P.D. Workman's Blog, page 86
March 19, 2019
Excerpt from First Family
A Catastrophic Theft was released last Friday! If you haven’t had a chance to look at it yet, pop on over and have a look! A Catastrophic Theft is the third book in the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series, paranormal cozy series spun off from the Auntie Clem’s Bakery series. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I had writing it.
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
I don’t think I’ve ever been disappointed with a David Baldacci book. My current read, First Family, is part of the King & Maxwell series. Sean King and Michael Maxwell are complex characters, satisfying to read, and this book revolves around the mysterious kidnapping of the First Lady’s niece.
Willa was small for her age, with dark hair. She was a bit shy by immensely bright and wonderfully engaging when one got to know her. Though she would never admit it publicly of course, Willa was Jane’s favorite niece.
David Baldacci, First Family
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A daring kidnapping turns a children’s birthday party at Camp David, the presidential retreat, into a national security nightmare.
Former Secret Service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell don’t want to get involved. But years ago Sean saved the First Lady’s husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now the president’s wife presses Sean and Michelle into a desperate search to rescue a kidnapped child. With Michelle still battling her own demons, the two are pushed to the limit, with forces aligned on all sides against them-and the line between friend and foe impossible to define…or defend.
March 16, 2019
Auntie Clem’s Bakery 4-6
Auntie Clem's Bakery 4-6
Bundle/Collection, New Release!
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Store links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Booksamillion, Audible
Goodreads
Get books 4-6 in one
Erin Price is a baker, not a sleuth. It’s really not her fault that mysteries keep landing in her lap while she’s trying to run Auntie Clem’s Bakery and make a living from baking gluten-free and specialty goods.
In these volumes, Erin is meeting new family and friends and looking forward to being settled in Bald Eagle Falls… but things don’t work out quite the way she expects.
Sink your teeth into these sweet mysteries!
This set includes:
4 Stirring Up Murder
5 Brewing Death
6 Coup de Glace
Read sample
Buy Now
Buy Kindle or ePub via PayPal
$9.99
Goodreads reviews
Reviews from Goodreads.com
+ Praise for the Series
—This lady knows how to write!! I read this during hurricane Irma on my Kindle so I didn’t care the power was out!
—It was very good! But made me hungry!
—Oh my goodness I loved it! The murder mystery was so awesome… I couldn’t put this book down. Props to you again for another amazing read!
—I really enjoyed this book … Would make a great Hallmark movie.
—This very enjoyable story with uncomplicated characters and a sweet and easy storyline was well done.
+ Book Club Resources
Gluten-Free Pinterest Board
Disease and Disorder Pinterest Board
Food families reference
+ Praise for P.D. Workman
“Every single one of [P.D. Workman’s] books has spoken to me in ways no one or almost anything else has. And I have found strength in the books I’ve read.”
“The way that P.D. Workman writes just flows amazingly and allows the reader to get really invested in a book.”
“This is one author I certainly will be looking out for, I can’t recommend her enough.”
“I’ll read anything by P. D. Workman that I can get my hands on.”
+ Gluten-Free Murder on my Blog
Auntie Clem’s Bakery 1-3
Auntie Clem's Bakery 1-3
Bundle/Collection, New Release!
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Store links: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Smashwords, Booksamillion, Audible
Goodreads
Get the first three books in the Auntie Clem's Bakery series now.
Erin Price is a baker, not a sleuth. It’s really not her fault that mysteries keep landing in her lap while she’s trying to run Auntie Clem’s Bakery and make a living from baking gluten-free and specialty goods.
Sink your teeth into these sweet mysteries!
Thie ebook includes:
1. Gluten-Free Murder
2. Dairy-Free Death
3. Allergen-Free Assignation
Read sample
Buy Now
Buy Kindle or ePub via PayPal
$9.99
Goodreads reviews
Reviews from Goodreads.com
+ Praise for the Series
—This lady knows how to write!! I read this during hurricane Irma on my Kindle so I didn’t care the power was out!
—It was very good! But made me hungry!
—Oh my goodness I loved it! The murder mystery was so awesome… I couldn’t put this book down. Props to you again for another amazing read!
—I really enjoyed this book … Would make a great Hallmark movie.
—This very enjoyable story with uncomplicated characters and a sweet and easy storyline was well done.
+ Book Club Resources
Gluten-Free Pinterest Board
Disease and Disorder Pinterest Board
Food families reference
+ Praise for P.D. Workman
“Every single one of [P.D. Workman’s] books has spoken to me in ways no one or almost anything else has. And I have found strength in the books I’ve read.”
“The way that P.D. Workman writes just flows amazingly and allows the reader to get really invested in a book.”
“This is one author I certainly will be looking out for, I can’t recommend her enough.”
“I’ll read anything by P. D. Workman that I can get my hands on.”
+ Gluten-Free Murder on my Blog
March 14, 2019
A Catastrophic Theft and other New Releases
A Catastrophic Theft is now on sale! if you’ve been reading the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series, you are not going to want to miss this one! Things are starting to get interesting for Reg.
And keep reading for more new releases.
About A Catastrophic Theft
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Reg has been able to set up a respectable, if somewhat unconventional business providing psychic services in Black Sands, and is starting to feel like she could actually settle down there long-term.
But her relationship with Sarah, who has been her loyal friend and protector since she arrived becomes strained when Sarah’s precious emerald necklace disappears.
There is no shortage of suspects, with Reg herself at the front of the line.
Friends and felines pitch in to solve the mystery, but in the end it is up to Reg and her cat Starlight to ferret out the truth.
Read sample
Buy now
$4.99
Other new releases
Fill up your Kindle with these books! And remember, if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle App on your phone or read it in your browser with Kindle Cloud!
Great Balls of Fury
Well, I’m supposed to be evil thanks to both nature and nurture, but I fight it with every fiber of my being. I just want to live a normal life. I even joined the FBI instead of the Federal Bureau of Magic, until my powers reared their ugly head and the agency sent me packing back to my hometown to fight magical crimes instead.
Now I’m back in Chipping Cheddar, living with my evil family, with a new job and all my old baggage.
Oh, and there’s a dead body, which was definitely not an accident.
So there you have it. Welcome to my world.
Chocolate Cream Pie Murder
When The Cookie Jar becomes the setting of a star-studded TV special about movies filmed in Minnesota, Hannah hopes to shine the spotlight on her bakery—not the unsavory scandal swirling around her personal life. But that’s practically impossible with a disturbing visit from the shifty character she once believed was her one and only love, a group of bodyguards following her every move, and a murder victim in her bedroom.
Now, swapping the crime scene in her condo for her mother Delores’s penthouse, Hannah and an old flame team up to solve a case that’s messier than an upended chocolate cream pie. As suspects emerge and secrets hit close to home, Hannah must serve a hefty helping of justice to an unnamed killer prowling around Lake Eden… before someone takes a slice out of her!
Previous Engagements
Senator Morgan Maxwell’s fiancée is dead and it’s not the first time.
Boston reporter, Ali Loukas, has her sights set on advancing from radio newscaster to TV correspondent, so when the Maxwell story practically drops into her lap, she seizes the opportunity to solve the murder, scoop her competitors, and move up the broadcasting ladder.
Despite a knife wedged in her front door and opposition from the police, Ali is determined to prove that she can find the answers, solve the crime and earn the dream job–if she can stay alive to make it all happen.
A Bell in the Garden
When the owner of a new business digs up buried bones on opening day, the rumor mill in Spicetown comes alive!
Mayor Cora Mae Bingham and Police Chief Conrad Harris are faced with the Chamber of Commerce President on a rampage, the sweet biscotti-baking neighbor living a lie, the notorious town floozy being misunderstood and everyone in town speculating about who is missing.
Figuring out who the bones belong to will open up the cold cases in Spicetown and unearth all the old gossip that was never truly buried. Cora Mae and Chief Harris learn a few things about their fellow citizens along the way.
Where the Forest Meets the Stars
After the loss of her mother and her own battle with breast cancer, Joanna Teale returns to her graduate research on nesting birds in rural Illinois, determined to prove that her recent hardships have not broken her. She throws herself into her work from dusk to dawn, until her solitary routine is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious child who shows up at her cabin barefoot and covered in bruises.
The girl calls herself Ursa, and she claims to have been sent from the stars to witness five miracles. With concerns about the child’s home situation, Jo reluctantly agrees to let her stay—just until she learns more about Ursa’s past.
Blue Moon
Jack Reacher returns in a heart-racing new novel from Lee Child, creator of “today’s James Bond, a thriller hero we can’t get enough of” (Ken Follett).
In the next highly anticipated installment of Lee Child’s acclaimed suspense series, Jack Reacher comes to the aid of an elderly couple . . . and confronts his most dangerous opponents yet.
Stars, Stiffs and Stains
Cleaning the galaxy, one cruise ship at a time.
When maintenance technician Triana Moore gets temporarily transferred to a passenger liner, she doesn’t expect luxury and relaxation. Bot-minding is the same on a station or ship. But with twelve-hour workdays and five roommates in her cabin, Triana thinks she should have read the employment contract more carefully.
Days into the cruise, her boss, Les, goes missing. Triana dusts off her sleuthing skills to start snooping. Together with a retired Marine Corps dance instructor, a socially inept hospitality intern, and her favorite security agent, she must navigate more than just the solar system.
They dodge dance competition divas, reality show cameras and the occasional wealthy sociopath to search for the missing supervisor.
Peach Cobbler Poison
Murder. Mayhem. Pie.
Welcome to Sunshine Springs, the idyllic wine country town where Isabelle “Izzy” James has moved to follow her dream of opening a pie shop that serves boozy pies. Everything is going according to plan, until a customer drops dead from poison right in front of her café.
That’s not so good for business.
Izzy suddenly finds herself accused of murder, and she’s in a race against time to find the true criminal. Luckily, she has her faithful dog Sprinkles at her side to help her sniff out clues.
A Better Man
You know I love Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache, a police procedural based in Canada. Even though there is basically no description for this book… I’m bound to read it.
The new Chief Inspector Gamache novel from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Kingdom of the Blind.
Redemption
Detective Amos Decker discovers that a mistake he made as a rookie detective may have led to deadly consequences in the latest Memory Man thriller in David Baldacci’s #1 New York Timesbestselling series.
Amos Decker and his FBI partner Alex Jamison are visiting his hometown of Burlington, Ohio, when he’s approached by an unfamiliar man. But he instantly recognizes the man’s name: Meryl Hawkins. He’s the first person Decker ever arrested for murder back when he was a young detective.
Though a dozen years in prison have left Hawkins unrecognizably aged and terminally ill, one thing hasn’t changed: He maintains he never committed the murders. Could it be possible that Decker made a mistake all those years ago? As he starts digging into the old case, Decker finds a startling connection to a new crime that he may be able to prevent, if only he can put the pieces together quickly enough…
Stay With Me, Julia
Ruggedly handsome Luke Hamill—Brook Trout Resort’s grounds manager—instantly piques her interest. A former Marine and divorced father of two, Luke introduces Julia to small town living and a passionate love like she’s never known. The mountain man is the total package: tender, strong, sexy, and honorable. He could be everything Julia wants… except for his problematic and meddling ex-wife.
Julia is smart, sensible, and irresistible, and she immediately captures Luke’s heart with her playful tenderness and saucy independence. Now he can’t imagine his life without her.
As Julia’s departure nears, Luke’s mission is clear: show her their love can conquer anything life throws their way.
Dead on Doughnuts
Maddy dreams of opening her own detective agency with her best friend. Fresh off her A-levels and looking to save up funds, she and her BFF take a gap-year job serving coffee to rich tourists at an Austrian ski resort.
But when someone tampers with one of Maddy’s sweet creations to snuff out a snooty pastry chef, the offending doughnut becomes a recipe for disaster…
With her dreams of becoming a PI in serious danger, Maddy has next to no time to preserve the cafe’s reputation and clear her name. But as the suspect list rises and the trail of breadcrumbs grows stale, her future rests on bringing the killer to justice.
Above the Fold and Below the Belt
Avery Shaw has taken on her fair share of jerks.
Often, she’s considered the jerk when she takes them down … a role she gladly relishes.
Now, though, she’s taking on a whole faction of jerks.
It seems a battle of the sexes is brewing in Macomb County. A local shock jock, a man who believes women should be home tending children and keeping the house clean while men bring home the bacon, is on trial for sexually harassing his underlings.
His followers believe he’s innocent. Every female empowerment group in the state – and ultimately the nation – believes he’s guilty. That means it’s a media circus, and there’s nothing Avery likes more than a circus.
The Saint Paddy’s Promise
Sixty years ago a man made a promise to the woman he loved to meet her on Saint Patrick’s Day. They were to meet in the park on the bench where they liked to sit and watch the world go by. The couple were deeply in love and planned to marry but he never showed up at the rendezvous point.
Every Saint Patrick’s Day since then the woman has made a pilgrimage to the bench to wait for her one true love. Tess and Tilly see the woman sitting with her granddaughter on the bench and decide to stop and chat. During their conversation the granddaughter tells Tess the story of her grandmother and the man who professed his love and promised to return but never did. Tess is drawn in by her story and agrees to try to find the answers, the elderly woman has sought all her life. She enlists the help of Tony as well as the woman’s granddaughter.
Meanwhile, Bree is knee deep in wedding planning, there is a new murder in town, and Tony gets a lead on Tess’s father,
Baa’d to the Bone
Beau dreams of being a champion sheepdog just like his aunt. With the help of new livestock friends and a kind-hearted farmer, he vows to lead the herd proudly through the lush valleys of South Wales. But when one of the sheep goes missing, Beau never expected a woolly crime scene…
While his aunt warns him not to get too friendly with the flock, his connection with the sheep gets him both respect and a target on his back. As the brave pup frantically sniffs for clues, he’s got one chance to solve the mystery before the farm starts counting sheep for all the wrong reasons.
March 12, 2019
Excerpt from the Shack
If you didn’t get a chance to look at the book list under my International Women’s Day post, you should pop over there and have a read through now. And be sure to come back this Friday for a new release! If you’ve been reading the Reg Rawlins, Psychic Investigator series, you won’t want to miss A Catastrophic Theft.
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 Shack by Wm Paul Young. While I stopped to look at it because it appeared to be suspense, it is actually an exploration of the nature of God, good and evil, agency versus surrender of self, etc. The main character, Mac, is the father of a murdered child, and is summoned to the shack not to solve her case or to confront the killer, but to meet God and start the grieving and healing process. It is a book reminiscent of C.S. Lewis, with some interesting insights and suggestions.
Who wouldn’t be skeptical when a man claims to have spent an entire weekend with God, in a shack no less? And this was the shack.
William P. Young, The Shack
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Mackenzie Allen Phillips’s youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation, and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, in this midst of his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend.
Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change his life forever.
March 9, 2019
Randy’s Review of His Hands were Quiet
I have another review to post by my sweetheart. This is a review of His Hands were Quiet, book #2 in the Zachary Goldman Mysteries series, reblogged from Flamestr’s Thoughts.
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Zachary takes on a case which puts him into a shocking situation.
He meets with a broken mother, Mira Kelly, who refuses to believe that her son’s death was an accident. Quentin was special to her. Quentin was an autistic young man who wanted to be understood but never quite got his wish.
The case takes Zachary to The Summit Learning Center. Summit has a controversial education method. Zachary meets Dr. Abato, who rationalizes their methods:
Dr. Abato nodded gravely. “We have to put a stop to it, Mr. Goldman. I have to save as many of these children as I can, by whatever means I can devise. To hell with rules and regulations. Somebody has to do something for them.”
That is little comfort to Mira Kelly, who no longer has her son. Coming back to the “shock.” Zachary believes their method is barbaric. Dr. Abato explains that they are the parents last chance; they have given up hope. The parents just want their children to be able to cope in the world; they have exhausted all other options. The aversives are supposed to be strenuously monitored and are not life-threatening. The kids receive tokens if they do as they are supposed to, which they can spend on rewards.
“This is our store,” Abato pointed out a glass-fronted retail store where Zachary saw girl’s frilly dresses, handbags, snacks, magazines, and other sundries that a commissary or gift shop might have.
So why would any child want to leave?
Why indeed.
Zachary believes that if it seems too good to be true, it is. He himself spent a lot of time in Bonnie Brown, another residential school. Could his own experiences be clouding his judgements? How could he counter Dr. Abato’s claims? “We have an incredible success rate,” and “We have succeeded in improving the behaviour of some of the country’s most intractable students. They can learn! Even those who refuse to talk.”
What else could go wrong? Will this case help Zachary put his demons to rest, or will make things even worse?
This book will keep you on your toes! You won’t be able to put it down.
P.D. Workman, author
Writing riveting mystery, suspense, and young adult fiction about real life issues.
Randy Workman, bloggerRandy blogs about hockey, childhood memories, and books at Flamestr’s Thoughts
March 7, 2019
Books for International Women’s Day 2019
It’s that time of year again! Last year I was doing a book reading with a couple of author friends for International Women’s Day, and it was really a lot of fun. The reading that I did was from Questing for a Dream, which happens to be included in Kobo’s International Women’s Day sale this year, so I thought I would also put it on sale at some of the other stores for a few days as well. Links are below. Prices vary depending on the venue.
And keep reading to discover some other books by or about fascinating women to add to your TBR pile.
What is International Women’s Day? I’m glad you asked!
International Women’s Day (March 8) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity.
International Women’s Day (IWD) has occurred for well over a century, with the first IWD gathering in 1911 supported by over a million people in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. Prior to this the Socialist Party of America, United Kingdom’s Suffragists and Suffragettes, and further groups campaigned for women’s equality.
https://www.internationalwomensday.com
About Questing for a Dream
Nadie is a bright, caring teen growing up Manitoba Cree growing up in abject poverty. She tries to balance school attendance, caring for her younger cousin Luyu, and spending time with handsome, impish Mouse, her best friend and confidante. Together, they strive to find the path to happiness on the reservation.
But tragedy strikes and Nadie’s is devastated by Luyu’s accidental death. Unable to find comfort in Mouse’s arms or Grandfather’s traditional mourning rites, Nadie leaves the band and strikes off on her own, searching for meaning and a new life in the outside world.
Can Nadie find happiness and a place of her own in a foreign world where she is abused and discriminated against? Completely alone for the first time in her life, it is a challenge such as Nadie has never before faced.
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. Examining hard concepts such as death, rape, abuse, neglect, addiction, and wounds passed down from generation to generation, this story is full of raw emotion that will bring the reader to tears, yet unable to put the smoothly-paced story down. With true-to-life characters both good and bad, Nadie is inspirational. It isn’t because she’s perfect but rather because she is far from it and somehow manages to find the courage in the end to become someone who can help bring her tribe forward. A must-read tale for any book lover!
Sarah E. Bradley, InD’tale Magazine
AmazonKoboiBooksBarnes & NobleSmashwords
You Can Wear Purple
The commemorative color for International Women’s Day is purple, and not only do I have a new purple shirt that I am looking forward to wearing, but Questing for a Dream is already dressed in purple! (At least, the second edition is!)
More Books
I put on my thinking cap, and here are a few more books you could read for International Women’s Day reading. Books by influential women or with strong female characters. Give me your suggestions in the comments!
I am Malala
I am Malala, by Malala YousefzaiHow could I not start off with Malala? An amazing girl and woman. Great book. I was really excited to see that Malala was speaking in my city this year. Unfortunately, tickets start at $500, so I won’t be there!
Malala Yousafzai was only ten years old when the Taliban took control of her region. They said music was a crime. They said women weren’t allowed to go to the market. They said girls couldn’t go to school.
Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on October 9, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause: She was shot point-blank while riding the bus on her way home from school.
No one expected her to survive.
Now Malala is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize winner. In this Young Readers Edition of her bestselling memoir, which has been reimagined specifically for a younger audience and includes exclusive photos and material, we hear firsthand the remarkable story of a girl who knew from a young age that she wanted to change the world — and did.
Malala’s powerful story will open your eyes to another world and will make you believe in hope, truth, miracles and the possibility that one person — one young person — can inspire change in her community and beyond.
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud MontgomeryLucy Maud brought us Anne of Green Gables, Emily of New Moon, Jane of Lantern Hill, and so many other strong girls and women. And extra special to me — they are all Canadian.
When red-headed orphan Anne arrives at the Cuthberts’ home, Green Gables, she feels sure she’s found the home she has longed for. They, however, are less certain; their request to the orphanage had been for a boy.
But before long Anne’s irrepressibly optimistic, loving nature has charmed them. While her temper is unpredictable and her extravagant imagination makes her dreamily whimsical and prone to comic mishap, the Cuthberts come to love Anne as if she were their own child. Montgomery’s classic tale is a celebration of the transformative power of love and the unique qualities of a girl who has a second chance at childhood.
Parcels of Doom
Parcels of Doom, by Anne LownPostwoman, Jenny Reid, moved to Chapel End village to get away from the drama in her life, but the anonymous hiring of a private investigator to reopen an old case stirs up the past. Jenny stands by her boyfriend when village rumours suspect him of being a murderer, but can she still do so when a voodoo doll names the next victim?
Jason Kettle returns to the village after two decades away. While reliving memories of his youth, he visits his friend, Annalise’s, old home and intervenes in an emotional situation with Jenny’s ex-fiancé. Angry at being suspected of committing a crime, he needs to help Jenny clear his name.
My Life with the Chimpanzees
My Life with the Chimpanzees, by Jane GoodallI have to tell you, I was obsessed with Jane Goodall when I was a teenager and read everything by her that I could get my hands on about animal behavior and her life as a scientist. She revolutionized animal behavioral studies and is still one of my heroes.
From the time she was a girl, Jane Goodall dreamed of a life spent working with animals. Finally she had her wish.
When she was twenty-six years old, she ventured into the forests of Africa to observe chimpanzees in the wild. On her expeditions she braved the dangers with leopards and lions in the African bush. And she got to know an amazing group of wild chimpanzees — intelligent animals whose lives, in work and play and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own.
A Wrinkle in Time
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’EngleI recently watched the new movie of a Wrinkle in Time, and while I enjoyed it, nothing ever compares with reading the book. I love the women who become Meg’s guides in helping her to find her strength and her place in the universe.
It was a dark and stormy night; Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and her mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.
A tesseract (in case the reader doesn’t know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would rob the reader of the enjoyment of Miss L’Engle’s unusual book. A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the Newbery Medal in 1963, is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O’Keefe (athlete, student, and one of the most popular boys in high school). They are in search of Meg’s father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem.
“Wild nights are my glory,” the unearthly stranger told them. “I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I’ll be on my way. Speaking of ways, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract.”
Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
The Outsiders
The Outsiders, by S.E.HintonThe Outsiders is about boys, not girls, so why would I include it in my list? This classic YA novel is one of my favorites, written by Susan Eloise Hinton when she was just fifteen. She turned the publishing world on its head and her book had a huge impact in my writing career.
No one ever said life was easy. But Ponyboy is pretty sure that he’s got things figured out. He knows that he can count on his brothers, Darry and Sodapop. And he knows that he can count on his friends—true friends who would do anything for him, like Johnny and Two-Bit. But not on much else besides trouble with the Socs, a vicious gang of rich kids whose idea of a good time is beating up on “greasers” like Ponyboy. At least he knows what to expect—until the night someone takes things too far.
Sleeping Murder
Sleeping Murder, by Agatha ChristieI’m a mystery writer writing about influential women, so I don’t think I can leave out this queen of mystery, or her famous protagonist, Miss Marple. Did you know that Agatha suffered from dysgraphia and possibly dyslexia as well? She didn’t let it hold her back! Agatha Christie mysteries were the first “grown up” books that I read, and this is one of my favorites.
Soon after Gwenda moved into her new home, odd things started to happen. Despite her best efforts to modernize the house, she only succeeded in dredging up its past. Worse, she felt an irrational sense of terror every time she climbed the stairs.
In fear, Gwenda turned to Miss Marple to exorcise her ghosts. Between them, they were to solve a “perfect”; crime committed many years before.
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank, the Diary of a Young GirlIn 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building.
Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period.
By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
Y is for Yesterday
Y is for Yesterday, by Sue GraftonWe will truly miss Sue Grafton, whose Kinsey Milhoun Alphabet Series will forever end with Y.
In 1979, four teenage boys from an elite private school sexually assault a fourteen-year-old classmate–and film the attack. Not long after, the tape goes missing and the suspected thief, a fellow classmate, is murdered. In the investigation that follows, one boy turns state’s evidence and two of his peers are convicted. But the ringleader escapes without a trace.
Now it’s 1989 and one of the perpetrators, Fritz McCabe, has been released from prison. Moody, unrepentant, and angry, he is a virtual prisoner of his ever-watchful parents–until a copy of the missing tape arrives with a ransom demand. That’s when the McCabes call Kinsey Millhone for help. As she is drawn into their family drama, she keeps a watchful eye on Fritz. But he’s not the only one being haunted by the past. A vicious sociopath with a grudge against Millhone may be leaving traces of himself for her to find…
The Zookeeper’s Wife
The Zookeeper’s Wife, by Diane AckermanThis is actually what I’m reading at the moment. While a little slow to begin with, it is a fascinating look at life in Poland during WWII.
A true story in which the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from Nazi hands.
After their zoo was bombed, Polish zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski managed to save over three hundred people from the Nazis by hiding refugees in the empty animal cages.
With animal names for these “guests,” and human names for the animals, it’s no wonder that the zoo’s code name became “The House Under a Crazy Star.” Best-selling naturalist and acclaimed storyteller Diane Ackerman combines extensive research and an exuberant writing style to re-create this fascinating, true-life story―sharing Antonina’s life as “the zookeeper’s wife,” while examining the disturbing obsessions at the core of Nazism.
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper LeeAn amazing woman writing about an amazing girl in a difficult time in American history. It was sad to see Harper Lee fail in health and pass away, but she left an amazing legacy.
One of the most cherished stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.
Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee ShetterleyI admit I haven’t read this one yet, but have only seen the movie. And it is an awesome movie. I will get to the book sooner or later!
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space.
Among these problem-solvers were a group of exceptionally talented African American women, some of the brightest minds of their generation. Originally relegated to teaching math in the South’s segregated public schools, they were called into service during the labor shortages of World War II, when America’s aeronautics industry was in dire need of anyone who had the right stuff. Suddenly, these overlooked math whizzes had a shot at jobs worthy of their skills, and they answered Uncle Sam’s call, moving to Hampton, Virginia and the fascinating, high-energy world of the Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory.
Even as Virginia’s Jim Crow laws required them to be segregated from their white counterparts, the women of Langley’s all-black “West Computing” group helped America achieve one of the things it desired most: a decisive victory over the Soviet Union in the Cold War, and complete domination of the heavens.
Little Women
Last but not least, one more beloved classic tells the tale of four young women all looking to find their own place in the world.
A heart-warming tale of love, sisterhood and hardship during the New England Civil War, Little Women tells the story of the lovable March family. Meg, Beth, Jo and Amy try to support their mother at home while their father is away at war and enter into various scrapes and adventures as they do so. Alcott beautifully interweaves bad times and good as her characters struggle with the trials and tribulations of growing up and their relationships with one another.
Wouldn’t it be fun if all the castles in the air which we make could come true and we could live in them?
Fool’s Gold
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When a rookie geologist discovers a clue to a lost Inca treasure, her first job gets a lot more thrilling.
It’s 1987. Geologist Sam Harris is a woman in a man’s world – overlooked and underpaid, but resilient and passionate. Desperate for her first job, she accepts a contract with a dodgy entrepreneur exploring for gold in the remote rainforests of Sierramar.
When she uncovers a clue to a treasure buried deep within the jungle, she is sent on an expedition to find it, but one of her colleagues is plotting to seize the hoard and will kill to get his hands on it.
Will Sam find the treasure or will her first adventure be her last?
If you like gutsy heroines, complex twists and turns, and exotic locations, you’ll love PJ Skinner’s thrilling novel.
March 5, 2019
Excerpt from Deep Freeze
I hope you had a chance to get a copy of A Psychic with Catitude and some other books last weekend!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme. Read the rules and more teasers at The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along.
Last week I read Deep Freeze, by John Sandford. This is part of the Virgil Flowers series, which I’ve read at least one book from before. John Sandford writes complex mysteries with plenty of twists and turns and misdirection. Virgil Flowers is a relatable detective, smart, and always a good read.
He reeled in the lure carefully until the ducktail hit the floating fabric. He set the hook and towed the thing over to his show. There was weight to it. A lot of weight.
John Sandford, Deep Freeze
The closer it got, the more it looked like a body.
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Virgil knows the town of Trippton, Minnesota, a little too well. A few years back, he investigated the corrupt—and as it turned out, homicidal—local school board, and now the town’s back in view with more alarming news: A woman’s been found dead, frozen in a block of ice. There’s a possibility that it might be connected to a high school class of twenty years ago that has a mid-winter reunion coming up, and so, wrapping his coat a little tighter, Virgil begins to dig into twenty years’ worth of traumas, feuds, and bad blood.
In the process, one thing becomes increasingly clear to him. It’s true what they say: High school is murder.
March 2, 2019
Vegan Baked Alaska
Vegan Baked Alaska
Coming Soon!
Series: Auntie Clem's Bakery #9
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Store links: Amazon
Goodreads
“At least you won’t be stumbling over any bodies on an Alaskan cruise.”
Mary Lou couldn’t have been more wrong. Of course Erin Price, gluten-free baker extraordinaire, would stumble over a body on the cruise she had won as the runner-up winner in the baking category at the Fall Fair. The trouble is, no one will believe her.
Even Terry Piper, dubbed Officer Handsome by Vic, has his doubts about what Erin claims to have seen.
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.
Coming Soon!
Buy Kindle or ePub via PayPal
$4.99
+ Praise for Auntie Clem's Bakery Series
—This lady knows how to write!! I read this during hurricane Irma on my Kindle so I didn’t care the power was out!
—It was very good! But made me hungry!
—Oh my goodness I loved it! The murder mystery was so awesome… I couldn’t put this book down. Props to you again for another amazing read!
—I really enjoyed this book … Would make a great Hallmark movie.
—This very enjoyable story with uncomplicated characters and a sweet and easy storyline was well done.
+ Book Club Resources
Gluten-Free Pinterest Board
Disease and Disorder Pinterest Board
Food families reference
+ Praise for P.D. Workman
“Every single one of [P.D. Workman’s] books has spoken to me in ways no one or almost anything else has. And I have found strength in the books I’ve read.”
“The way that P.D. Workman writes just flows amazingly and allows the reader to get really invested in a book.”
“This is one author I certainly will be looking out for, I can’t recommend her enough.”
+ Vegan Baked Alaska on my Blog
Apple-achian Treasure
Apple-achian Treasure by P. D. Workman Coming Soon!
Series: Auntie Clem's Bakery #8
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Store links: Amazon
Goodreads
Erin is on the hunt for a long-hidden golden 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?
Coming Soon!
Buy Kindle or ePub via PayPal
$4.99
+ Praise for Auntie Clem's Bakery Series
—This lady knows how to write!! I read this during hurricane Irma on my Kindle so I didn’t care the power was out!
—It was very good! But made me hungry!
—Oh my goodness I loved it! The murder mystery was so awesome… I couldn’t put this book down. Props to you again for another amazing read!
—I really enjoyed this book … Would make a great Hallmark movie.
—This very enjoyable story with uncomplicated characters and a sweet and easy storyline was well done.
+ Book Club Resources
Gluten-Free Pinterest Board
Disease and Disorder Pinterest Board
Food families reference
+ Praise for P.D. Workman
“Every single one of [P.D. Workman’s] books has spoken to me in ways no one or almost anything else has. And I have found strength in the books I’ve read.”
“The way that P.D. Workman writes just flows amazingly and allows the reader to get really invested in a book.”
“This is one author I certainly will be looking out for, I can’t recommend her enough.”
+ Apple-achian Treasure on my Blog
About P. D. Workman
P.D. Workman was born and raised in Alberta, Canada. She writes riveting young adult and mystery/suspense books dealing with mental illness, addiction, abuse, and other social issues. For as long as she can remember, the blank page has held an incredible allure, leading her to write her first complete novel at the age of twelve. She has won several literary awards from Library Services for Youth in Custody for her young adult fiction. She currently has over 30 published titles. She has been married for 25 years and has one son.
