Guess what. I have Covid again. It's definitely not as bad as the last time I had it, since I wasn't 2000 miles from home when I got sick. Plus, I managed to self-isolate well enough that it's been a week and the rest of my family still hasn't gotten sick.
Things I've learned while being sick:
It is totally possible to watch too much television.
Mr. Stevens is entirely capable of taking care of the children, even if it means eating a lot of pizza.
Ice packs can keep beverages cold nearly 20 hours in my lunchbox.
It is difficult to focus while I am sick, but if I try hard enough, I might be able to write a chapter over the course of a day.
And, of course
Self-isolating is lonely. I miss my bed and my family.
Thankfully, I am on the mend and I hope we will be able to spend some quality time together on our upcoming family vacation.
What about you? What life lessons have you learned while you were ill?
Updated Email List
As you may know, I periodically clear out my email list to unsubscribe people who are no longer opening my emails. This month, in doing so, I also rearranged some things within my email client. If you were accidentally unsubscribed from one of my lists, use the links at the bottom of this page to resubscribe.
Ashleigh's Reading Challenge
Thank you so much for your interest in my reading challenge. 48 days into the year, and we are making some great progress!
Melinda loves Pat, but sometimes she wishes he had friends of his own. When he starts spending time with her dance partner, however, Melinda can't help the feelings of jealousy that surface, especially when he starts choosing him over her. Will their relationship survive Pat's new bromance?
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.
As a thank you, you will receive access to bonus chapters from the Hartfield Chronicles.
Announcing the New Hammerhead Club
Membership benefits:
Read new episodes 4 weeks in advance
Receive new episodes directly in your inbox
Access to new bonus chapters every season
Each month you are a member, $1 is added to your club credit. This credit can be used to purchase e-books and signed paperbacks at the Ashleigh Stevens Bookstore. Credits never expire.
Free Books
The Ugly Truth A Castlewood High Origin Story
Beauty Queen, Evil Stepmother... and Ugly Duckling?
In this 9,000 word short story is a retake of the classic fairy tale, The Ugly Duckling, learn the origin story of Tammy Norwell, the mean stepmother character in Pumpkin Run, Book 1 of the Castlewood High Tales Series.
BONUS! Read the first chapter of Pumpkin Run, Book 1 of the Castlewood High Tales Series, included at the end of this story.
Remember Me
Friends to Lovers Sweet Romance
Can young love stand the test of time and family interference?
Emma waited two years for Marc to see her as more than just a friend. Impatient, she let the school's star rugby player sidetrack her. Now free from that disastrous relationship, she has Marc's full attention.
One person stands in their way: her mother opposes their relationship. Now, Emma must make a choice that will bring her heartache no matter what she decides.
Marc let Emma slip out of his hands once before. He's determined that won't happen again. Even though he's from the wrong side of town, they click on every level. She's the one for him.
The end of their school year and prom edges closer. Every minute they spend together is precious. But time is not on their side.
One decision. Will their love survive?
Murder at the Magical Bookshop
Everbody inside! The wind is picking up and it's do or die for Sophie.
This tranquil northwest island community never weathered a storm like this.
Sophie is a small-town girl looking for adventure until a murder turns her life upside down, and adventure comes looking for Sophie.
She's the killer’s next target and the new owner of the family bookshop. After three years with the Peace Corps, this isn’t Sophie’s first crisis, but she could use a lifeline.
The town is like family and is always there for her. Sophie’s childhood friend, Detective Charlie Bell, keeps making wistful glances at her, and the town matchmakers are noticing.
A stranger floats in from out of nowhere, claiming to be a friend but knows more about the murder than they’re willing to admit. A protective cat Grandma kept at the bookshop becomes human and reveals itself as Sophie’s familiar–Help comes in all shapes and sizes. And it’s a good thing because when another dead body is found, Sophie realizes just how big the storm is.
The family bookshop contains power the killer wants for himself. It also holds secrets about Sophie’s childhood. When the foundation of reality begins to fade, the fate of her beautiful town lies in her hands. Sophie has a choice: continue chasing whales or embrace who she is and live the adventure right before her.
These are tricky waters. Grandma would know what to do. If only there were a way to see her alive–Just one more time.
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
Descendants of Time and Death
The Gods' Scion Book 2
It has been a year since the Reign of Ryton, the Demon King, came to an end. Leaving Rodrick to face the burden of the tyranny he left behind. Yet this time he is not alone. After foreseeing massive deaths on the horizon, Lady Death seeks out the twenty-year-old prince’s aid in stopping what seems like an unavoidable war. With the help of his older brother Rayden as his companion, the princess Arcelia, and Queen Riva for support, Roderick agrees to take on the monumental task. But the Diar Brothers are in for a wild ride of intrigue and betrayal when they meet a tyrant and a terrorist both fighting for control of a country that had already suffered under their father's reign. Secrets are revealed, promises broken, and trust is questioned. Rayden and Rodrick are going to have to race against time if they want to stop the war. Their journey will test every limit of their relationship and everything they've ever known.
Novaflight
Saving the universe one suicide mission at a time
Eccentric captain. Novice crew. A prototype ship locked and loaded for the most dangerous missions in the galaxy!
Special Ops Captain Renaud is sure Upper Command has gone crazy. He doesn't need or want a new crew. Especially not one specifically assembled as a showboat to impress the government of a non-aligned world. The war is going badly, and the United Planetary Authority needs all the help they can get.. Sure, these kids look terrific on paper and smashed it in training, but how good will they be in the field when faced with biomechanical space bugs bent on destroying humanity?
Renaud has secrets to guard. Dangerous secrets. His personal mantra is "don't get attached". But he's not the only one onboard who's wary. His new crack crew members have secrets too. If they're going to survive and make a good team, they're going to have to trust each other. Can he risk everything for his newfound family of battle buddies, or will the ever-growing web of bugs, lies, and politics devour them all?
Read Novaflight and join the crew of the Destrier as they try to save the universe, one suicide mission at a time.
The Flower Arraignment
A Garden Shop Cozy Mystery
A florist, a fire, and a socialite’s murder. . .
Emma Collins, the owner of the local flower shop, is a green thumb extraordinaire with a bit of a perfectionist quirk and an insatiable desire to solve mysteries. Once she sets her mind to something, she doesn’t stop until she figures it out.
When Emma reads about a seemingly innocent house fire in the local newspaper, she immediately suspects that there is more to the story. With the help of her best friend, she uncovers some clues and finds a body. Was the fire really an accident?
With the green light from the local sheriff’s office, she sets out on her own investigation. Turns out their quiet little town has more going on than she could have guessed. Can she and her best friend solve the murder before more bodies hit the ground?
This delightful full-length cozy mystery has a great small-town community, gossipy best friend, and plenty of mystery to keep you entertained.
You may also be interested in these books
Join My Newsletters
Check out my books
Or visit my bookstore to purchase a signed paperback.
As you know, last week I invited you to join my 2023 reading challenge. I loved the response, so I have created a page for the challenge on my website. You can monitor everyone's progress, join the challenge, and update the number of books you have read. Feel free to share the challenge with others. I can even create some banners to advertise the challenge on social media if anyone is interested.
When I went to update my own reading, however, I realized something:
I read a lot of picture books.
So I made some changes to my personal goals. My new goal is to read 100 books.
No more than half (50) can be picture books.
No more than a quarter (25) can be beta reads.
At least one quarter (25) must be published books with a minimum of 100 pages.
I am super excited about this challenge and plan to create award certificates for everyone who meets their goal this year.
Melinda loves Pat, but sometimes she wishes he had friends of his own. When he starts spending time with her dance partner, however, Melinda can't help the feelings of jealousy that surface, especially when he starts choosing him over her. Will their relationship survive Pat's new bromance?
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.
As a thank you, you will receive access to bonus chapters from the Hartfield Chronicles.
Announcing the New Hammerhead Club
Membership benefits:
Read new episodes 4 weeks in advance
Receive new episodes directly in your inbox
Access to new bonus chapters every season
Each month you are a member, $1 is added to your club credit. This credit can be used to purchase e-books and signed paperbacks at the Ashleigh Stevens Bookstore. Credits never expire.
Free Books
Tricked A gripping middle-grade story with a twist.
Beware of this bootcamp. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be!
Ami raced home from school to the orphanage. Today couldn’t possibly get any better. But then it did.
A mysterious stranger from a charity awaits Ami’s arrival in the matron’s office and invites her to Bootcamp to compete for a place on a mission team. The mission… to provide emergency relief to a storm ravaged ski-town.
A jealous bully hinders Ami’s attempts to excel in each of the weekly challenges. Ami must rise above her fears in order to be chosen for the team.
Just when success is within reach, Ami discovers that the charity hides a dark secret. A secret so sinister it rocks her to the very core.
Ami sets her mind to expose the charity’s secret by going undercover on the mission. It will require skill. It will require risk.
Will Ami find the courage to stand up for justice? If she doesn’t, the residents of the ski-town will suffer an unimaginable loss.
This full-length story is the prequel to Molly's Spy Mission.
Gladiator's Sanctuary A steamy scifi romance
Sold by her ex to be breeding stock to a crime lord. Jasmin is trapped in the dark with a wounded, sexy gladiator.
Sold by her ex to be breeding stock to a crime lord. Jasmin is trapped in the dark with a wounded, sexy gladiator.
Jasmin
My life is in shambles after the betrayal of my ex-boyfriend. He thinks he can make some quick cash selling me, and take my precious ship too. No one takes my ship from me!
They lock me in a dark cell, awaiting my new master’s return. What I hadn’t counted on, was the sexy, wounded gladiator in the cell next to mine. I’m never falling for a sexy body or a pretty face again, but it’s a struggle to fight the sizzling attraction between us.
And when a flood means we end up locked into the same cell… I can’t possibly keep my hands to myself.
Yashan
My gladiator days are numbered, and my shoulder is too damaged to properly heal. If I don’t escape now, my next fight will see me dead on the sands.
When I witness the feisty female being captured, my instincts clamor at me to rescue her. To claim her as my own and protect her from what is to come if we don’t escape. But how can I rescue her, when I haven’t managed to rescue myself?
They put her in the cell next to mine, and sparks fly. She wants me, just like I want her. When the opportunity to escape arises, I put her safety ahead of mine. I’ll get her out, even if it means dying.
The Scent of Bones
A Mystery Thriller
A teenager’s skeletal remains have been found on the beach.
FBI Special Agent Claire Juno is back home on Isle of Bute Scotland island when her father is in hospital.
A teenager’s skeletal remains have been found on the beach.
Together with Oliver Clark, a childhood friend turned local deputy, Claire confronts depressing weather and dismal leads to make sense of the death. The complications pile up as Claire is distracted by nagging memories that draw her eleven years into the past. The remains suggest eerie similarities between this victim and Claire’ brother, who disappeared when he was fifteen.
Claire finds herself up against close-lipped locals, buried town secrets, and even her own heart.
As the case unravels, will she be able to cut through the fog and find justice for the missing and the dead?
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
Needing Normal
Freshman Year
What do you do when you find out
everything you know might be wrong?
Prove you’re right, of course.
And that’s exactly what Jett Harper plans to do.
As a freshman, she only has two goals:
get good grades and prove she’s normal.
That’s easy enough, right?
At least she thinks so, until she learns
her biggest assignment is to understand love.
Harder still?
She must work within an assigned group,
her Core5, and they couldn’t be more diverse.
Will they make the grade?
As the Core5 tackles the school year head on,
Jett also fights for the definitive answer to one
other simple question:
What is normal?
Haley and the Yeti
A Grumpy Sunshine, Friends to Lovers, Next-door Neighbor Sweet Romance
Her grumpy neighbor wasn’t part of the plan.
After her soul-crushing breakup, Haley Kineman is stepping out of her comfort zone, moving to sunny Tucson, Arizona, and shooting for the stars—literally. When she’s not working as a phlebotomist, Haley’s striving to meet her celebrity crush who’s filming locally.
Haley has even enlisted her grumpy next-door neighbor—affectionately nicknamed Yeti—to help her get onto the movie set. With his long enviable locks, masculine beard, and alpine mountain physique, he’s an obvious choice for an ally.
All Yeti wants is to quietly develop software in his home office, but Haley throws his protective nature into overdrive after being injured in an incident. Then Yeti has no choice but to accompany Haley on her sight-seeing, thrift-shopping, iguana-saving adventures.
But Haley’s bright demeanor keeps messing with his head, making him consider things that aren’t possible. Because with Yeti’s damaging past, no woman would want him.
As their friendship deepens, Haley’s not sure if she should stick to her star-studded plan, or if a real love story is closer to home.
Red Velvet & Murder
The Nosy Paralegal Cosy Mystery Series
An elderly couple were found dead in their living room, leaving their cat, Ralphy, to fend for himself.
It appears to be a murder-suicide and the wife's actions in the days leading up to their demise were rather suspicious.
Is the death of Ralph and Janet Shelby as cut and dry as it seems? Or will Barbara Sandosa uncover something that no one would have ever suspected about her warm and loving neighbors?
You may also be interested in these books
Join My Newsletters
Check out my books
Or visit my bookstore to purchase a signed paperback.
