From the Desk of Ashleigh Stevens: Welcome December

Ashleigh's YA Reads Ashleigh's Romance Reads Ashleigh's Whodunits
This week's newsletter contains the following features:
(Feel free to skip ahead to what you want to read)

What's new with Ashleigh?

Hartfield Chronicles

Reviews from Ashleigh's Bookshelf

Free Books

Other Books on Sale

Join My Newsletters

What's new with Ashleigh?

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!

Other Books on Sale

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.