From the Desk of Ashleigh Stevens: Calling all Beta Readers!

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

Free Books

Other Books on Sale

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What's new with Ashleigh?

As you know, I have been working hard to prepare two books for publication. Both have been thoroughly edited and are ready to be published. However, before I click that button, I would like another round of beta readers.

My young adult story is the second book in the Hartfield Chronicles series, but it can be read even if you aren't familiar with the first book. This romance is a dual POV, with the same story told from two different perspectives. Either narrative can be read first and, like Adjusting to a New Life, the paperback will be printed in a tête-bêche format. As a thank you, all beta readers will receive a copy of the book upon publication.

Here's the blurb:

When his movie finally finishes filming, Pat can't wait to return to Hartfield to spend time with his brother. But Walter would rather pretend they're complete strangers. At least his friend doesn't seem to mind him hanging around.

Melinda has just about figured out how to balance her schoolwork with her new dance class and friends. She's even found a way to spend some time with her boyfriend, Eliot. Life should be perfect, right?

Except for the fact that Eliot doesn't like that Melinda's best friend is a boy. Or that Melinda happens to be friends with a famous actor.

And just when Melinda thinks her life can't get any more complicated, an unexpected kiss forces her to reexamine they way she thinks about one of her friends.

To read the first chapter and sign up, click here.

My second book is a cozy mystery with a mild (but sweet) romantic subplot. Although it is a single narration, each chapter ends with a brief excerpt from the novel one of the characters is writing. Again, as a thank you, all beta readers will receive a copy of the book upon publication.

Here's the blurb:

She wanted to discover how her friend died. Falling for the grieving brother was never part of the plan.

Penpals since the age of eleven, Katie and Lisa have been best friends for more than half their lives. When Katie learns Lisa has died, she drops everything to visit Lisa's hometown and pay her respects.

When a mysterious stranger turns out to be Lisa's grieving brother, Katie can't help herself. She offers to help Jeff go through Lisa's things and prepare their childhood home for sale.

But when she stumbles upon Lisa's unfinished novel, Katie begins to suspect Lisa's death may not have been an accident. The more she reads, the more convinced she becomes. Not only was Lisa's death not an accident, but she knew her killer. Now it's up to Katie to follow the trail before she becomes the next victim.

To read the first chapter and sign up, click here.

Hartfield Chronicles

Season 4 of Hartfield Chronicles has arrived!

When Melinda is invited to join a new dance class, she sees this as her big break, a chance to advance her skills. Before she can accept, however, another kind of break stops her in her tracks.

Pat wants to be the supportive boyfriend, but his efforts seem to be making Melinda uncomfortable. He can’t go to his own friends for advice, because they can’t understand.

After Melinda calls for another type of break, she and Pat must examine their relationship to determine whether they are meant for each other.

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 missed:
(Click on the chalkboard to read)

Episode 101:		Episode 102:
Melinda and Pat have a heart-to-heart		When a potential new student shadows Melinda, Walter gets a crush and Pat gets an idea

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As a thank you, you will receive access to bonus chapters from the Hartfield Chronicles.

Want early access?

Members of the Hammerhead club receive episodes one month early.
Check out the website for more information.

Free Books

Rook to A5
A Young Adult short story

How far would you go to prove someone wrong?

In a private school where even the teachers are bullies, two brothers on scholarship must prove they belong. When Nate spots an advertisement for a local chess tournament, he sees his chance to prove Cerebral Palsy may affect his body, but it doesn’t impact his mind. His math-geek older brother, Steve, would do anything to give Nate the opportunity to compete, but when their bet with a bully puts Steve in jeopardy, Nate must decide what price he’s willing to pay for the respect of his peers.

Rainy Days
A story of love, redemption, second chance, family, and self-discovery

Liam returns to his home town after his two-year absence, he’s determined to try to make amends for the terrible mistakes he made. But is it too late to put things right?

Tormented rock star Liam O’Reilly left Dublin and found success, hoping to build a new life, free from the demons of his past. Now it seems he’s got everything he ever wanted, why isn’t he happy? Is it because he’s realised that the most important thing in his life is the promise that he never kept?

Sensitive and damaged Rain O’Donovan lives with her brother and his friends in a tiny seaside town north of Dublin. Once a popular and lively schoolteacher, a car accident has wrecked her life, so that her only pleasure is walking in the rain. Her world revolves around mundane tasks, devoid of hope for the future. The amnesia around the time of the accident that changed everything means that her struggle with life is day-to-day torture, and, more than anything else, she longs for answers.

When Liam returns to his home town after his two-year absence, he’s determined to try to make amends for the terrible mistakes he made. But is it too late to put things right?

The Design Disaster
A Temp Job Cozy Mystery Prequel

A simple meeting to look at cabinet samples turns into a race to save her client’s life.

Scarlett Chase loves her job as an interior designer. She’s doing well and moving up in the company. But is someone trying to sabotage her? Some unfortunate events at the office make her wonder.

She’ll have to worry about that later, though, because she has an appointment with an important client. When the woman is a no-show and mysterious clues make Scarlett suspect foul play, she can’t help but break a few rules to discover what happened.

When a missing Yorkshire Terrier, some broken windows, and Scarlett’s dead-beat brother are thrown into the mix, it’s the perfect design for disaster.

Scoundrels are causing mischief at both the office and at the client’s house. Scarlett is the only one who has a chance of saving her client as well as her own career.

Find out if she can pull it all off in this fun prequel novella to The Temp Jobs Cozy Mystery Series.

Would you like some free books in exchange for an honest review?

Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!

Do you have Kindle Unlimited? These books are free for you!

Other Books on Sale

Soul of Eli

Choosing a future is never easy.

Eli Sterling is the star pitcher on his high school baseball team. He has a bright future in the majors but recently, something has changed.

He’s angry, moody, and scared.

It seems that no matter how hard he works, he always falls short in someone’s eyes.

Except for Izzy. She is his best friend and the only one who understands.

As he begins to question everything about who he is and what he truly wants for his future, the only place he finds peace is in the treehouse that sits between his house and Izzy’s.

Both a blessing and a curse, their bond keeps him together, even as he slowly spirals out of control and realizes that not all is what it seems, and learns that it’s okay to reach for the dream.

Aliens on Earth
a Limited Edition Science Fiction Romance Collection

What's worse than being mated to an alien warrior? Finding out your new mate is exiled to Earth, which means your hopes of getting off this forsaken rock just went out the window of his broken down spaceship.

Welcome to book 3 in the bestselling series The Secret Crusaders from the talented Melanie Rose Clarke!

In this limited edition collection of romances you'll find heroes and heroines thrown into heart-pounding adventures as they help their alien mates escape condemnation to exile on Earth, while others settle into a comfortable almost-human existence.

Out of this world romance can be found here on Earth with this limited edition collection of alien romances brought to you by a diverse group of USA Today bestselling authors along side some new and notable voices in the genre. Explore a whole new world of intergalactic intrigue featuring stories from the following sci-fi romance authors: Mandy Melanson, Elle Ryan, Jade Waltz, Melissa Riddell, Diana Dawn, Aurora Caine & Nova Edwins, Ainsley Jaymes, Corinne M Knight, Holly Hanzo, E.J. Powell, Mariah Peace, Chloe Parker, Ami Wright, Olson & Vance, J.A. Roles, Jodie A'Lores, Calla Zae, Debra Elise, Kathleen Ryder, Alys Fraser & Sassa Daniels, Aurora Welkin, Isabeau Moon, Ashlyn Hawkes, Leann Castellanos, Aerin Ida Celestia, Deysi O’Donal, Elizabeth Austin, Tricia Schneider, Sandra R Neeley, Tori Kellett, Margo Bond Collins, Ashley Amy, Susanna Eastman, Remy Cavilich, Helena Novak, Elsie Frick, Rhylie Matthews, Elizabeth Gage, Astrid Seabright, Ambrose Cross, C.E. Lashua, Evie Burks, Leeah Taylor, Faera Fenix, Kerry Keller, AJ Mullican, Cara North, Kristen Collins, Danielle Jacks, Nyx Black, K. ROSE, Dove Priest, Raven Hush, Cassandra Joy, JC Brown, Kae Galla, K.G. Reuss, Saint Dare, Melinoe Black, Chrissie Angel, Miri Stone, K.O Newman, Mariah Thayer, Ruby Banks, Sapphire Winters, YD La Mar, Star Wing, Cedar Rose, Jenny Evans, Sienna Sway, Kassandra Cross, Aurora Hunter, MK Robert, Kerry Keller, Kira Roman, Muse Hunt, Sheri-Lynn Marean, Demelza Carlton, Stacey Jaine McIntosh, Ever Avarice, TB Mann, Delilah Rose, Mariyam Hasnain, K.N. Fray, Minette Morean, Maya Black, Maggie Bonnet, Ingrid Atwood, Avery Meadows, Faedra Rose, Zoey Indiana, Vivian Murdoch, Naomi Valkyrie, K. Rea, Marley Tobin, Lucee Joie, Minette Moreau, A.M. Proctor, Zadie Fox, and Lena Lane

This collection is chock-full of star-crossed lovers and fated mates. Meet these exiled alien warriors, princes and kings today!

Puzzle at Peacock Perch
Secret Senior Sleuths Society Cozy Mysteries Book 1

Can a group of senior amateur detectives solve the mystery and find their missing neighbor?

Willow Wisteria disappeared, but not without a trace. Now it’s up to Madame Sleuth and the members of the Secret Senior Sleuths Society of Peacock Perch to find out what happened to her. They’ve set aside their bingo and bridge games and daily tennis and pickle ball matches to investigate “The Case of the Vanishing Vixen.” They’ll use all their cunning, life experience and the knowledge from their former occupations to follow the trail of gossip and social media posts about Willow to gather clues and find suspects with means, motive and opportunity.

In this first book in the Secret Senior Sleuths Society of Peacock Perch Series, these seniors are tasked with a genuine puzzle and their original investigation of many. People think retirement communities are quiet with sleepy residents, but in fact, Peacock Perch is a typical senior village full of misdeeds and mystery that keeps the detectives very busy. And they know just where to look.