When a childish prank is linked to murder, Lady Anne Addison must investigate the death
of a young woman at the hands of a ghoulish fiend . . .
Lady Anne and the Haunted
Schoolgirl
Lady
Anne Addison Mysteries #5
by
Victoria Hamilton
Genre:
Historical Paranormal Mystery
When a childish prank is linked
to murder, Lady Anne Addison must investigate the death of a young
woman at the hands of a ghoulish fiend . . .
As her
wedding to Lord Darkefell approaches, Lady Anne is summoned by a
local girls’ school to help them with a young student troubled by
ghostly apparitions. She’s quick to respond, and quick to discover
the trickery behind the so-called ghosts. But despite her efforts to
demonstrate to the student that she’s been the victim of a cruel
hoax, the young woman apparently jumps to her death the very next
night. Stunned and saddened by the turn of events, Lady Anne soon
realizes that what she thought was a prank was a dark precursor to
foul play.
Certain that someone closely connected to the
school murdered the young woman, Lady Anne promptly begins
questioning students and staff alike to root out the culprit.
Confronting calculating young classmates, pompous instructors, and
even the shockingly callous relatives of the victim, she still feels
no closer to exposing the killer. Then a pattern emerges suggesting
exactly who was behind the foul deed, and Anne will put her life on
the line to find justice for a young woman who lost her own life too
soon . . .
Praise for the Lady Anne Addison
Mysteries:
“If you are looking for a historical
mystery with romance, suspense, and a suggestion of paranormal, then
read Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark.” —Fallen Angel
Reviews
“[Hamilton] excels at imbuing her realistic
characters with subtle depths . . .” —American Library
Association
“[The author] has set up a well-drawn Gothic
horror setting here, so the atmosphere is fantastic, what with it
being chilling, mysterious, and menacing all at once.” —Mrs.
Giggles
Victoria Hamilton is the national
bestselling author of four mystery series: the Vintage Kitchen
Mysteries; the Merry Muffin Mysteries; the Lady Anne Addison
Historical Mysteries and the Gentlewoman’s Guide Regency Mysteries.
Victoria
loves to read, especially mystery novels, and enjoys good tea and
cheap wine, the company of friends, and has a newfound appreciation
for opera. She enjoys crocheting and beading, but a good book can
tempt her away from almost anything… except writing!
She
now happily writes about vintage kitchen collecting, muffin baking
and dead bodies – among other mysterious topics – for publisher
Beyond the Page.
Visit
Victoria’s website and sign up for her newsletter!
For Lainie, feeling unwelcome is only the beginning of her struggles. Her mom is addicted to painkillers, her stepfather is a felon, and her dad traded her in for a new family.
So what if she’s kicked out of high school? Determined and attractive, Lainie sets out to make her own path.
Shane, the young man she begins dating and believes is trustworthy, transforms into a possessive and cruel boyfriend. When Efren, Shane’s older cousin, enters her life, Lainie grasps onto a shred of hope, falling in love. Shane’s obsessive and abusive treatment of her, however, casts a deep shadow over Efren and Lainie’s chance to find safety and a future free of the fear of Shane’s sadistic retribution.
Will their love persevere, or will Shane’s pervasive and negative influence push Lainie and Efren apart, forcing them to love secretly?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
This was the one place Shane didn’t go, the one location I felt safe, thanks to the security.
I was returning to my car when I noticed Ray standing next to it.
“Lainie, what’re you doing here so late?” he asked.
I’d forgotten that he’d been staying here until his Malinois bitch, Gemma, whelped.
The weight of what had just happened emptied me. The adrenaline rush left me and I wanted to bury my head in a pillow and cry. But I couldn’t. I closed my eyes and leaned my back against the car for support.
“Shane?” he asked.
“Who else?” I said.
He put an arm around my shoulder. We headed to the office. I appreciated the strength and protective feeling of his gesture and wanted to break down right there and cry, tell him everything, but I held back.
I perched on the arm of the couch while he made tea. I wanted to tell Ray what Shane had done, but I wasn’t ready. I couldn’t trust anyone with that knowledge. If I told anyone, they would think I was weak, incapable of defending myself, and then unfriend me or pity me. I had to hang onto what was good in my life and not ruin it with something so shameful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
INTEREVIEW WITH ANN CHIAPPETTA
Often writers started out as readers. Was there a particular book that inspired you to be an author?
James Herriot is one of the most influential writers for me. I began reading his stories at age fourteen . I still read his work periodically. His work resonates with me. I am challenged by writing first-person narratives and his writing transcends my subjectivity towards a first person POV and narrative. His descriptions of a story’s location is well crafted and his descriptions of the people and animals is spot-on. He balances his work, showing as much about the people as the animal characters and through this layered balance, I find it profoundly impactful as the reader. I only hope to be as powerful a writer one day. I think this is also why I include animal characters in my work as often as possible. I find it adds a level of connection with readers.
Did anyone give you writing advice when you were first getting started? Do you think it helped?
I am receptive to constructive advice and suggestions, it is the path to growing as a writer and poet. My Mom was my biggest fan. She insisted my writing was good and always wanted me to get published. I found advice shared by writers like Michael Crighton and other well-known authors helpful. I also listen to the lesser-known authors and poets. There is plenty of advice floating around. I stick with what I know, check the facts, read more than I write, read genres I also write as well as read genres I don’t write. I view advice as feedback, only I can determine whether or not the feedback is going to benefit my work. Of course exceptions are made when collaborating with other writers and professional editors. There are also hard stops like when formatting and grammar rules are taken into consideration.
What is the scariest thing you face as a writer? How do you handle it?
For me the scariest thing would be running out of ideas to write. Fortunately, my imagination is prolific and ideas plop into my brain fairly often. I list ideas for stories and poems in a document on my computer. Most of them are in my head, though. I also think about not having enough time to write everything I do want to write.
What inspired the idea for your book?
The story idea developed from writing a memoir. The obsessive boyfriend was a real experience and I ran with it. The draft sat in the closet for years, mostly finished. After I published my first novel, Hope For the Tarnished, it felt right to pull it out and finish it.
If you could meet your characters, what would you say to them?
Great question! I’d tell Lainie trauma made her resilient. I’d tell Effren to get a puppy to practice parenting. I’d tell Lainie’s best friend, Jo to have fun at her Cinderella splendorific wedding. I’d tell Shane he wasted his life doing drugs and being hateful. I’d let them all know how each of them was a key to making the story believable and meaningful to me and the others who will or have read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ann Chiappetta, M.S. Poet and author
Ann’s award-winning poems, creative nonfiction, and essays have appeared internationally in literary journals, popular online blogs, and print anthologies. Her poems have been featured in The Avocet, the Pangolin Review, Plum Tree Tavern, Magnets and Ladders, Oprelle, Western PA Poetry Review 2024and Breath and Shadow. Ann’s short story, The Misty Torrent appeared in the Artificial Divide anthology published by Renaissance Press (2021).
Ann is the recipient of the 2019 GDUI Excellence in Writing award and the WDOMI 2016 Spirit of Independence award.
Independently published since 2016, the author’s seven volume collection includes poetry, creative nonfiction essays, short stories and contemporary fiction.
Diagnosed in 1993 with a rare form of progressive retinal disease, Ann accepts vision loss as part of her life but doesn’t let it define her as a whole person.
The author resides in western Pennsylvania with her husband, retired guide dog pet dog and cats, striving to develop a mutually-beneficial relationship with her assistive technology.
Better Safe Than Sorry is a light, cozy-like mystery that deals with serious issues facing a small community but also finds ways to celebrate family, food and good friends…
Title: Better Safe Than Sorry
Author: Mike Martin
Publication Date: May 10, 2024
Pages: 251
Genre: Mystery
Winston Windflower is (sort of) enjoying his retirement from the RCMP in Grand Bank, Newfoundland, happily spending time with his young family, but feeling a little restless. Corporal Eddie Tizzard is running the Marystown detachment and struggling with the demands of the role while his own family grows. When a new kind of drug threatens the community, a body (the wrong body) is found dead in a hearse, and then another drug-connected mysterious death occurs, Tizzard knows he’s dealing with a deadly menace in their quiet, close-knit community.
Windflower finds himself inexorably (and not unhappily) drawn back into the action, first in an unofficial role to help snare the dealers and then back to active duty in a community that desperately needs his steady hand and good judgement.
Our favorite Mountie, Sgt. Windflower and his fellow courageous cops in small-town Grand Bank, Newfoundland are back to fight a new threat in this compelling page-turner. Award-winning author, Mike Martin once again brings us a stirring story, blending down-home Newfoundland charm with the warmth of family life.
Some say that April is the cruelest month, but Winston Windflower was pretty convinced that it was March. At least in Grand Bank, Newfoundland. They’d had a relatively mild winter up to this point but now they were getting slammed. Not once but twice. By winter storms that started the day before St. Patrick’s Day and were just ending now on March 19. The locals called the second storm “Sheila’s Brush” as a nickname given to a storm that seemed to occur right after Paddy’s Day. It came from an old Irish legend that claimed Sheila was the wife or sister or mother of St. Patrick and that this dumping of snow is a result of her sweeping away the old season of winter.
Supposedly, that was to prepare everyone for Spring, which the calendar said was about to begin in a week or so. But judging by the current weather and Windflower’s years of experience in Grand Bank, that new season was quite a way off. As he surveyed the banks of snow and checked the weather on his phone, there was more of the white stuff coming. He didn’t mind really. He actually liked the snow and living in this small town on the easternmost tip of Canada.
Until recently Windflower had been an RCMP Officer, a Mountie, but now was the Community Safety Officer for Grand Bank and a number of other surrounding communities. When the local RCMP detachment closed because of budgetary concerns, they needed someone to look after their local policing. The Mounties would look after the big stuff from nearby Marystown, about 40 minutes away, while they hoped Windflower would serve as a deterrent to local criminals who wanted to take advantage of the situation.
So far, so good on the crime front, thought Windflower who had actually spent most of his time doing outreach and crime prevention. In Marystown, however, things were not going so well.
Interview with the Author:
There are many books out there….what makes yours different?
The Sgt. Windflower Mysteries are different because they are more about the people and relationships and food and family than crime and mystery. I think they’re more fun!
Where is your book set and have you ever been there?
Grand Bank, Newfoundland on the easternmost tip of Canada. And yes, many times, including the month of August every year.
Do you have another profession besides writing?
Communications consultant.
How long have you been writing?
All my life. As a fiction writer about 14 years
What is your next project?
Book 15 in the Sgt. Windflower Mystery Series
How are you similar to or different from your lead character?
Sgt. Windflower is who I would like to be when I grow up. Kinder and more gentle.
In one sentence, what was the road to publishing like?
Long.
What is something you had to cut from your book that you wish you could have kept?
Death of a character. Too hard on me and the readers
On rituals:
Do you snack while writing? Favorite snack?
Just coffee. Lots of coffee.
Where do you write?
At my desk every morning.
Do you write every day?
1,000 words a day when I am writing a book.
In today’s tech savvy world, most writers use a computer or laptop. Have you ever written parts of your book on paper?
I wrote my first book longhand. Will never do that again. I still had to type cause no one will do it.
Fun stuff:
Favorite travel spot?
Cuba
Favorite dessert?
Chocolate peanut butter cheesecake. What else?
Any hobbies?
Walking and hiking and sports
What song is currently playing on a loop in your head?
Mull of Kintyre. Wings
What is something that made you laugh recently?
Too many things… Internet memes
What is your go-to breakfast item?
Toast with peanut butter
What is the oldest item of clothing you own?
Sports jacket from 30 years ago
Tell us about your longest friendship.
My longest friendship is with my partner, Joan. She is my lifemate and soulmate.
What advice would you give to a first time writer?
Write, share, read. Repeat.
About the Author
Mike Martin was born in St. John’s, NL on the east coast of Canada and now lives and works in Ottawa, Ontario. He is a long-time freelance writer and his articles and essays have appeared in newspapers, magazines and online across Canada as well as in the United States and New Zealand.
He is the award-winning author of the best-selling Sgt. Windflower Mystery series, set in beautiful Grand Bank. There are now 14 books in this light mystery series with the publication of Better Safe Than Sorry.
Mike is Past Chair of the Board of Crime Writers of Canada, a national organization promoting Canadian crime and mystery writers and a member of the Newfoundland Writers’ Guild and Capital Crime Writers.
Little Red Riding Hood reimagined with a dark and realistic twist.
Princess Blanchette’s world shatters when the Black Wolf tears apart
her castle and everything she holds dear. All she clings to is the vow she
made to her grandmother on her deathbed.
Hailed as the people’s champion, Sir Rowan Dietrich liberates the
capital in a quest for vengeance. He takes Winslowe Castle with an army at
his back and his wolf, Smoke, at his side.
United by a shared cause and powerful attraction, Rowan and Blanchette
embark on a journey of self-discovery and redemption—a path filled
with loss, transformation, and ultimately, the healing power of love.
Can Norland’s resplendent princess, with her captivating beauty and
spirit, tame the fabled Black Wolf?
Inspired by the fairy tale Little Red Riding Hood, Red Kingdom is a
passionate historical romance about the enduring quest for love and the
longing for a world at harmony.
*Red Kingdom is a standalone installment in a series of reimagined classic
fairy tales. Due to adult content and themes, it is not intended for readers
under the age of 18.
What you can expect from Red Kingdom…
Dark, Medieval Setting
Enemies to Lovers
Slow Burn
Broken Alpha Hero
Strong Heroine
Wolf Companion
He Falls First
Redemption
Warring Kingdoms
Excerpt
Death at her feet. Death in her home. Death in the air.
Death screamed in every corner of her mind.
Then she saw him.
Rowan Dietrich, the fabled Black Wolf of Norland, strode through her castle like a waking nightmare. His armor was crudely made, black as the surrounding night, the helm’s dark metal twisted into the shape of a wolf’s snarling head. But the most striking thing about him was his height. He towered above the other fighters and battled with a chilling methodicalness. How he moved and fought frightened Blanchette the greatest.
He looked collected. Even mildly amused. As if this were nothing more than a game. Blood soaked his sword as the blade whirled, whipped, slashed, and claimed lives in a macabre dance of death. And that wolf clung to his heels, its muzzle wet with blood, snarling and leaping at any man who dared come close to its master.
Monster. Demons.
The Black Wolf of Norland had always had a mist of legend around him. She remembered the stories her mother and governess had often whispered after the feasts and in the dark of the night.
“To me,” the Black Wolf called to a soldier a few yards away, his deep voice effortlessly carrying above the tumult. He didn’t need to yell, not even over the mayhem. The force of his tone was enough.
One of her father’s guards raised his blade, but too slowly. Rowan Dietrich’s longsword cut his head off, then came flashing back in a terrible two-handed slash that took another soldier in the leg.
With quivering anger, she realized that this man—this wolf, this beast—was the reason the sky was falling on her family. She clutched the dagger, wishing she could stand a chance against him. How good and right it would feel to plunge the blade deep into his heart and avenge what would likely be the end of her family’s dynasty.
Of course, she’d never survive him or his demon wolf. And if she was ever to avenge her family, if she was to keep her promise, survival meant everything.
About the Author
I live in Sunny California with my dashing husband, who inspires my romance
novels every day!
Writing has always been an integral part of my identity. Before I
physically learned how to write, I’d narrate stories to my mom, and she’d
record them for me.
I graduated from Chapman’s film school, where I often received the
feedback on my scripts, “Your stories and characters are great, but
this reads like a novel!” That’s when I realized my true
calling.
In my free time, I frequent reptile expos, lift double my body’s
weight, and indulge in dinosaur trivia.
I’m passionate about writing stories that explore what it means to be human
and to be loved. My books focus on hope, courage, and redemption in the face
of adversity.
“Alice knew that Selma sometimes felt judged by their mother and didn’t always like it when Alice was praised and Selma was not. Alice glanced over at her sister, but Selma was smiling at Alice. In what Alice understood might be Selma’s last act of generosity towards her sister, Selma was going to let Alice bask in the glow of Emma’s pride toward her elder daughter. Then the three shared a hug, a hug that seemed to last forever.”
Alice Heppenheimer, born into a prosperous German Jewish family around the turn of the twentieth century, comes of age at a time of growing opportunities for women.
So, when she turns 21 years old, she convinces her strict family to allow her to attend art school, and then pursues a career in women’s fashion. Alice prospers in her career and settles into married life, but she could not anticipate a Nazi Germany, where simply being Jewish has become an existential threat. Stumbling Stones is a novel based on the true story of a woman driven to achieve at a time of persecution and hatred, and who is reluctant to leave the only home she has ever known.
But as strong and resilient as Alice is, she now faces the ultimate challenge – will she and her husband be able to escape Nazi Germany or have they waited too long to leave?
How long have you been writing, and how long did it take before your first book was published?
As an attorney for more than 40 years, I have been writing my whole work life. Three years ago, I published a non-fiction book about my husband’s German Jewish family. I realized I was not done writing about Alice Heppenheimer, but decided to write Stumbling Stones as a novel to provide a fuller and richer story. I was fortunate to find a publisher, Black Rose Writing, to publish my first novel.
Do you have a routine you follow when you’re working on a book? A certain time of day when you write, or a snack you keep nearby?
I still have a full-time job, so I have to work around my work schedule. Sometimes I write before work, sometimes in the evening, and sometimes on the weekend. And my goldendoodle, Teddy, is almost always by my side as I write.
If you could pick your top 3 favorite books of all time, what would they be?
I don’t think I really have favorite books as much as I have favorite authors. Any time I see a new book by Kate Atkinson, Ian McEwan or Kazuo Ishiguro, I race to download it. All three are masters of their craft, and there is never a wasted word in any of their books. I would love to write like them, but, for now, I will have to settle for reading them.
What do you think is the most important thing to remember when following your dreams?
In following your dreams, I have two suggestions: be open to new opportunities and don’t be afraid to fail. Throughout my life, I have always been interested in trying new things, and have sometimes been surprised by the outcome. Being a published author was never one of my dreams, but I am so grateful that I tried it and I am loving writing about the Heppenheimer family. And it is rare that I have regretted giving something a try. Even if I try something and it doesn’t work out, I have found that what I have learned from the experience has helped me on the next stops of my journey. Certainly, if I worried about failing as an author, Stumbling Stones would not have been published.
Does your family support your writing?
My husband supports every new thing I have tried. But he is especially supportive of my writing, and has read and provided helpful comments on everything I have written. Of course, it helps that he is also a lawyer and that I am writing about his family.
About the Author
Bonnie Suchman is an attorney who has been practicing law for forty years. Using her legal skills, she researched her husband’s family’s 250-year history in Germany, and published a non-fiction book about the family, Broken Promises: The Story of a Jewish Family in Germany. Bonnie found one member of the family, Alice Heppenheimer, particularly compelling. Stumbling Stones tells Alice’s story. Bonnie has two adult children and lives in Maryland with her husband, Bruce.
Lies and secrets pile up in this chilling next installment of Willow Rose’s bestselling series about FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas.
Rest in Peace
An Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #15
by Willow Rose
Genre: Suspense, Thriller, Mystery
Sarah Chapman is angry at her husband. She’s also drunk… very drunk as she drives down their street, ready to face him.
When a neighbor hears the commotion and rushes to help, he finds her inside, gun still in her hand, and her husband, Steven, dead in the bed.
Sarah is arrested and taken away but claims to be innocent.
The only one who believes her is FBI profiler, Eva Rae Thomas.
She knows Sarah personally, and as she looks at the evidence in the case, she is convinced that Sarah is telling the truth, even though she was highly intoxicated when the event occurred.
But the detective on the case is determined to have her convicted for the murder.
As more bodies turn up, only Eva Rae Thomas sees the connections and soon starts a race against time to prove Sarah is innocent and to catch the real murderer before it’s too late and her own family is targeted.
Lies and secrets pile up in this chilling next installment of Willow Rose’s bestselling series about FBI profiler Eva Rae Thomas.
Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy best-selling Author and an ALL-star Author of more than 90 novels.
She has sold more than six million books that are translated into many languages.
Willow’s books are fast-paced, nail-biting pageturners with twists you won’t see coming.
That’s why her fans call her The Queen of Plot Twists.
Willow lives on Florida’s Space Coast with her kids, two cats and her Goldendoodle. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean.
Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her K9 Cisco have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women each wrapped carefully in a blanket and buried in makeshift coffins in a rural area.
Title: The First Girl: Detective Katie Scott Book 11
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publication Date: December 19, 2023
Pages: 354
Genre: Crime Fiction/Thriller
The cold night breeze slams the barndoor shut with a sickening crash. The girl curled in the corner wakes with a start. Her gold butterfly necklace catches the pale moonlight as she clutches it tight, thinking of her family. Will she ever escape? Or
is this the last face she’ll ever see?
Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her service dog Cisco have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women each wrapped carefully in a blanketand buried in makeshift coffins. Miles of abandoned farmland stretch out from the treeline behind her. Has Katie uncovered the horrifying
graveyard of a monster who has been stealing Pine Valley’s daughters for
years?
Katie quickly identifies one of the victims as Abigail Andrews, a beautiful young woman who disappeared fifteen years ago. Katie is heartbroken that she’ll have to tell Abigail’s mother her darling girl is gone.
When Katie is ambushed working late at the scene, fired upon by an unknown assailant, she knows she must be close to finding the killer. But the shooter vanishes into thin air. And when a new young woman is taken, dark haired and dark eyed like the others, Katie realizes her time is running out. Can she stay alive long
enough to track down this twisted murderer before another young life is
stolen too soon?
“Fast paced, characters intelligent and had each others back. The plot was a bit harrowing, but from what plot entailed I was confident one of the main protagonists, Katie had the situation under control. At least the best of her capabilities as
the situation warranted. This ebook was fresh, tasteful and powerful. It
was a boon to read about a female with military experience who
maintained a level head and who put her knowledge to practice.” ~Amazon
“AMAZING characters (including Cisco of coarse) & suspense in a twisty plot that sucks you in & never lets you go. Highly RECOMMEND the entire series for some great reading.” ~NetGalley
“AMAZING characters (including Cisco of coarse) & suspense in a twisty plot that sucks you in & never lets you go. Highly RECOMMEND the entire series for some great reading.” ~Goodreads
The First Girl is available at Amazon & Other Retailers.
Book Excerpt:
The soft breeze blew through the open bedroom window, ruffling the sheer curtain. The evening was still warm from the sizzling day and was now gently cooling into the July night. The crickets played a harmony of music that filtered around the farm and across the acreage.
Lara Fontaine suddenly awoke, a loud sound interrupting her sleep. She sat up in bed and looked around the small bedroom but wasn’t sure what she had heard. In the other twin bed, her best friend Desi was still asleep and breathing evenly. What had disturbed Lara? Her first thought was to wake her friend because it was Desi’s house and she might have some idea what the sound had been, but she decided against it. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, where they dangled, not quite reaching the floor. Still contemplating if she should go investigate, she stared at the closed bedroom door. Even though she was twelve, almost thirteen, she had developed a curious mind and wanted to know the answers to so many things. Everything she saw in her world made her more inquisitive.
Lara stood up, feeling the wood floor against the soles of her feet—it too was warm, like the evening air. Wearing only a white cotton nightgown, she decided to explore. Glancing back at Desi, who was still sound asleep, she went to the door and slowly turned the knob. To her relief, the door hinges were well-oiled and didn’t emit any sound.
A breeze hit her as she stepped into the hallway, which seemed strange. It was as if someone had left a door or a window open. She didn’t slow her pace as she moved forward. For the first time since she woke, she heard a noise, as if a chair was sliding across the floor. It was high-pitched and had an eerie quality about it.
As if being pulled by an unknown force, Lara crept toward the sound. She headed down the hallway, passing closed doors, to the kitchen. The farmhouse plank floors creaked beneath her slight weight. She stopped and listened. Leaning her body toward the sound, stretching on her tiptoes, she assumed she would hear more, but it remained quiet. As Lara let out a breath, her previous curiosity had now diminished, she decided she would return to the bedroom and try to go back to sleep.
But suddenly a strong arm grabbed her around the waist and clamped a hand over her mouth. She instantly struggled, but the man’s strength easily overpowered her as he carried Lara to the back door. She could smell stale cigarette smoke on him and some kind of whiskey. The more she struggled against him, the more she weakened. Her whimpers were the only thing she could express.
The outside air hit her. She kept struggling, hearing her attacker’s rattled breathing next to her ear. Realizing they were heading toward the large barn, she tried to put her legs out in front of her to stop their progress, but it was no use.
“Stop fighting,” hissed the man directly into Lara’s ear. “It’ll be over soon.”
Those words resonated in her mind.
What did he mean?
The crickets abruptly stopped.
Silence.
Holding Lara with one arm, the man pulled open the barn door. The hinges made a terrible squeak, interrupting the quiet.
“Stop!” Lara managed to say. “Please, don’t…” Her arm felt as if it would break.
They moved deeper into the barn.
Lara could smell the hay and the alfalfa. But there was a low murmuring sound that she didn’t recognize. She was forcibly put into an old metal chair and immediately her hands and ankles were secured, and a piece of duct tape covered her mouth.
It was difficult for Lara to focus through her tears, but she forced herself to look around. There were wooden crates filled with metal items, tools, and miscellaneous parts from various pieces of farm equipment. Then she saw her.
In a corner, there was a dark-haired young woman. She too was tied to a high-backed chair, unable to free herself. Her arms, legs, torso, and neck were secured. Her eyes were wide in terror, swollen from crying, and blood ran down her arms and neck from struggling against the restraints.
Lara locked eyes with the woman. So many emotions gripped her. Panic. Desperation. Fear.
The man moved around the area, he was dressed in jeans and a white, stained T-shirt. He appeared to be conflicted, confused, and even a bit panic-stricken as he ran his hands through his hair. Moving back and forth, he went from one box to a table, and then back to another box until he decided what he wanted. He carefully plucked out a long instrument that appeared to be some type of sharp, thin knife and stared at it with curiosity and wonder as if seeing it for the first time.
To Lara’s horror, he turned and approached the woman. With his back to Lara, he attacked the woman with vicious intent. She heard muffled screams as the woman writhed in her seat.
Lara could barely breathe. She thought she would pass out, but her unrelenting terror kept her awake as she shook violently in her chair, watching the horrifying ordeal until it finally came to an end.
The man turned slowly, his shirt soaked in crimson. He looked at Lara as if he wondered why she was there. Still with the bloody tool in his hand, he slowly moved toward her. The weapon was still drenched with the woman’s blood.
“No…” Lara tried to say.
He stood in front of her like a monster, reaching out.
Lara took a short breath. It was the last thing she remembered before passing out.
About the Author
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. Her latest book is The First Girl.
Autumn and The Silver Moon Stallion Book 3, The Abandoned Trilogy V P Felmlee Publication Date: November, 2023 Publisher: TCS Publishing Page Length: 280 Genre: Young Adult / New Adult Fiction
An abused, neglected filly is abandoned on a remote country road, left to die.
A young woman grieves the loss of her best friend, the champion horse she had built
her life and future around.
The heir to one of the largest ranches in Wyoming comes home to face the ire and
disappointment of his grandfather.
A world-renown scientist clashes with the U.S.government over a brutal,
decades-long war to decide the fate of thousands of
mustangs, a beloved icon of the American West.
Autumn and The Silver Moon Stallion is their story of love, hatred, and death.
Will their struggles give them hope to fight for their beliefs, or tear them forever apart?
Buy Links:
This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.
The next night, they were ready to move. There were a few clouds; an almost-full moon broke free from time to time, giving them some light.
Quietly, almost as one, the stallion led the way down the ledge onto the soft dirt below. They did not stop to forage; when they reached the river, they did not stop to drink.
With one mind, with one purpose, they crossed at a narrow point. These mustangs were strong and young, but the water was cold, the current swift.
In a single line, they treaded the water. The black mare got ahead of the stallion, the current almost carrying her away from them. She raised her head, eyes wide in panic. He drifted to her side, then around, and nudged her body back to the straight course.
Finally, all three found their footing and splashed to the shore, dripping wet and huffing.
The mare who almost drifted away was trembling. The stallion walked over to touch her neck and back.
She appreciated his concern. “I’ve never gone into water before. I won’t do that again.”
“You won’t have to,” he promised.
He looked around, getting his feel for this new land. A trail led north into open range. He rejected this, they needed as much shelter as they could get, not to be seen nor discovered for as long as possible.
Another possibility was a wide opening with high walls on either side. The clouds wafted across the sky, allowing the moon to brighten his view. A narrow path beckoned him. He followed it a short distance, then returned to the mares.
“Follow me,” he told them. “We’ll be safe here.” Without hesitation, they followed him and were soon wrapped in the darkness.
The white stallion now belonged to Silver Moon Canyon.
Author Bio:
V P Felmlee is the author of The Abandoned Trilogy: Price Tadpole & Princess Clara; Good Boy Ben; and the third book in the series, Autumn and the Silver Moon Stallion. A former newspaper reporter and editor, she has a degree in geology, and has been active in historic preservation and animal welfare issues. Her articles have appeared in several magazines and she has won numerous awards.
She will be the 2025 president of Women Writing the West and lives in Grand Junction, Colorado, with her husband, two dogs, and six cats.
A genre-blending dystopian, sci-fi mystery-thriller that will make you think about communication in a whole new way.
Five years after the Great Language Outage, lang-laws have been repealed, but world affairs have only gotten worse. The new automation agenda has resulted in a social caste system based on IQ. Manual employment is a thing of the past, and the lowest soc-ed class, the Unskills, are forced into permanent unemployment.
In a world on the brink of civil war, a deadly insomnia pandemic threatens to kill billions. Lilith King, Interpol’s most celebrated detective, is assigned to the case.
Together with a sleep specialist, Dr. Kace Westwood, Lilith must figure out who or what is behind this new threat. Could the pandemic be the result of the upskilling vagus chips being offered to the lowest soc-ed class? Or are language chips being hacked? And what of the viral conspiracy theories by the mysterious Dark Court, sweeping the globe? Lilith must work every possible angle, and quickly: she is running out of time!
While attempting to stop a vast conspiracy on an intergalactic scale, Lilith also faces shocking revelations about her origin, coming to terms with her own destiny.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPT
Her father then turned back to Lilith, gazing at her with the kindness she loved. “I have to go away.” He gulped. “You must be very brave, Lily. Because what I’m doing is for you. You’re very special. I believe you will change everything. Not just here, but everywhere.” With that he reached into his jacket and pulled out a small bracelet from inside his breast pocket. He handed it to Lilith.
“Another gift?” she asked, with cautious excitement. Lilith turned it over in her hand. It was silver, with a small, strange-looking screen on the outer side. The screen was narrow and black, and numbers were spinning in iridescent green, fleetingly across the screen.
“I guess it is. This is a SwissSecure bracelet. It will live with you, expanding as you grow.”
“Is it alive?” Lilith asked.
Her father chuckled. “In a way, I suppose it is. When you’re older, after you’re chipped, the numbers will stop spinning. And then you’ll receive a message from me—two, in fact.”
“Memoclips?” Lilith asked, confused. She knew that was what the chipped adults called them.
Her father dipped his head. “Actually, faceclips. They will explain things … when the time is right. For one thing, where the music comes from, the Nunciature Evangelion—the Tower of Songs.”
“Music?”
“It will come to you, later today. This music will help you become your potential, but it will also be your one Achilles heel …”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Preview of the Songs of the Sage book series
The six books in the Songs of the Sage series explore the power of language, and how, with the advent of powerful AI technology, it can be commoditized by big tech, and turned into a weapon of mass destruction.
Book #1, The Babel Apocalypse, explores this premise from an Earth-bound perspective, when large swathes of the world’s population suddenly lose the ability to use language, and consequently can no longer communicate.
The book’s prologue introduces one of the protagonists, Professor Ebba Black, the last native speaker of language in the automated world, who lives in a time when language is no longer learned but streamed directly to language chips, implanted in people’s brains at birth.
In the prologue, Ebba is witness to a mysterious apparition, an angelic figure who transforms into a woman, Lilith King. Lilith is the protagonist of the second book in the series, The Dark Court, and provides Ebba with a warning, a prophesy and a gift. The prophesy relates to an imminent global language outage, caused by a cyberattack on the language streaming servers in low Earth orbit. This language outage is the apocalyptic event with which Ebba, and Europol Cybercrime commander, Emyr Morgan, must grapple during the course of The Babel Apocalypse.
Book #2, The Dark Court, which introduces Lilith King in detail, further develops this theme once language streaming is restored. It does so by exploring the consequences of the very language chips, implanted in people’s heads, which can be hacked, to kill off large swathes of the population. This is achieved by using language chips to suppress melatonin production in the brain, causing a fatal insomnia pandemic.
Book #3 in the series, The Rise of the Mashiach, sees Ebba and Lilith team up, to counter other-worldly forces, the mysterious Watchers, who seek to use infrasound to disable language chips, causing them to irradiate the brains of most of the world’s population—causing instantaneous death.
Book #4 in the series, The Time Seers of Kairos, contextualizes the events on Earth, by relating them to the sinister Sage, and an intergalactic plot to control all sentient beings with an addictive system of communication: the Mind Chant. This is a unique “song” transmitted from the distant planet Empyrean to an individual’s brain, across the known universe. The “songs” transmitted by the Sage can be switched off, causing death within twelve hours, for each individual targeted. Death occurs following a period of increasingly agonizing withdrawal symptoms.
Books #5 and #6 in the series bring events to a head, as the battle between good and evil rages, centered on who controls language. The events described in these books also resolve the ending that befell our male protagonist from book #1, the Europol commander, Emyr Morgan.
The overarching motif of the Songs of the Sage book series is: They who control language control everything.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Vyvyan Evans is a native of Chester, England. He holds a PhD in linguistics from Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., and is a Professor of Linguistics. He has published numerous acclaimed popular science and technical books on language and linguistics. His popular science essays and articles have appeared in numerous venues including ‘The Guardian’, ‘Psychology Today’, ‘New York Post’, ‘New Scientist’, ‘Newsweek’ and ‘The New Republic’. His award-winning writing focuses, in one way or another, on the nature of language and mind, the impact of technology on language, and the future of communication. His science fiction work explores the status of language and digital communication technology as potential weapons of mass destruction.
At their relationship’s core lies a convergence of secrets and deception, while their heart showcases the unbreakable bond that binds two souls in a twisted dance of deceit.
Conjoined
by K.T. George
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Allyson Marta is a celebrated mixed-media artist dwelling in the shadows of Seattle’s gritty underbelly. She struggles with Borderline Personality Disorder while grappling with the jagged edges of self-harm and past suicide attempts. Her identical twin, Andrea, is a hedonist at heart. She thrives as the vibrant art director of the cult-favorite “The Caretaker” horror movie series, which ensnares devotees in its macabre embrace. When H0rr Studios, the go-to streaming service of horror fans worldwide and Andrea’s employer, reports her missing, Allyson finds herself torn between her ongoing recovery and helping to unravel the mystery shrouding her histrionic twin’s whereabouts
After Roger Wotke, the star of The Caretaker, also disappears, Allyson is thrust into a perilous crossroads where the twin demons of mental anguish and familial duty collide. In a descent into the abyss of society’s dark appetite for what goes bump in the night, Allyson grapples with safeguarding her tenuous sanity or delving deeper into the labyrinth of depravity that threatens to expose not just her own darkest secrets, but also those of her family.
Early reviews:
“Creepy…Addictive…” – Goodreads reviewer.
“…draws the reader in quickly and the plot, characters, dialogue…make it hard to put down.” – ARC review.
“…an especially fascinating read.” – Bookbaby Editor
“That twist at the end! Seriously freaking great! the very last page 😲 ” – Goodreads reviewer.
Step Into the Twisted Tales of K.T. George, Debut Psychological Thriller Author
Hello there! 👋 I’m K.T. George, and I’m excited to announce the release of my debut novel, Conjoined, set to launch on June 4th through BookBaby. But here’s a thrilling twist—order directly from BookBaby today, and you might just snag the paperback ahead of its official release! It’s a surprising scoop even I didn’t see coming! 🤩
A Journey Through Imagination
From a young age, I’ve been captivated by storytelling. Whether it was sharing adventures with my collection of stuffed animals and dolls or crafting elaborate tales for strangers, my imagination was always in overdrive. This passion didn’t wane as I grew; it only evolved. Throughout my education, from spirited book reports to a notably entertaining yet intricate paper on Abstract Algebra in college (Yes, it’s a real thing!), I reveled in the art of writing. Despite a grading hiccup for not citing sources correctly—I excelled in delivering engaging narratives.
From Code to Prose
My professional journey began in the world of Computer Science, where I found programming to be a surprisingly creative outlet. I leveraged this creativity further when I transitioned to writing detailed reports and developing animated PowerPoint presentations in a corporate setting. Eventually, I ventured out to start my own consulting business which, after a move from the Desert Southwest to the Midwest, transformed drastically. This pivot was crucial; it led me to embrace my creative side fully, resulting in guest blogging for tech, law, and medical professionals.
The Birth of “Conjoined”
The leap from ghostwriting for clients to penning my own novel was immense. Creating Conjoined was a labor of love and perseverance, entailing seven years from concept to publication. This psychological thriller explores the depths of human psychology and the dark, intertwining paths of fate.
Dive Deeper
Curious about the mind behind the madness? Visit my interview-style blog post on ktgeorge.com/interview-ktg/ to get an inside look at my creative process, influences, and the quirky journey of a computer scientist turned author. Stay and explore to learn more about Conjoined and the intricate, shadowy realms of psychological thrillers with me. Whether you are a seasoned reader of the genre or a newcomer, prepare to be entangled in the complex threads of an unsettling narrative that will challenge your perceptions and thrill your senses.
Final ThoughtsConjoined took years of hard work, learning, and personal growth to reach its current heights. The journey has been full of ups and downs, but every moment was worth it for the chance to share this story with you. I invite you to delve into the pages of my book, join me in unraveling the mysteries, and keep the flame of curiosity alive.
I’m thrilled to embark on this adventure with you. Until then, keep the pages turning and the mysteries brewing.
K.T. George resides in the heart of Chicago with their family of four and their beloved fluffer, Lincoln. They draw inspiration from the vibrant cityscape that surrounds them and the people who live there. Formerly an esteemed I.T. Executive and cybersecurity expert, their unique ability to seamlessly transition from science to art has cemented their status as a formidable force in the literary realm. Learn more at www.ktgeorge.com.
