One Last Holiday Tradition

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

• What's new with Ashleigh?
• Ashleigh's Reading Challenge
• Free Books
• Other Books on Sale
• Upcoming Events
• Join My Newsletters

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What's new with Ashleigh?

It would be impossible to have a discussion about holiday traditions without discussing food. While my family is Italian, we have never celebrated the traditional seven fishes for Christmas. There simply were never enough people who ate seafood.

However, we do love our desserts. Italian pastries are a must, of course. While we never really go crazy about cake, we do love our cookies and pies.

One year, my aunt decided to share her recipes with us girls. Her goal was to give us a new recipe each Christmas, but she only gave us one. My favorite one: Chocolate-covered peanut butter balls. Unfortunately, I have misplaced that recipe, but I am hoping to find it next year.

I am not a huge fan of sugar and gingerbread cookies. Don't get me wrong. When made well, they are pretty delicious. I just hate the whole chilling, rolling, and cutting process. I prefer drop cookies.

If I'm being completely honest, I have a cookie addiction and have been known to make cookie just for fun. At the beginning of the month, however, we had a cookie swap and I made my favorite cookies. (I'll tell you more about them in a moment.) That fueled my cookie addition and I have been making cookies every week since.

One year, I wanted to make ginger cookies that weren't cut-outs. After searching the cookbook, I found a recipe for gingersnaps. However, I made a few substitutions, such as making them egg-free. I also added some cocoa powder. The result was a very soft cookie that has become my mother's favorite as well.

I'd still love to hear more about your holiday traditions on Bluesky, Facebook, or Instagram.

However, as we move toward the end of the year, I'd love to know:

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Ashleigh's Reading Challenge

Some of our readers have met their goal. As we head into the new year, I would like to know who would be interested in doing a new challenge in 2024?

Free Books

Kayaks, Kisses & Monsters A summer of kayaking sounds perfect. Until the lake monster appears. For Ellie, getting paid to spend her summer outside sounds like the ideal internship, even if it means paddling up and down a river twelve hours a day. Sure, she's never actually been in a kayak before, but how hard could it be? At least she knows how to set up camp at night. Unlike her co-worker. Though Clay may be captain of the crew team, she could teach him a thing or two about spending the night in a sleeping bag. And then there's the whole lake monster thing. Of course, Ellie knows water monsters aren't real but Clay doesn't seem convinced, especially after a boater goes missing. When mysterious accidents threaten her job security, Ellie starts to wonder why the "monster" wants her gone.

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

Want more free books? Check out these giveaways!

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

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Other Books on Sale

Forever Feelings A Second Chance Romance for a Single Mom Trust your gauges and bet on the unexpected! Joshua ‘Paradox’ Parr had no intention of taking his wingman’s cast-aside friend out on a date as a favor. He wasn’t ‘stepdad material,’ nor was he like the other love-struck members of the squadron. There was something about Mallory that confused the stealthy pilot, making him curious. … And curiosity could be a dangerous thing! Don’t give up the battle until the last round is spent… Mallory Duncan was floundering to hang on while the rest of the world around her swam in one gigantic pool of euphoria. She was stuck cleaning the skimmer for debris, searching for something more. One stupid mistake changed her life, and now things were changing again, bringing her face to face with the most confusing and frustrating man she’d ever met – Joshua. Could an exhausted single mom, a jaded Flyboy, a healthy dose of hope, be just what the doctor ordered? Or was giving in to this fanciful dream more than either of them had bargained for?

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More Holiday Traditions

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

• What's new with Ashleigh?
• Ashleigh's Reading Challenge
• Free Books
• Other Books on Sale
• Join My Newsletters

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What's new with Ashleigh?

I can't believe it's nearly Christmas! Is it just me, or did time go by too quickly?

As I've mentioned before, my family has many traditions. One of my favorites is birthday cakes.

When my oldest was one, I took her to the party store and had her pick a theme for her first birthday party. When she selected Elmo, I bought the matching cake pan. The following year, I did the same for her second birthday. She again picked Elmo.

I made a decision at that moment to start a new tradition. When each of my children turn one, they pick their cake pan and each year, I make that child the same cake. Even when they leave home for college, I will continue to make that cake for their birthdays.

But, what does that have to do with our holiday traditions?

One year, one of my children suggested we make a birthday cake for Jesus. They selected a star and we used gold glitter dust on vanilla frosting to make it shine. And, like the rest of the birthdays in our family, it has become a birthday tradition.

We eat the cake with our Christmas Eve supper, even if we don't eat at home. This year, at the request of my niece, we made a Jesus birthday cake for our family celebration at the beginning of the month.

I'd still love to hear more about your holiday traditions on Bluesky, Facebook, or Instagram.

However, as we move toward the end of the year, I'd love to know:

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Ashleigh's Reading Challenge

Some of our readers have met their goal. As we head into the new year, I would like to know who would be interested in doing a new challenge in 2024?

---

Free Books

Kayaks, Kisses & Monsters A summer of kayaking sounds perfect. Until the lake monster appears. For Ellie, getting paid to spend her summer outside sounds like the ideal internship, even if it means paddling up and down a river twelve hours a day. Sure, she's never actually been in a kayak before, but how hard could it be? At least she knows how to set up camp at night. Unlike her co-worker. Though Clay may be captain of the crew team, she could teach him a thing or two about spending the night in a sleeping bag. And then there's the whole lake monster thing. Of course, Ellie knows water monsters aren't real but Clay doesn't seem convinced, especially after a boater goes missing. When mysterious accidents threaten her job security, Ellie starts to wonder why the "monster" wants her gone.

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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!

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Other Books on Sale

The Misadventures of a Cat Detective Books 1-3 Enjoy your stay in Picklesquare, an enchanted small town full of magic and murder… Claws and Conundrums: Little did I know that a mischievous tabby cat would become my ticket to freedom, using his uncanny ability to grant me visions and help me solve a perplexing murder where I’m the prime suspect! Chaos erupts when I stumble upon the lifeless body of Anna, the estate's lawyer, the morning after I arrive to dispute my mysterious inheritance. Faced with suspicion by the cute Detective Grey, the stoic cat leads me to the clues that will hopefully clear my name… Unraveling Threads of Magic After inheriting Mr. Livingston’s mansion and solving the death of his estate lawyer, I’ve settled in Picklesquare quite nicely as Detective Grey’s partner against crime. However, the tragic death of a town ruffian shatters my short-lived tranquility in this usually sleepy town. Danger escalates and the clock ticks, drawing Detective Grey and me closer together to solve the murder. A tapestry of magic woven with lies threatens life as we know it. If we don’t catch the killer in time, we might not escape the intricate web before we’re caught in its threads forever… Chronicles of the Cozy Museum Murder I thought my days of unraveling mysteries were behind me, but when the Mayor of Picklesquare calls me in the dead of night, I'm plunged into a new enigma that sends chills down my spine. A murder has tainted the hallowed halls of the Picklesquare Museum of History, and a priceless artifact has vanished without a trace. As we race against time to unmask the shapeshifter and retrieve the stolen artifact, I realize that this case is more dangerous than anything I've encountered before. I must embrace the magic coursing through my veins to solve a case that grows more perilous with each passing moment. Will I unmask the shapeshifter murderer in time, or will they disappear into the shadows, leaving this historic mystery forever unsolved?.. 3 books. Over 600 pages. All in one box set! Get your copy today!

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Resolutions for 2024

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

.
• What's new with Ashleigh?
• Ashleigh's Reading Challenge
• Hartfield Chronicles
• Free Books
• Other Books on Sale
• Upcoming Events
• Join My Newsletters

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What's new with Ashleigh?

For 2023, I decided to set definitive goals instead of resolutions. In my middle grade newsletter earlier today, I discussed my family goals. But I also had personal and professional goals.

So how did they measure up?

• Well, one goal was to exercise daily. And, for a while, I met that goal. However, I didn't anticipate being set back by health issues. Don't get me wrong. I'm not making excuses. I am just realizing that there will be days where I will be too unwell to exercise. So my goal for this year will be to exercise at least twice a week. My stretch goal will be to lose weight and be in shape enough to run in the Halloween 5K.
• I wanted to attend three author fairs in 2023. Not only did I meet that goal, I attended four of them! And I had a lot of fun doing so. Unfortunately, I did not see the sales I was hoping for. As a result, I have decided to take a year off from live events to focus more on my writing and publishing (see my next goals).
• Another 2023 goal was to publish three books. One or two of them were in my Hartfield Chronicles series. Unfortunately, I put those aside to work on other projects. However, I did publish two books and a short story, finally launching my middle grade penname. In the upcoming year, I'm hoping to publish books 2-5 of Hartfield Chronicles, redesigning the cover of the first book to match the new feeling of the series. I'm also hoping to publish the picture book I co-wrote with my daughter.
• I was hoping to find an agent for my new murder mystery series in 2023. Unfortunately, none of the agents on my list shared my vision for this series. I have decided to shelve the series for now and take a few older ones off the shelf.
• I have a long list of stories to write, but my creativity is somewhat lacking at the moment. My goal is to focus on my middle-grade ones this year, finishing both series.
• I have one more goal for 2024, although it's not really my goal. I am currently editing a novel written by someone close to me. I am hoping to finish editing that project so we can publish it by the summer.

How about you?

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Ashleigh's Reading Challenge

Some of our readers have met their goal. As we head into the new year, I would like to know who would be interested in doing a new challenge in 2024?

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Hartfield Chronicles

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 Wednesday.

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Free Books

Castle Siege A dark fantasy tale A royal court trapped by an invading army... Moorkvegg Castle has been under siege from an invading army for days following the murder of the king and queen. The remaining Graunkrake family members and their court sorcerer think up a drastic course of action to save themselves while the invading army continues their attack.

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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!

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Other Books on Sale

Elephant on My Chest He's the vile boy next door. Who also knows her biggest secret. Sixteen-year-old Izzy is excited about the all-school ski trip. She is looking forward to learning to ski, even if she will be the only one on the bunny hill. Of course, she has to first make it through a five-hour bus ride with the vilest—albeit cutest—boy in school. And survive the roommates who keep breaking her one rule: "No sleeping with your boyfriend in my bed!" When an unexpected power outage triggers a panic attack, Izzy is forced to tell Pug her biggest secret. She's even more surprised to learn his, spending the rest of the long weekend looking at her enemy in a new light. But their secrets are nothing compared to the one Izzy's mother has been keeping for sixteen years. When Izzy discovers the truth, she must learn to confront her panic disorder or else live with the elephant sitting on her chest. Warning: This book describes panic attacks. If this will trigger you, this book may not be for you.

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