Like many families, we are getting in the middle of our holiday season. Half the presents have been wraps. The Christmas cards have been ordered (though not sent). The children are diligently counting down until Santa arrives. Many holiday crafts have been made. All that's missing is the snow.
That's right. The last time I sent you a newsletter, it was getting ready to snow. The occasional flurry here and there. Well, in the past two weeks, we have had one snowfall. A light dusting that didn't even affect the roads. Sure, the kids went sledding and made snow angels in the morning, but after five minutes, they had used up all the snow and they are eager for more.
I am as well. There is just something about curling up with a hot drink in my hand while watching the snow falling outside the window. It makes me want to curl up with a good book. Or read one.
The past few weeks, I have been doing a lot of reading. I started with some fun books, but then switched to my own projects. I have been rereading Hartfield Chronicles, hoping to get inspired to draft book nine while I finish preparing book one for publication. During the last week of December, I plan on rereading Mooncrossed, hoping to get inspired to draft its spinoff series this winter. I have been reading many cozy mysteries, hoping to be inspired to continue working on my standalone project.
The next few weeks promise to be busy. Christmas, New Years, and lots of family time in between. But, I'm hoping to have many new projects in the new year.
What about you? How are you spending the last week of December?
Hartfield Chronicles
Melinda and Pat are both happy to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. But when rumors of Pat and another girl appear in the celebrity gossip columns, his relationship with Melinda is tested.
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you've missed
Episode 63: Melinda confronts Pat about the Poppy rumors
Episode 64: Melinda spends the day at her friends' mansion
Reviews from Ashleigh's Bookshelf
For Young Adult readers
Let It Snow
John Green, Maureen Johnson, & Lauren Myracle
This book is a compilation of three intertwined novellas. Though they do all work well together, they can also each be read individually.
Story #1: The Jubilee Express It's Christmas Eve and sixteen-year-old Jubilee is looking forward to celebrating her one-year anniversary with Noah. Unfortunately, when her parents get arrested, she is sent to spend the holiday with her grandparents instead. What starts as an irritating inconvenience turns into a major problem when the worst storm in fifty years hits. Determined not to let fourteen rowdy cheerleaders ruin her holiday, Jubilee sets off to make the best of the worst holiday of her life.
Story #2: A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle When Tobin and his friends learn that Waffle house has been invaded by fourteen cheerleaders, they decide to brave the worst storm in fifty years to be the first to bring the girls a game of Twister. What ensues is a hilarious set of mishaps as they try to beat the two other teams braving the storm.
Story #3: The Patron Saint of Pigs Addie screwed up. She had a fantastic boyfriend and threw away her relationship with a drunken kiss with the sketchiest kid in school. Instead of spending Christmas with her boyfriend, she's now moping in her room. But when her friend suggests that maybe she's a little too self-absorbed, Addie sets out to prove her wrong, and maybe find a little happiness in the process.
For children
To Ride a Unicorn
Vanessa Westgate
A delightful step-by-step guide to catching a wild unicorn.
Free Books
In the Shadow of the Cities
For fans of The Hunger Games, get the guard's perspective
Scarlett would never kill her best friend, no matter what the strange individual predicts.
Scarlett would never kill her best friend, perhaps a Citizen if the situation called for it, but never Rhys. There are quite a few rules in the training center, but a few are the kind that are never broken.
1. Greens are not sent into Cities without officially being promoted to Blue.
2. Blues don’t kill each other.
So why is Scarlett being sent into a City without the proper training? And why does a bizarre, elderly male say Scarlett will kill Rhys? In the Shadow of the Cities details Scarlett’s life in the training center before she is pulled unexpectedly into City life. Without the proper training, she is confused about these things called “families” and why the Citizens aren’t grateful that she is keeping them safe.
In this dystopian novel, In the Shadow of the Cities, the story is told not from a Citizen’s point of view but from a Guard’s. Why do the guards seem to tirelessly obey the government? How can they gun down Citizens mercilessly? Find out as you follow Scarlett on her journey into the Cities.
Corfu Capers
Sublime Retreats Romance Series
Five people, three secrets, a luxury holiday in Corfu. What can possibly go wrong?
For divorcée Kate Delaney, it’s time to show the world that she can get along just fine without a man.
Embracing her son’s desire to propose to his girlfriend with her usual overzealous planning, she organizes a vacation to Corfu and plots the ‘big moment’.
But when her plans start to fall apart, she is thrown together with the dashing Pericles and is surprised to find herself relaxing into the Greek way of life.
Can this holiday really be about to change her future, and offer her a second chance of love?
Attics
A Suspense Short Story
Who is that hiding in the attic?
A patient goes missing from the St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center. A psychiatrist and his wife are murdered. Detective Michael Ray must solve the murder and find the escaped patient, while battling demons of his own housed inside the facility.
Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!
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Complex Solutions
A young adult coming of age thriller
Math is easy for Lexi, but complex emotions are difficult, and A.P. Calculus won’t help her overcome guilt, fear, or self-destructive behavior.
Sixteen-year old Lexi Thompson believes she should’ve died in the car accident that took her parents. Now she slices her guilt into her skin, aggravating an already dangerous cutting habit. When Lexi is contacted about her parents’ lost proof of a famous math theorem, her guilt over her parents’ deaths intensifies. Math was her parents’ passion as well as her own.
Lexi enlists her friend and fellow math whiz, Joe, to help find the proof. As their relationship deepens, Lexi struggles to keep her self-harm secret. Further, she realizes she’s not the only one interested in her parents’ proof. A mysterious man hangs around her family’s vacant home and lurks in the woods where she runs with her dog. The stalker's presence exacerbates her anxiety, along with the frequency and severity of her cutting. The more she tries to conceal her self-harm, the more she pulls away from Joe and from finding the proof.
If she can’t let go of her fear and open up to Joe, she may lose him as well as the proof to a man who’s intent on stealing her parents’ legacy.
2nd Chance Ranch
Wounded Warrior, Chance Gordon, had abandoned the woman he loves for her sake and devotes himself to armed service. Dory Farmer rejects a life of luxury and her father’s wishes in order to keep her son. She dedicates herself to improving lives of injured soldiers. Worlds collide. Chance's future depends on Dory.
The Princess of Escondida
The Treasure of Escondida Book 5
Escondida’s elite all-female spy team is ready to take down El Orden and secure the Treasure of Escondida, but first Princess Liliana must attend to her royal duties.
Liliana (Lily), Princess of Escondida and secretly trained spy, is tasked with meeting the Crown Prince of Creador in the hopes their families can form an alliance. Having been on many of these dates in the past, Lily relies on her training as a spy to get her through the evening but finds herself pleasantly surprised with the prince.
Lucas, Crown Prince of Creador, is nervous and excited about going on a date with Princess Liliana. Having pushed off pursuing her many times, he is now ready to do what his father has been urging for years after briefly meeting her last year at an official royal function. During their date he finds himself smitten and hopes that they can continue to get to know each other.
Is this a match made in heaven or does Lucas know more about the plot against Escondida then he is letting on? Join the team in this final showdown against El Orden and find out who the mastermind really is. Grab your copy today for one last thrilling adventure full of espionage, romance, and suspense.
I can't believe it is already December. Where has this year gone?
Like many families, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of our holiday season. Last weekend, we put up the Christmas lights and decorated our Christmas tree. This weekend, we hope to finish raking leaves so we can prepare for the upcoming snow. (We've already had some flurries!)
We have so many holiday traditions, it's difficult to list them all. We have several drive-through light displays we enjoy, as well as a local amusement park that has a walk-through display. There's also those neighborhood houses we just have to drive by each year because of their fantastic displays.
And then there's the food. Apple pies. Pumpkin pies. Chocolate ginger snaps. This year, I plan on trying a few new recipes. If they work, maybe I'll feature them in one of my books.
Speaking of books, I want to tell you about this year's NaNo experience. I had a fantastic time getting better acquainted with my main character, but I have to admit writing was a struggle. Illness in the middle of the month kept me from writing for nearly two weeks. After Thanskgiving, I was so far behind on my goal, I had little hope of reaching that 50,000 word goal.
But, I persevered. I spent those last three days focusing on my writing, reaching some new personal words per minute records. Drafting nearly 18K on November 30th, I managed to hit 50,000 words at 11:58 pm.
As you can probably tell, I am very excited about this progress. In addition to reaching the 50K mark, I also finished the draft. However, I am not very pleased with it. My plan is to let it sit for a while before polishing it.
That gives me a chance to work on so many other new projects. Like what? Well, I'm hoping to publish two young adult books at the beginning of the year, including the first season of Hartfield Chronicles. I'm still drafting a cozy mystery. And for my romance readers? I'm not sure. I have so many projects, I'm not sure which will come next.
Hartfield Chronicles
Melinda and Pat are both happy to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. But when rumors of Pat and another girl appear in the celebrity gossip columns, his relationship with Melinda is tested.
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you've missed
Episode 61: Melinda's night of Christmas caroling is tainted by a rumor about Pat and another girl.
Episode 62: Melinda and Pat have an awkward conversation with their mothers
Reviews from Ashleigh's Bookshelf
For Young Adult readers
The Amateurs
Sara Shepard
One minute, Helena Kelly is celebrating the first snowfall of the year with her younger sister, Aerin. The next minute, she has completely disappeared from their sleepy little Connecticut town. Still searching for answers five years later, Aerin seeks assistance from a cold-case message board. Enter Seneca, a college freshman who has been following the Kelly case religiously from the beginning. When her friend Maddie invites her to spend spring break investigating the case, how can Seneca refuse? But, someone seems determined to keep this case cold.
For adult readers
Odyssey: The Reboot
Keith Tokash
According to Homer's cousin, the original Odyssey was severely over embellished and this is the real story about the ancient king of Ithaca.
Free Books
Reprise
A sweet young adult romance short story
Can their tragic love song be rewritten?
Erika isn't ready to see Zach again. He'd abandoned their friendship years ago for his rock star career. Now he is coming home after that career ended in scandal. Now he'd be her next door neighbor again. But things could never be the same between them.
Zach is ready to see Erika. Ashamed of the way he'd neglected her, he's back to make amends. And to prove she's always meant more to him than just a friend.
The Homecoming
A Small Town Clean Sweet Romance
Is this the price she is willing to pay for anonymity? Is there anything her parents and Seb can do to make her change her mind?
Small town life.
Where everyone knows your business, chatter spreads like wildfire, and the upper class looks down on all others less fortunate than they are.
This was what Penny left years ago. Graduating from high school and escaping to the city, she had walked away from all that.
However, much to her dismay, she was back. And some things never change.
A chance meeting late at night brings back memories and feelings for the boy she once pined for. Once bitten, twice shy, Penny has reservations around Seb’s intentions now, after all these years.
While she starts to let her guard down and believe in him once again, a wealthy socialite, who hasn’t changed much since school, brings forth some malicious knowledge back from the past. Something that Penny didn’t know that hurts her greatly.
She should have known better than to move back; she should have known that nothing ever changes; she knew better than to trust him and let him back into her life.
Penny finds a job elsewhere and leaves town. Her parents are devastated; they were apart far too long. Besides, she had just received a promotion, and the career she was moving for was not as promising as she thought.
Forgotten Homeland
A Lorne Turner Mystery Novella
The Whispering of Exmoor's Dead
Lorne Turner, a broken soldier, arrives home for the first time in twenty years to an empty, lonely farmhouse on Exmoor.
The coming days reveal the despair of a farm drowning in debt.
The coming nights reveal something far worse.
Lorne doesn’t know if the noises, the crack, crack, crack, are the wind ravaging the moor, memories savaging his mind or the ghosts tearing the veil, begging for help.
Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!
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A Merry Bookish Christmas
The Life of Avery Bloom
Avery Bloom, a brainy seventh-grader from a boring town filled with people she wants to cheer up, gets an idea with the help of a friend, finds a secret journal along the way, and winds up inspiring others to go after what seems impossible.
Secret Santa
A Limited Edition Christmas Romance Collection
Meet me under the mistletoe...
In this limited edition Christmas romance collection love blooms underneath the mistletoe as secret admirers finally confess their love and secret santas make holiday wishes of the heart come true. Get into the Christmas spirit by diving into these stories where anything can happen through the magic of Christmas—and love. Authors in this collection are:
USA Today Bestselling Authors Mandy Melanson & Elle Ryan, International Bestselling Authors Crimson Syn & Nikki Landis, Award Winning Author Merrie Destefano,
Stacey Wallace, Ivy Hunt, Sofia Aves, Angela Scavone, Caitlyn Coakley, MaryAnn Clarke, Amber Ghe, Katherine Moore, Marianne Petit, Jeanine Lauren, Ainsley Jaymes, Diane Kessner, J. Shanee Byers, Kyrii Rayne, Arietta Richmond, Dawn Luedecke, Beth Fred, Amy Stephens, Maci Dillon, Di Jones, Lisa Wood, Jennifer Bonds, Lesley Ann, Margaret Madigan, Lissa Lynn Thomas, Aubrey Wynne, K.L. Humphreys, Chelsea McDonald, Sunny Abernathy, A.M. Daniels, Emmanuelle Snow, Tienna Wilde, Katy Rose, Rachel A Smith, Adina D. Grey, Mia Kingsley, Irene Micheals, Zoey Drake, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Colleen Key, Leann Castellanos, A.L. Morrow, C.N. Marie, Lizzie James, Nova Edwins, J.A. Roles, Jennifer M. Miller, Amy C. Beckinsale, Gabbi Grey, Danika Bloom, Thea Dane, Nikki Kimberly, R.J. Murray, Lark Anderson, Jo Bradley, Zelda Knight, Mira Kane, Rayne Elizabeth, Naomi Panthera, Valkyrie Luna, Stormy Winds, Sara Cunningham, Susan Horsnell, Danika Bloom, and Zaria Knight
The Princess of Escondida
The Treasure of Escondida Book 5
Escondida’s elite all-female spy team is ready to take down El Orden and secure the Treasure of Escondida, but first Princess Liliana must attend to her royal duties.
Liliana (Lily), Princess of Escondida and secretly trained spy, is tasked with meeting the Crown Prince of Creador in the hopes their families can form an alliance. Having been on many of these dates in the past, Lily relies on her training as a spy to get her through the evening but finds herself pleasantly surprised with the prince.
Lucas, Crown Prince of Creador, is nervous and excited about going on a date with Princess Liliana. Having pushed off pursuing her many times, he is now ready to do what his father has been urging for years after briefly meeting her last year at an official royal function. During their date he finds himself smitten and hopes that they can continue to get to know each other.
Is this a match made in heaven or does Lucas know more about the plot against Escondida then he is letting on? Join the team in this final showdown against El Orden and find out who the mastermind really is. Grab your copy today for one last thrilling adventure full of espionage, romance, and suspense.
Thanksgiving has always been a very special time for me, filled with many traditions. When I was young, my brother and I would watch the Macy's parade in awe, marveling at the floats and admiring the dancers. My favorite was always the Rockettes, as I dreamed of becoming one some day. After the parade, we would get dressed in our fancy clothes and go to my grandparents' house for our traditional seven-course meal. I was sixteen years old before I realized that not everyone celebrated the holiday with as much food as my family.
Since my holiday tradition was so important to me, I decided to include it in Hartfield Chronicles. You can read more about it in Episode 59.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of One Night In Sedona. As you may know, I wrote this novella as part Inkfort Press's inaugural publishing derby. After being assigned the cover, I had 10 weeks to write, beta, edit, and publish the book. It was my first venture into the cozy mystery genre and I fell in love.
In my last newsletter, I promised that I would tell you more about this year's NaNo project. After the success of One Night In Sedona, my cozy mystery novella, I decided to try a cozy mystery series. Thanks to some reader input, I found a unique main character that they determined was lacking in the genre. I also discovered a setting that has been underutilized, as I have yet to find it used for a cozy series.
Although I loved the first story in my book, I didn't feel I had a great relationship with my main character. I knew I would need to write a second book to really get to know her. So, I decided to dedicate this month to learning about my main character. And, I must say, in writing this second book, I feel I understand her a little better. Here is what I've learned.
Emma is in her late-twenties and the director of marketing and public relations at the place where these murders keep happening. She is addicted to lattes, though she will settle for coffee or diet soda if necessary. In her free time, she enjoys playing basketball and is a decent artist, although she is better at animation than realism.
However, despite becoming better acquainted with my main character, I could still use some help. I love nicknames, but I haven't found Emma's yet. I especially want one for her boyfriend. She calls him Sherlock, but he doesn't know what to call her. Her best friends usually just call her "Em" or "Emma", though she and her bff will call each other "Sweetie". (I'm open to suggestions on that one, too.)
So, I'm asking for some input. Feel free to email me or leave comments on my blog. Do you have any suggestions on some cute nicknames for my main character?
You can still monitor my NaNo progress on my website. I try to update the information daily. Good luck to everyone else who is participating. We're in the home stretch. We can do it!
Hartfield Chronicles
Melinda and Pat are both happy to celebrate Thanksgiving with their families. But when rumors of Pat and another girl appear in the celebrity gossip columns, his relationship with Melinda is tested.
Hartfield Chronicles follows the lives of Melinda, Pat, and their friends as they navigate their way through boarding school life. Each episode features two stories, one from Melinda's point of view and one from Pat's, along with an excerpt from Melinda's writing journal. New episodes are published every Friday.
Here's what you've missed
Episode 59: Celebrate Thanksgiving with Melinda and Pat and their families
Episode 60: Melinda babysits her neighbors
Reviews from Ashleigh's Bookshelf
For Young Adult readers
Dahlia's Backstage Pass
Ethan Cobalt
Dahlia has her entire life planned. In a few weeks, she and her on-again/off-again boyfriend will go to college. She will become a nurse, he a doctor. Together, they'll volunteer for Doctors Without Borders and see the world. Most importantly, she'll be able to leave the trailer park she calls home. But when an old friend calls out of the blue, Dahlia realizes she can't turn down his offer to work with his band. Suddenly, her world is turned upside-down and she must question everything from her career goals to her relationship.
For Mystery readers
Murder at the Abbey
Frances Evesham
When human bones are discovered in the river, Libby and the rest of the historical society are excited to learn they most likely belonged to a 16th century monk from the nearby abbey. They organize on overnight ghost hunt, which results in the attack of a friend. Now, Libby and Max must try to identify the culprit before someone else is injured.
Free Books
Saving Vengeance
An exciting & romantic Forest Tales series prequel
He wants to save her life, but she wants revenge at any cost.
Forced to choose between loyalty to the king and what is right, Gavin spares an innocent woman’s life, only to discover that saving her won’t be as easy as he thought.
All Laurel wants is revenge on the man who murdered her sister, even if that means sacrificing herself in the process. When a masquerade ball provides the perfect opportunity for her plan, will she succeed?
Or will the price of vengeance be too high?
Fleeing with Lust
Seductive, Surprises!
Work Drinks! What's there to worry about?
Victoria is stuck at another work party when she comes across Isabel. Isabel steals her heart with a smile. Victoria can’t help but kiss her back when Isabel plants one on her, even though she has a husband. But before the kiss can move any further the two pull apart, Victoria immediately panics before Isabel convinces her it’s all okay. Influenced by Isabel’s smile, Victoria says yet to meet Melech, her husband. A drink and a drugging later, the three of them land in bed together. Victoria can no longer control her desires for Isabel, due to the Molly. The night quickly goes south. The next morning, frantic to satiate her desires for Victoria, Isabel gets into bed with Melech but is thankfully interrupted by Victoria. Melech is torn away from the two by work and Victoria takes the opportunity to tell Isabel the truth about her husband. Within minutes the two women decide to do anything and everything to get away from Melech. But will he catch up to them in their lust filled love?
Vanished
How far would you go to save a life?
An Undercover Detective Saves Others
But She Needs to be Saved too
Homicide detective Ava Locke is good at what she does. But more importantly, she’s committed. An insomniac with a dark, yet blurry past, she works tirelessly to make the world a little bit better. But little does she know that everything is about to change.
When Ava’s Chief calls upon her and her partner Carl to take on an urgent case, Ava must go undercover to try and solve it. But she soon finds that there is more to the case than she had ever thought, and it begins to bring up some harrowing memories she was happier to forget...
As a dangerous and unstable man kidnaps girls from all over the city, Ava and Carl are in a race against time, not only to save the lives of the missing girls, but of Ava herself.
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The Genie's Gift
A Fantasy Adventure for ages 9+
The Genie’s Gift is a lighthearted action novel set in the Middle East of the 15th century. It draws on the fantastic creatures and culture of The Arabian Nights.
Thirteen-year-old Anise, shy and timid, dreads marrying the man her father chooses for her. Her aunt tells her about the Genie Shakayak, the giver of the Gift of Sweet Speech. He lives high atop Mount Quaf, many weeks’ journey across a barren desert. The way is barred by a dozen dangers and trials. But those few who cross the desert and defeat the guardians of the mountain receive their reward. From that day forward, their words drip like honey from their lips, charming all who hear them, and no one can deny them anything they ask.
Anise is determined to find the genie and ask for the gift, so she can control her own future. But the way is barred by a series of challenges, both ordinary and magical. Anise can’t even speak in front of strangers. How will she get past a deadly ghoul, a sorceress who turns people to stone, and mysterious sea monsters? Will she ever reach the top of Mount Quaf—and if she does, can she convince the Genie to give her the gift?
Where Weavers Daire
Stuk on the Hollow Book 1
Ten years after the last war, Melinda Scott discovers something in deep space and is dragged back into a world her family was banished from. Now with Necromancers to her left, Liches to her right and humanity in the middle it’s up to her to figure out why someone is trying to kill her. Where Weavers Daire is the first book in a new rip-roaring space opera series in the same vein as Babylon 5, Firefly, Farscape and Star Wars!
Creeper in the Sleeper
A Paranormal Women's Fiction Cozy Mystery
Who wants to play hide and shriek?
Lindsey finally convinces her best friend to go glamping, but their getaway sours when they find (then lose) a dead body on the first day of their trip!
Though her clairvoyant powers arouse suspicion, a nosy park ranger is the least of Lindsey's problems. As bodies keep dropping - and disappearing - she faces an impossible challenge. How do you stop a killer who's already dead?
