning food for the event.
Then the next man up to bat, Tristan Jones, is nowhere to be found. He is discovered behind the pavilion, murdered by a blow to the back of the head with an old cricket bat.
The handsome twenty-something had a reputation as a Lothario, with an appetite for married women. Did a scorned woman or a cuckolded husband kill him?
However, he’d annoyed other people too. He was a stockbroker who took big risks with other people’s money and lost their lifesavings.
Soon another body turns up and Jenny Starling is going to need all her cunning to crack this complex case.
Tales of a Blackened Soul
London was on the hunt. Her intention was to kill.
London De La Motte is not a believer in religion or religiosity. She never found a use for it, considering her troubled past and no place for it in her life as a private investigator. An encounter with a statue in a historic Catholic Church sets London on a path of psychic vision and vigilante justice; righting injustices from the past and present.
What she didn’t know is that her brush with Saint Cecilia’s graven image was far from accidental. It was destiny; conjured by Mama Bah, a voodoo high priestess some twenty-five years before. London’s world is rocked by this newfound giftedness. The question is, what will she do when the past and present come crashing down around her.
The Candidate Coroner
Two contentious elections. One dead philanderer. A monumental conspiracy.
In the midst of Acting Coroner Fenway Stevenson’s reelection campaign, the body of a successful business owner is found in a pedestrian underpass—and she discovers that her young, hated stepmother is the prime suspect. As if that’s not bad enough, further digging only exposes a money-laundering scheme that could implicate dozens of residents in the coastal town she calls home.
Each clue she uncovers puts her in more danger. After an attempt on her life, and with more bodies piling up, how will Fenway solve the mystery, win the election—or simply save her own life?
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Murder at the Old Abbey
White Monk Abbey is a local landmark and its resident patriarch, Caradoc Mansell, a foreboding presence. He runs his household and family as if he is still in the army. And he’s been known for rubbing people up the wrong way.
So, when he is found murdered, the challenge Chief Inspector Matt Lambert of the Newport police faces is that many people had a powerful grudge or good reason to want him dead.
And when it is discovered that Caradoc had children from dalliances in his youth, his family also fall under suspicion – their substantial inheritance having been put in doubt.
With so many suspects and little evidence, DCI Lambert finds it difficult to progress the investigation. The family go to ground, so he draws on the advice of his former boss, ex-detective Fabia Havard.
Knowing the family, Havard helps Lambert establish motive and opportunity. But will their fractious relationship, the result of repressed feelings for one another, get in the way of finding the killer?
Cupid in Crisis
Description for this block. Use this space for describing Booker is a loner … at least in most respects. He has friends but is perfectly fine being a man of mystery. There’s one exception to that rule: June Seaver.
Booker volunteers to help her around her aging hotel in the heart of Moonstone Bay’s business district whenever he can spare the time. On one of those visits, the older woman takes a spill and finds herself in the hospital … at the exact worst time.
It seems she has a modeling shoot scheduled at her facility and it’s enough money to keep her operation running smoothly for at least a year. All that goes away if she’s not there.
It’s Booker to the rescue, of course, but he’s won’t be doing it alone. Sheriff Galen Blackwood and local witch Hadley Hunter are helping. That’s good, because it seems there’s a mystery afoot.
Someone keeps tearing apart the storage rooms and even attacks the photo shoot director. It’s up to Booker and his motley group of heroes to solve the case, keep the shoot on schedule and hunt down a potential killer.your block.
Kiss & Tell
With the death of her father…
Officer Charlene Taylor has received her dream promotion—working Homicide with the LAPD. Her first case is the high-profile murder of Ken Anderson, a playboy UCLA professor with a haunted past. A mafia kingpin, billionaire tycoon, cheated wife and jaded lover are only a few on a long list of suspects, all with motive and opportunity.
…all hope of reconciliation is lost.
Not only does she feel the pressure from media and her boss to solve her first case, but Charlene must also deal with her father’s murderer, the “Celebrity Slayer,” a serial killer who enjoys baiting her with his knowledge of her life and routines.
Spilling the Spice
When shady entrepreneurs slink into Spicetown to splurge on the 4th of July holiday, their enemies are bound to follow.
Mayor Cora Mae Bingham wants her statue dedication to take center stage at the celebration, but a murder in Spicetown steals the front page news.
Can she help the Police Chief Conrad Harris solve the crime and still be Grand Marshall of the parade?
The road to Infinity
Poised on the brink of manhood, young Aran Dyfar makes a rash and momentous decision that will either elevate him to glory or seal his doom. Obsessed since childhood with finding the legendary Road to Infinity, he forsakes his comfortable home and the love of beautiful Elfwina Catlix to embark on a quest through demon-haunted forests and forbidding wastelands in pursuit of his destiny.
Perilous encounters with magical beings and human adversaries compel Aran to hone the skills of a warrior. Though tormented by memories of his beloved Elfwina, he presses onward. When at last he finds the Road to Infinity, he confronts an unexpected challenge that will test the limits of his courage and guile.
Transatlantic Tragedy
The “Siren of the Seas” sets sail for the much anticipated transatlantic repositioning cruise to the British Isles. It’s smooth sailing until someone falls overboard. Millie jumps in head first to determine if the passenger’s death was an accident, suicide or murder.
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Penshaw
When you sell your soul, the devil gives no refunds…
When an old man is burned alive in a sleepy ex-mining village, Detective Chief Inspector Ryan is called in to investigate. He soon discovers that, beneath the facade of a close-knit community, the burn from decades-old betrayal still smoulders. When everyone had a motive, can he unravel the secrets of the past before the killer strikes again?
Meanwhile, back at Northumbria CID, trouble is brewing with rumours of a mole in Ryan’s department.
Web of Deceit
The crime made no sense.
Nothing was stolen, only burned.
The truth was worse than they imagined.
For Nick and Alex, the job always came first. They weren’t afraid of a scrap or two, if it was needed. Never back down was the motto. This time, though, it feels different.
There were signs.
When you have a list of enemies as long as a CVS receipt, there’s bound to be someone who wants you dead.
Snow White and the Seven Murders
What if Snow White had to save the prince? As a business reporter for the Dayton City Newspaper, Snow White tries to stick to the facts and stay out of trouble. But when research for an article leads to suspicions that a killer is on the loose, she can’t help but investigate. A local mine owner is dead. Could the owner of a rival company be to blame? Snow’s snooping pays off, and soon she’s chasing down hot clues — and an even hotter prince. Amir Malick, prince of Qu’abar, is handsome, smart, funny and kind. Is he next on the killer’s list? It’s up to Snow to save him…
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Kitsuneko
Trouble is brewing in the realms beyond the rainbow …
Kitsuneko has always done her best to honor her duty. As a young fox-cat changeling, she was conscripted into slavery by King Dario and Queen Arianna of Toulacoeur to serve as the surrogate for Princess Cari, their daughter who was kidnapped seventeen years ago.
But when Kiro, Cari’s younger brother and the heir to the throne, proclaims his love for her, Kitsuneko is torn between her duty to the kingdom and her desire for the virtuous prince.
And when Kiro’s kisses leave her breathless, Kitsuneko finds herself — and the kingdom — in mortal danger.
For the peace that Toulacoeur enjoys, maintained through the blessing of Kleon, the Unicorn Guardian, is at risk, and to maintain their rule, the king and queen have arranged for Kiro to marry Ariella, a Warlord’s daughter from a tribe of Gryphon Riders.
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Shallow Waters
A sleepy Oregon coastal village with secrets as dark as its January storms. A new, handsome police chief with his own shadowy past.
The last thing Port Stirling Chief of Police Matt Horning needed on day one of his new job was for the mayor’s daughter to turn up dead – stabbed to death – in a mysterious tunnel on a remote Oregon beach. Horning, escaping professional troubles in Texas, accepts the vacant job in Port Stirling, Oregon, looking for a fresh start in what he thought would be a peaceful coastal town where the far west meets the mighty Pacific Ocean. Nothing much ever happens here…or does it?
The crime doesn’t make any sense, and there is no apparent motive for the murder of little Emily Bushnell. She wasn’t sexually assaulted, her family is respected in the small community where everyone knows everyone, and there doesn’t appear to be a reason for her death. Human bite marks on Emily’s body discovered by the medical examiner during the autopsy add an even stranger twist to the puzzling homicide.
Destination Roswell
On a planet far, far, far away, the advanced inhabitants of Ch’un face an event of apocalyptic proportions. Total and overwhelming invasion by un unseen yet indestructible enemy. A singleton’s Ch’uni ship manages to flee their system before succumbing to the onslaught and escape for the far regions of the Great Spiral Galaxy and the small solar system at the edge which houses the blue planet: their destination.
Will they arrive in one piece?
Will the natives of the blue planet accept them?
Are the really free of the invasive form that travels the known Universe in search of worlds to conquer?
Fatal Justice
A vigilante’s on the loose, dishing out their kind of justice…
A string of mutilated bodies sees Detective Chief Inspector Whitney Walker back in action. But when she discovers the victims have all been grooming young girls, she fears a vigilante is on the loose. And while she understands the motive, no one is above the law.
Once again, she turns to forensic psychologist, Dr Georgina Cavendish, to unravel the cryptic clues. But will they be able to save the next victim from a gruesome death?
Outcome
Outcome, a Novel by multi-award winning and Amazon best-selling author Barbara Ebel.
A woman and her dog flee for their lives during a major hurricane, but what happens next is far worse.
Outcome is part of the Do No Harm collection, which is now available for preorder!
Do No Harm
June 18, 2019
Excerpt from A Study in Scarlet Women
I hope you had a good Father’s Day and picked up a book or two from my Father’s Day post.
Be sure to check back here this weekend for the new release of Vegan Baked Alaska.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I am reading Sherry Thomas’s A Study in Scarlet Women, which is a retelling/twist on the Sherlock Holmes mysteries. In Thomas’s version, Sherlock Holmes is a nom de guerre for Charlotte Holmes, and Dr. Watson is actually Mrs. Watson, her patron. It’s an interesting look at the life of women in England at that time, as well as seeing how Thomas establishes Charlotte as Sherlock Holmes.
He had never heard of Sherlock Holmes, but more importantly, he despised the idea of death. Of his death, to be precise—others could die as they wished.
A Study in Scarlet Women, Sherry Thomas
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With her inquisitive mind, Charlotte Holmes has never felt comfortable with the demureness expected of the fairer sex in upper class society. But even she never thought that she would become a social pariah, an outcast fending for herself on the mean streets of London.
When the city is struck by a trio of unexpected deaths and suspicion falls on her sister and her father, Charlotte is desperate to find the true culprits and clear the family name. She’ll have help from friends new and old—a kind-hearted widow, a police inspector, and a man who has long loved her.
But in the end, it will be up to Charlotte, under the assumed name Sherlock Holmes, to challenge society’s expectations and match wits against an unseen mastermind.
June 13, 2019
Father’s Day Books and Deals
There are a lot of things going on this month, but I decided this week to focus on Father’s Day and bring you a few books to check out. If you’re quick, there is still time to order on Amazon Prime or run over to your nearest brick and mortar book store!
And there are always ebooks, which are an instant buy, if your dad enjoys ebooks or you want a little something for yourself.
Kids books for Dad’s Day
First off, here are a few favorites or books that look like good Father’s Day reads:
Just Me and My Dad
This one was a favorite around our hose growing up.
Mercer Mayer’s Little Critter is going on a camping trip with his dad in this classic, funny, and heartwarming book. Whether he and his dad are canoeing, fishing, or building a campfire, parents and children alike will relate to this beloved story. A perfect gift for Father’s Day… or any day!
I Love Dad with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
I’ve read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but not this one. Gotta love that caterpillar.
Show Dad how much you care with this little message of love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
Celebrate Dad’s special day by saying “I Love You”–with a little help from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. This bright and colorful book is the ideal way to tell the person you call “Dad” how much you appreciate him. It’s the perfect gift for Father’s Day, Dad’s birthday, or any day that you want to show Dad just how much you care.
Hop on Pop
If you’re looking for one the littles can read to Dad, here’s a good bet.
This classic Beginner Book makes an ideal gift for Seuss fans and is an especially good way to show Pop some love on Father’s Day!
Loved by generations, this “simplest Seuss for youngest use” is a Beginner Book classic. See Red and Ned and Ted and Ed in a bed. And giggle as Pat sits on a hat and on a cat and on a bat . . . but a cactus? Pat must NOT sit on that! This classic Beginner Book makes an ideal gift for Seuss fans and is an especially good way to show Pop some love on Father’s Day!
Originally created by Dr. Seuss, Beginner Books encourage children to read all by themselves, with simple words and illustrations that give clues to their meaning.
The Night Before Father’s Day
I don’t know this one, but it looks pretty cute.
It’s the night before Father’s Day, and Mom and the kids have a plan to surprise Dad with a special gift. When Dad goes for a bike ride, everyone gets to work. Dad wakes up the next day to find his garage newly organized and his car sparkly clean. So, of course, he celebrates by taking everyone for a spin!
Dad Jokes
The perfect gift for dads and pun-lovers alike!
“Dad, can you put my shoes on?”
“No, I don’t think they’ll fit me.”
Ah, the dad joke―humor that reminds us of all the lovable, embarrassing dads out there. Be prepared for the obvious, silly, and awkward in this massive collection of the best groan-worthy dad jokes around, including clever quips, overly literal dialogue, and punny one-liners.
These jokes may be on porpoise, but they will definitely make you laugh:
I used to hate facial hair, but then it started growing on me.
I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down!
Q: What’s the hardest thing about learning to ride a bicycle?
A: The road.
With over 600 knee-slappers, head-shakers, and groan-makers, Dad Jokes is packed with enough witty quips and cheesy-but-grate jokes for you to hold your own against even the most embarrassing of dads. But remember―you don’t have to be a dad to tell dad jokes!
More recommendations
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Today has a long list of books that your dad might enjoy.
Free ebooks for Father’s Day
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This promo doesn’t open until Saturday, but you can pick up a stack of ebooks with father themes, including Making Her Mark.
About Making Her Mark
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Secrets and lies.
When everything changed, Kelli thought she would be happy. But nothing really changed.
Kelli’s life has never been easy. She’s always faced her problems head on. She’s strong and savvy and in charge of herself. All of that is about to change.
Her life is turned upside down when she discovers the secret that her mother has been hiding from her for years.
Kelli thinks this is her one chance at happiness. But is it?
Maya Hope
Maya Hope by Timothy Browne
Dr. Nicklaus Hart, a gifted trauma surgeon, searches for meaning in his life. His self-reliant spirit is broken with the death of his missionary best friend, found sacrificed at the base of a Maya Temple. Going to Guatemala to fill the shoes of his friend at the mission hospital, he discovers God’s redemption and peace in the smiles of the children he cares for.
But his own life is in danger as he and his team stumble onto a deadly North Korean plot.
Maya Hope is part of the Do No Harm collection, which is now available for preorder!
Do No Harm
June 11, 2019
Excerpt from Golden Prey
Hope you had a chance to pick up Apple-achian Treasure and some other freebies this weekend! There was some good stuff in my freebies post, and some of them might still be available.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
This week I am just finishing up Golden Prey, by John Sandford. Before I go too far… this one is more graphic than the books that I usually mention on my blog. It involves both torture and the killing of a little girl, so be warned before you pick it up. So, that aside, this is an engaging thriller with more twists and turns than a bag of Twizzlers. The criminals are smart, and so are the federal marshal and agents on their tails. It is a great game of cat and mouse, and while the feds are bound to win in the end, I’m not quite sure how.
“There’ll be one outside, three inside, they all got guns,” Darling said. “I’ve watched them for three months, always the same.”
John Sandford, Golden Prey
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The man was smart and he didn’t mind killing people. Welcome to the big leagues, Davenport.
Thanks to some very influential people whose lives he saved, Lucas is no longer working for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but for the U.S. Marshals Service, and with unusual scope. He gets to pick his own cases, whatever they are, wherever they lead him.
And where they’ve led him this time is into real trouble. A Biloxi, Mississippi, drug-cartel counting house gets robbed, and suitcases full of cash disappear, leaving behind five bodies, including that of a six-year-old girl. Davenport takes the case, which quickly spirals out of control, as cartel assassins, including a torturer known as the “Queen of home-improvement tools” compete with Davenport to find the Dixie Hicks shooters who knocked over the counting house. Things get ugly real fast, and neither the cartel killers nor the holdup men give a damn about whose lives Davenport might have saved; to them, he’s just another large target.
June 10, 2019
Ann Hunter’s runaway new YA book
Those of you who have read my YA books know that I write about a lot of gritty social problems like addiction, abuse, and homelessness. Ann Hunter is another writer who has taken it upon herself to tackle some of these very real issues. So let’s hear what she has to say about her writing life and her latest release!
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First things first! Tell us a little about yourself, please.
I like to say I’m a Mom first, a writer second, and all around ninja. I’m a dyed and true Hufflepuff #badgerfierce, love dark chocolate and red velvet cake. And I love YA literature. I love mentoring other writers, too, and teens as well. I’m assistant teacher at the Taekwondo Dojang I train at with my daughters, and I’m so grateful for my epic husband– he really is too patient with me.
You started writing quite early, just as I did. Tell me how you got into writing.
I remember being in first grade and writing a story about a rabbit pulling a carrot out of the ground. I drew a little action “kapow” around the word POP, and my teacher really liked that. I also remember my aunt giving me this gorgeous book on Shakespeare’s works when I was, like, 4, and I desperately wanted to know what the words said. Needless to say, I was reading Shakespeare by age 6.
But it wasn’t until I was ten that I truly realized the power of words, when I had to write my first official story. The words poured out of me as though they came from somewhere else. They weren’t mine. My hand couldn’t keep up with my brain. I spent the next 6 years writing 20 novels in the same fashion.
You also address tough youth issues in your series, such as bullying, suicide, and sexuality. How did that come about?
I know today’s youth face some scary stuff, and I wanted to give them someone to look up to. I want them to find me someday and say “You wrote this for me.” And I’ll hug them and say “I know.”
Especially the LGBTQ+ community. There’s nothing else like North Oak on the market. I pray every night before I write that I’ll be a vessel for what the Lord wants His youth to hear. And it’s love. Everyone deserves love.
I hear you. Compassion is a big part of why I address these difficult issues as well. Tell us about your newest release and the story behind it.
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Dark Horse is the 6th book in my contemporary YA series, North Oak. It deals with the aftermath of rape, the ongoing effects of depression, and PTSD. All while being a teen.
It has gotten great reviews, several angry emails (cliffhangers, gotta love them) and lots of ugly crying. I’m looking forward to getting book 7 out quickly (again, cliffhangers).
Also there’s pretty ponies that go really fast! #horseracing
Blurb for Dark Horse :
Just when Alex could hardly stand waiting another second to test for her jockey license, a brutal attack sends her spiraling into a depression. She’s a failure as a person, a rider and friend. Even Dejado and Carol can’t seem to reach her. Can they help her pull through, and realize her potential in time to get Venus Nights ready for her first race?
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Your North Oak series features a young protagonist and her relationship with amazing horses. The blurb for Book 1, Born to Run, mentions Walter Farley’s Black Stallion. I loved the Black Stallion series as a kid. Was that a favorite book of yours?
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I had a hard time getting into Black Stallion as a book series when I read them as a kid. My big inspiration is the Thoroughbred Series by Joanna Campbell (and later Mary Newhall Anderson). I liked Dick Francis, as well, and I’m a sucker for the Black Stallion movies and Phar Lap.
My biggest inspiration, however, was my parents breeding Arabians when I was little. I gained a sense of horsemanship by running around half-naked and barefoot with our herd on the Wasatch Front.
Blurb for Born to Run:
Alexandra Anderson is on the run from the law.
When the thirteen-year-old orphan can run no further, she collapses at the gates of the prestigious racing and breeding farm, North Oak. Horse racing strikes a deep chord in her. She hears a higher calling in the jingle jangle of bit and stirrup and in the thunder of hooves on the turn for home. It tells her she has a place in the world. But when the racing headlines find her on the front of every sports page, she realizes North Oak is no longer a safe haven.
Money can’t buy love, but it just might secure Alex’s future.
Born to Run is $0.99 June 10 – 17.
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I love Dick Francis! What’s next? Tell us about what your working on.
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Book 7 in the North Oak series, obviously. It’s going to be a bit lighter toned than the last two that dealt with some really solid issues teens are up against in this day and age.
I’ve also got my first middle grade horror planned (“Zoo”, it’s going to be a cross between Jurassic Park and Jumanji), a YA standalone inspired by the song “Summer of 69”, some fairytales, and my first couple of romances for a project I’m doing with a few other authors. I’m also contemplating a book about nutrition for diabetics by a diabetic (macros and food are another thing I love to nerd over), and a book about getting more writing done without burnout.
Against the Odds is currently available for preorder.
Blurb for Against the Odds
Alex’s racing career starts with Venus Nights, the filly she helped birth into the world, and a head case mare named Florescent Cheerio who Brooke has claimed.
When things go missing around the North Oak barns, Alex is sure she is being stalked. What’s more is Venus Galaxies has foaled twins, fighting for their lives to survive.
Preorder
Any closing words of inspiration and encouragement for your fellow writers?
Failure isn’t the opposite of success. It’s part of it.
Thank you for your inspirational words and your time, Ann. Readers, don’t forget to pick up Born to Run for $0.99 while you can.
June 6, 2019
June freebie round-up – Apple-achian Treasure and more
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Are you excited? It’s time for another round-up of freebies. Fill up your Kindle with Apple-achian Treasure and some of these mysterious titles!
Apple-achian Treasure is the eighth book in the Auntie Clem’s Bakery mystery series.
Apple-achian Treasure
Erin is back on her feet again with the opening of Auntie Clem’s Bakery version 2.0. But her new partner is not the easiest person in the world to get along with and there are a lot of bumps in the road.
Reading about a secret treasure in Clementine’s papers, Erin decides to distract herself by putting back on her detective hat and she and her friends try their hands at solving the clues. Pretty soon, everyone knows that they are treasure hunting and things get interesting.
The race is on, but is the prize worth the price they will end up paying?
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Other freebies
Deadly Proof
It’s the summer of 1880, and once again the lovely and inquisitive businesswoman, Annie Fuller, is helping San Francisco lawyer and fiancé, Nate Dawson, with a troublesome case. Nate’s client, a female typesetter accused of murdering her boss, refuses to help in her own defense. Complicating matters, Nate’s sister Laura insists on getting involved in the potentially dangerous investigation, while Laura’s friend Seth Timmons, troubled Civil War veteran, finds himself a witness for the prosecution.
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Ice Cream Murder
When millionaire Regis Banks drops dead at his own party, everyone assumes it was from natural causes – after all, the man was celebrating his one-hundredth birthday.
… Everyone except Lexy Baker’s amateur sleuth grandmother, Nans, and her three friends, that is.
When it turns out that Regis’ death might have been caused by more than just old age, Nans refuses to let the trail grow cold – especially after a local reporter trying to get a scoop threatens to write an article blaming the death on Lexy.
It doesn’t take long before Nans and Lexy are up to their eyeballs in suspects. And when those suspects start dropping like flies, Lexy and Nans have to step up their game before the killer claims their next victim.
Dose Vidanya
Come to Silver Hills. Where petting a cat can be a death sentence and yoga is all about survival.
Silver Hills Senior and Singles Residence isn’t exactly a boring place. Home to a death predicting cat named Tolstoy, a night manager who may or may not suck blood and float above the floor, a cook with mad voodoo and pie baking powers, and a trio of nosy sleuths who are determined to get to the bottom of the corpse in the library (maybe literally)…some might say things couldn’t get any weirder. Some would be wrong.
Lost and Found
A young woman races a Texas blizzard to save her autistic nephew from a deadly secret others will kill to protect–and the service dog she’s trained finds his true purpose, when he disobeys.
AN AUNT searches for her lost nephew–and dooms her sister.
A MOM gambles a miracle will cure–and not kill–her child.
A DOG finds his true purpose–when he disobeys.
Animal behaviorist September Day has lost everything–husband murdered, career in ruins, confidence shot–and returns home with her trained Maine Coon cat Macy to Texas to recover. She’s forced out of hibernation when her nephew Steven and his autism service dog Shadow disappear in a freak blizzard.
When her sister trusts a maverick researcher’s promise to help Steven, September has 24 hours to rescue them from a devastating medical experiment impacting millions of children, a deadly secret others will kill to protect. As September races the clock, the body count swells. Shadow does his good-dog duty but can’t protect his boy. Finally September and Shadow forge a stormy partnership to rescue the missing and stop the nightmare cure. But can they also find the lost parts of themselves?
House of Seven Days
A wanderer and confirmed loner, Francine Pond is not thrilled to inherit her great-aunt True’s sprawling mansion. She’s even less pleased to learn she is required to solve a mystery involving a series of clues contained in True’s will. And she only has seven days to complete the task.
Complicated by life-sized games, ghosts, and a cast of improbable tenants…
Pond is not alone in this house of oddities. In addition to a teenaged storyteller and an enigmatic chimney sweep, she is joined by Ferdinand, a mysterious man who wants to help her in her mission for reasons known only to himself and his beloved dog.
Unsure who to trust…
Between a rogue circus performer and her elephant, a vengeful ringmaster, meddling neighbors, and a bewildering series of quests, Pond begins to doubt if she’ll ever solve the twisted—and sometimes deadly—puzzles and regain her freedom. But is there anywhere to go if the apocalypse really has already come to Baltimore? Or will she have to stay, no matter the cost, to save herself and the misfits who might have become her friends?
Paper Phoenix
First comes divorce, then comes murder…
…or at least sweet thoughts of murder. Maggie Longstreet has plenty of them after slimy, ambitious Richard trades her in for a more recent model. She’s so depressed she can barely get out of bed when Larry Hawkins, a seemingly not-at-all depressed acquaintance, commits suicide out of the blue. Suddenly Maggie goes on high alert, remembering something her evil ex said about Larry—something highly suspicious.
And from there, it’s just a short segué to a bracing new development:
“When some women get divorced they go back to school, I thought. Some do volunteer work at the hospital, or join communes and learn to birth calves. Some have affairs with inappropriate men. My new interest is burglary. Maggie Longstreet, former wife and mother, past president of the Museum Guild, now starting a career as a second-story woman.”
Fortunately, Maggie isn’t alone in her adventure—a very attractive, much younger man proves a lot more fun than Richard ever was. In fact, the real delight of this witty, sly mystery is seeing Maggie come alive again after a suffocating marriage. Set in the’70s, it has a bit of that Mad Men feel of women on the brink of something big. And completely unexpected.
You know Maggie’s going to be okay when she says: “I’d rather have had one of those cute little guns with a mother-of-pearl handle, but this (diamond pin) would have to do. I concealed it in my hand. At least now I was armed—or pinned.”
Chicken Culprit
Finally healing after her heart-breaking divorce, Anne Freemont is ready to put the painful past behind her.
Discovering an old Victorian for sale in the small mountain town of Carolan Springs may be just what she needs. The beauty of Colorado beckons, so Anne heads west to start her new life.
Yet, before Anne’scompletely settled in, her neighbor is found dead in his compost pile. What’s worse is that Anne’s quirky young neighbor, Kandi Jenkins, could be the killer. When Kandi begs for her help, Anne feels she has no choice but to help the young woman.
However, she finds herself quickly at odds with the local sheriff. And while she uncovers more of the community’s secrets, she’s also exploring her awakening feelings for Sam Powers, the town’s deputy coroner.
Once Anne starts looking at who could be the real killer, the suspect list keeps getting longer and longer. It seems that Carolan Springs is a place of many secrets.
Mourning Routine
Kitty Crawford reached for stardom and fell hard. Now, in desperate need of some way to make ends meet, she skulks back to her hometown of Asheville. Unfortunately, the employment offers are slim pickings for a has-been whose sole talent is being able to cry on cue.
That is, until one odd turn leads to another, which leads to the little-known profession of Personal Mourning. Here, the better Kitty can fake it, the more dollars she’ll find stacked up in her bereft bank account. Talk about a role she was born to play!
And townsfolk are just dying to hire her. Her first gig casts her as the bereaved girlfriend of one newly deceased Chase McCormick, someone she would never have dated in life. Still, Kitty will have to act like her life depends on it, because–OMG!–it does.
Die Noon
Matilda Dare can’t sleep. Her insomnia is one more reason to move to the quirky small town of Goodnight, New Mexico after she inherits a house, a small newspaper, and two old dogs there. But despite the Goodnight name, Matilda still spends hers wide awake, and she has good reason after a reporter is murdered. With a mystery to solve, she begins to investigate the town and uncovers more suspects than she knows what to do with. Meanwhile, the hottie cowboy sheriff is doing his own investigation into Matilda, and the mysterious, handsome stranger, who just happens to live with her, is showing up in all the wrong places. As her investigation continues, danger increases, and it might end up spelling lights out for Matilda.
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Death of a Crafty Knitter
After solving a murder, gift shop owner Stormy Day is famous in Misty Falls.
When she lets a mysterious fortune teller offer romance advice, Stormy is drawn into a world of deception. When a body shows up, more secrets and lies follow, confounding the investigation.
Even Jeffrey, the mischievous Russian Blue cat, seems puzzled by the Death of the Crafty Knitter. As Stormy races to find the killer, the danger escalates, bringing the amateur sleuth and the cold-blooded killer face-to-face for a startling climax.
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.
Misty Hollow Cat Detective
Have you ever wondered what Smudge the cat gets up to while Darcy Sweet is out and about solving mysteries? Well, it seems he is Misty Hollow’s one and only mystery solving cat detective. Here are just a few of his stories!
The Letter: When Smudge’s friend, Twistypaws, comes to him for help he can’t say no to the beautiful girl cat he has a major crush on. Her owner is in trouble and it seems that Smudge is the only one that can get him out of it, with Darcy’s help of course.
The Rat’s Trail: It’s Smudge to the rescue when Rolo the timid cat has a rat problem. Why would a rat be trying to evict Rolo from his home? Smudge is on the case to find out.
The Sparkly: Corvin the crow is beside himself when he loses a special sparkly people feather he was going to give his new girlfriend. Smudge must find out what happened to it and get it back for Corvin.
Stealing Heidi: Twistypaws enlists Smudge’s help when she receives an SOS from Jocko the guinea pig. It seems that his owner’s belongings are going missing one by one. It’s up to Smudge to work out what’s going on.
The Circle of Life: Smudge the cat has only eight lives left. We learn how he lost the ninth life and it’s not how you might think.
The Deep End
Swimming into the lifeless body of her husband’s mistress tends to ruin a woman’s day, but becoming a murder suspect can ruin her whole life.
It’s 1974 and Ellison Russell’s life revolves around her daughter and her art. She’s long since stopped caring about her cheating husband, Henry, and the women with whom he entertains himself. That is, until she becomes a suspect in Madeline Harper’s death. The murder forces Ellison to confront her husband’s proclivities and his crimes—kinky sex, petty cruelties and blackmail.
As the body count approaches par on the seventh hole, Ellison knows she has to catch a killer.
