In the high-octane realm of military thrillers,Rose Island stands
out with its masterful blend of espionage and covert warfare. Set against the
backdrop of a forgotten Cold War bastion that harbors earth-shattering secrets,
former Marine turned clandestine operator Jake Harper is drawn back into action
when a top-secret rescue mission calls him to an island erased from every map—a
place steeped in mystery and guarded by deadly forces.
Charged with leading a special operations team amidst the threat of a looming
hurricane, Harper and his team, with their unwavering courage and resilience,
must navigate the treacherous mysteries of Rose Island. As they unearth hidden
bunkers and tangled alliances, each revelation plunges them deeper into a
whirlpool of political intrigue and betrayal. The island, a forgotten relic of
Cold War experiments, holds secrets that some will kill to protect.
Their mission escalates in complexity when they cross paths with a renegade
unit of mercenaries with connections to enigmatic international powers. These
well-trained, heavily armed adversaries are resolute in their intent to exploit
the island’s secrets for their own sinister ends.
With time running out, their mission evolves from a covert infiltration to a
desperate fight for survival. Harper’s resolve is tested as past emotional
entanglements with a team member add layers of complexity to his leadership. As
the storm bears down, they face the natural elements and a formidable enemy in
a climactic showdown that promises to blend their fates with the island’s dark
history.
Dive into Rose Island, where survival clashes with the ghosts of
history, crafting a narrative so tense and gripping that it will leave readers
breathless until the last page is turned.
Zander Hatch, a US Marine veteran, blends his extensive
military experience with a talent for storytelling to create thrilling,
authentic narratives. Drawing from global deployments, Hatch’s writing in Rose
Island offers an immersive experience in tactical expertise and unyielding
suspense. Dive into his books for a gripping journey through the realms of
action and adventure, where courage meets the climax of military strategy.
When PJ and his team of Paranormal Pursuers unearth the sinister secrets of the Scottish village of Pittenweem’s witch-hunting past, they must confront the malevolent spirit of a young boy to save the villagers from chaos and terror.
The Phantoms of Pittenweem
PJ and the Paranormal Pursuers Book 2
by Jacqui Dempster
Genre: YA, Teen Paranormal Adventure
After moving from New York to Edinburgh to live with his aunt, PJ very quickly discovered the parallel worlds of the living and the dead when he was forced to battle the evil Mackenzie Poltergeist at Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Now, PJ and his fellow ghost-hunting friends are invited to stay in the picturesque fishing village of Pittenweem in Fife, a place which, unbeknown to them, has haunting echoes of its witch-hunting past.
However, their holiday promises to be anything but peaceful, as witchcraft and superstition threatens to bring terror and chaos to the villagers and the Paranormal Pursuers must face off with the malevolent spirit of a young boy, Patrick Morton. Can they find a way to prevent him from reviving the dark and sinister past of Pittenweem before it’s too late?
After his mom dies, PJ reluctantly leaves his New York home and everyone he loves, to live with his Aunt Katie in Edinburgh. A series of strange events begin when his aunt’s elderly neighbour and her cat Azrael convince him that his mom, weirdly, is still very much with him.
At a bereavement counselling group, PJ makes a new group of friends, all of whom have lost loved ones. Drawn together by their shared experiences, they soon discover they have something else in common; an interest in the supernatural. Freya is the daughter of a white witch, Sunny has a scientific and enquiring mind and Shuggie, a superfan of ghost hunting programmes. Led by PJ, they try to prove that there is life after death and that their loved ones are still with them. The team receives strange messages leading them to investigate Greyfriars Kirkyard where they experience terrifying paranormal activity and PJ is drawn into the clutches of the evil Mackenzie Poltergeist after reciting a famous rhyme that invites the restless spirit to draw back the bolt of his scary mausoleum to allow him entry. There, he finds himself in a fight of good against evil with the ghost of Sir George Mackenzie.
“If you are, or know someone who is a teenager with a newfound interest in the supernatural and paranormal, this is the book for you.” The Courier and Advertiser (Fife Edition)
“PJ and his friends make a great group of characters, and there’s lots of laughter to be had as well as scares, while ‘auld reekie’ provides the perfect backdrop for these ghostly goings-on.”LoveReading4Kids & LoveReading4Schools
“This is a terrific story for teen readers to devour on a spooky autumn evening.” The School Librarian (TSL)
Who are the Dogs on the Cover of PJ and The Paranormal Pursuers – The Phantoms of Pittenweem?
Well, the small white dog, who appeared on the cover of my first PJ book, The Mackenzie Poltergeist, was designed from a photograph of my beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Smudge. Sadly, at the time the first book went to print, Smudge, who was almost 17 had been terribly ill for a while. The book has a dedication to him but he went to the Rainbow Bridge before publication and I wanted his memory to live on. He does so as ‘Dug,’ Shuggie’s JRT in the book and as the motif on the covers. The other dog, added for the Phantoms of Pittenweem is modelled on Gus, another family dog. He was a Schnauzer who was also a lovely soul. When he wasn’t freshly groomed, he was a shaggy dog on whom I modelled Buddy, PJ’s dog. Gus had also travelled the Rainbow Bridge by the time the new book was published and he joins Smudge on the cover of my second book.
As many people will understand, the grief of losing a pet, who is very much a family member, friend and companion is hard – often just as hard as losing a human. I was devastated at the loss of Smudge and resolved never to have another dog of my own because the pain and trauma was too great. I know that many people say that you should offer another dog a happy home and believe me, I have been tempted – until that wave of grief crashes over me and reminds me of what we went through. I have written about Smudge extensively on my blog; one part (For the Love of Smudge) telling his story and the second part (I’m only talking to my dog today) which explains the strange events after his death which convinced me he was still around and sending messages to say he was OK. These can be found here: Jacqueline Dempster – Medium. I hope that the articles help those of you who find themselves grief stricken after the loss of a beloved pet.
My days of doggy love are not over, however. Although we don’t have any of our own, we did join an organisation called ‘Borrow my Doggy,’ which offers just what it says on the tin! For a small annual fee, you can offer to borrow other people’s doggies when they need company during the week or a place to stay when their people want to go on holiday. It’s worked out brilliantly for us and we’ve had the joy of looking after Winnie, a Jack Russell Terrier (who looks remarkably like Smudge) and Arlo who is a very cheeky little JRT/Shih Tzu cross. We also look after our grandpups, Willow (guess what – a JRT whose arrival as a pup was accurately predicted by one of the animal psychics I consulted after we lost Smudge) and Pepper, a Poodle/Bichon Frise cross. We have a new boy, Joe, (JRT) coming to visit and stay for holidays very soon! I am certain that Smudge knows that we’ll never replace him but has a hand in bringing all these perfect friends into our lives. It is very strange how all of the borrowed doggies who’ve arrived on our doorstep have been JRTs and I am certain our boy has a hand in it. To be honest, I love each one of them dearly and while they are not our dogs, the grief of losing any of them will be hard. I can console myself, however, knowing that we’ve been able to give them a welcome and the comfort of a loving home from home whenever their mums and dads need a holiday, or just to stop them getting lonely while their people are working. They return the love in spades and I wouldn’t be without them. They’ve also been very willing to read my books as
Jacqui Dempster qualified as a solicitor in 1999 but now works as a malpractice investigator for an education and qualifications organisation. She lives in Dunfermline, Fife, with partner, Andrew, and various ‘borrowed’ doggies who visit regularly. Jacqui loves dogs, especially Jack Russell Terriers and thinks if they ruled the world, it would be a better place! The doggy motifs on the cover of her books represent Dug and Buddy who belong to the characters, Shuggie and PJ. Dug is based on Jacqui’s own beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Smudge, and her grandpup, Gus, both of whom have sadly passed over the Rainbow Bridge.
Jacqui loves theatre and ran performing arts schools for young people in Fife. She produced and directed various shows at the Edinburgh Fringe. When not either working or writing, she loves to paint and crochet, and of course, read books.
Her first children’s book in this series, PJ and the Paranormal Pursuers– The Mackenzie Poltergeist, was published by The Book Guild in 2021.
Jacqui explains: “The supernatural has featured in my life since I was young, with a grandfather who saw ghosts regularly and other members of the family, on my Welsh side, having strange experiences and even dabbling in magic! I studied on the Edinburgh University Koestler Parapsychology course to learn about the science of the Paranormal. I have also been on a few ghost investigations with mixed results.
I live in Fife nowadays and often visit the beautiful towns and villages within the county. Fife was one of the famous areas where ‘witches’ were persecuted, and the story of the Pitteweem Witches is particularly well known. In my book, the story is told for a younger reader involving a contemporary allegory about one of the young characters, Freya, who is a Wiccan. The subject of Scotland’s witches came up in 2022, when an apology was issued by the then First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon to those persecuted, tortured and executed, and MSPs were invited to consider legislation to pardon them.
I enjoy writing about various places we’ve visited, and especially about any with spooky stories attached on my Medium Daily Digest blog.”
Jacqui loves history and enjoys embracing fact with fiction in her books which she hopes encourages not only a love of reading in young people but also the desire to learn about events of the past which often influence the present and the future.
Book Title: The Finding Author: Jane Hunt Publication Date: January 7th, 2025 Publisher: Historium Press Pages: 85 Genre: Historical Fiction
This poignant novella is a tale of forbidden love, resilience, and the human cost of war.
In the quiet fields of Wiltshire during World War II, Eveline, a sheltered young woman, stumbles upon a life-altering discovery: a German Luftwaffe pilot, Fritz, has crash-landed near her home. Against the backdrop of war and suspicion, her family takes the injured man in, nursing him back to health. Beneath his reserved demeanor and burned body, Eveline senses a mystery—and something stirs an unfamiliar longing within her.
As Eveline’s infatuation deepens, she faces a storm of challenges: her overbearing mother’s rigid rules, a zealous preacher’s warnings, and the scrutiny of the town’s gossips. Despite Fritz’s attempts to keep her at arm’s length Eveline’s heart defies reason, falling for the man branded as her enemy.
But Fritz harbors secrets that could shatter Eveline’s fragile world. When the truths of war and the weight of loyalty collide, Eveline must confront the reality of loving someone forbidden.
Will their bond endure the hostility of a nation at war? Or will the scars of betrayal and loss prove impossible to heal?
Born in Reading UK, Jane grew up with a love of reading. She remembers taking Enid Blyton books to bed and reading them under the covers when she should have been asleep! Her love of the written word extended into the classroom where the teachers commented on her vivid imagination and length of stories—probably accompanied with a few sights when they realized the amount of time the reading would take!
On leaving school Jane spent a brief spell at college before finding employment as a Dental Nurse where she spent many happy years meeting lots of wonderful people and mixing lots of fillings. After meeting her husband, she later went on to have three children and found work as a Teaching Assistant.
Alongside a busy life, she completed a comprehensive writing course, which saw her having non-fiction work published in newspapers and magazines. But the desire to do something ‘creative’ burned ever brightly. Having recently undertaken a lot of research into her family tree, a desire to find out what life was really like for her ancestors took hold, and she developed a fascination with World War II. Heeding the advice of her late parents to ‘put pen to paper’, she decided to get a story that had been buzzing in her head for quit some time written.
The result of her endeavour was a very ‘raw’ manuscript: The Finding. With some professional help—thank you, Dee, the story evolved into a book—something she still can’t quite believe!
This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions to celebrate the release day of ONLY IN SEPTEMBER by Cynthia Flowers. Cynthia will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
When Jacqueline follows her trusty Labrador Bailey down a hidden path to the beach, she’s unaware that her vacation plans on a small island off the New England coast has already taken her life in a new direction. Running into an unassuming local beach comber stirs new thoughts, desires, and a self-determination she never knew she possessed. Jacqueline will need to trust her instincts and make the most of what fate has in store if she wants the future that, until now, she has only dared to dream of.
Read an Excerpt
The ferry was taking its sweet time making its way to Block Island.
Time is the ultimate dictator. Where did I hear that? I couldn’t have just come up with that one on my own.
Jacqueline French grabbed one of the last outside seats on the Block Island Ferry. It had only left Point Judith, RI, ten minutes ago, but for her, it seemed like ten hours ago. This would be her fourth September visiting this tiny tear drop-shaped island nestled between the south coast of Rhode Island and Montauk Point, located at the eastern tip of the south fork of Long Island, New York.
She always preferred visiting Block Island this time of year, after many of the Labor Day vacation stragglers dispersed and the kids were back at school. Although there were still a fair number of visitors, the din of racing mopeds was confined mostly to the weekends. Thanks to Michael, who she met on her first trip to Block Island, she came to know virtually every back road and trail on this seven-mile-long by three-mile-wide island. Beyond its beauty, Jacqueline’s deeper connection with the island was its shape. She shed many tears lately over the fate of her marriage and the direction her life had taken.
She always brought Bailey, her chocolate Labrador retriever, on her September sojourns to Block Island. Bailey enjoyed seeing the seals every year, and they seemed curious about her. But Bailey had become too arthritic to make the trip this year.
About the Author: Cynthia Flowers, a recently retired advertising professional, now grant writer, resides with her husband and four-year old Labrador named Eddie, at their “sanctuary” in Upstate New York, Although previously published, this is Cynthia’s first book of fiction. Early on in grade school, Cynthia looked forward to creative writing class and enjoyed reading her stories aloud to her eager classmates.
Book Title: White Feathers Series: White Feathers, Book #1 Author: Susan Lanigan Publication Date: 21/3/2025 Publisher: Idée Fixe Press Pages: 398 Genre: Historical Fiction
“Anti-war and anti-patriarchy without ever saying so – a bravura performance of effortless elegance” – Irish Echo in Australia
SHORTLISTED FOR THE ROMANTIC NOVEL OF THE YEAR AWARD 2015
In 1913, Irish emigrée Eva Downey receives a bequest from an elderly suffragette to attend a finishing school. There she finds friendship and, eventually, love. But when war looms and he refuses to enlist, Eva is under family and social pressure to give the man she loves a white feather of cowardice. The decision she eventually makes will have lasting consequences for her and everyone around her.
Journey with Eva as she battles through a hostile social order and endeavours to resist it at every turn.
Do you have a favorite time period to write about? If so, why?
Well, all my books are set in or around WWI to the 1920s. I think it was a time of great change and the instigator of a lot of the conflict we are seeing today. I recently had a flash fiction piece published which was set in Gaza and was a timeslip narrative where the souls of the dead in the Gaza War Cemetery were released from the bodies after a 2024 Israeli bombing raid. There were three battles in Gaza during WWI so it has a history of being attacked, though never to the extent that it is now.
I like that period of change and flux, where the old social norms were beginning to crumble but there were no conventions to take their place. The values held in society then were inflexible, but they crumbled under the reality of the war, with millions of men dead or shell-shocked, unable to “pull themselves together” and women out working in factories and white collar locations. The White Feather movement is an attempt to hark back to that era, but while it worked in 1914, it would probably never do so again.
Writers sometimes have furry, feathered, or scaled helpers. Do you have a writing companion?
I have recently bought myself an emotional support plant, a variety of cactus, which I sometimes bring into the office when working at my day job or on the windowsill when writing. I had the plant and a lit candle the day after Donald Trump got elected and I still found it hard to concentrate!
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?
In 2023 I was off work due to cancer treatment (I have made a full recovery since) and I discovered London Writers Salon. Four times a day, they hold Zoom sessions for writers in different time zones where you have 50 minutes to write. The routine really helped me during a time when the normal rhythms of life changed. At the moment I am trying to get books either traditionally published or self-published so my output is slowing down as there is a backlog of books to get out the door!
Did anyone give you writing advice when you were first getting started? Do you think it helped?
I honestly think you learn by doing. That’s how I’ve learned everything I’ve mastered to any degree. I remember reading Elective Affinities by Goethe, which was a German romantic Novelle, a very strict form of the novel. I saw how Goethe organised the plot and introduced new characters, very unsubtly. I also read a lot of Maeve Binchy and was really impressed by how she handles dramatic dialogue and ends scenes and chapters.
What is the scariest thing you face as a writer? How do you handle it?
I’ve already faced it. In 2014, White Feathers got (unfairly, in my view) trashed in a national newspaper.It was my debut novel, and I got stigmatised in the writing community as a result. Authors will murder their granny to avoid getting bad reviews and don’t believe anything you hear to the contrary. And proximity to public bad reviews is pretty much like review covid. People don’t want to be linked to you. As for the reviewer, she eventually launched her own successful career as a novelist.
One thing I’m loving about the second time around is that even though the sales are negligible, the reviews are absolutely beautiful and confirm that releasing this novel now, at a time of great turmoil (like WWI) is heart-work and spiritually important.
I suppose my second great fear arises from my first one. I’ve seen many, many writers who have crashed and burned on their first novel and never got the opportunity to make a second approach to the publishing world, no matter how much and how well they wrote. But I had to come to terms with that possibility, as corrosive resentment is not something I wish to hold in my body after the rigours of chemo and radiotherapy. Over the last year I’ve found a lot of peace and freedom after a turbulent time, and I choose joy. Even here and now.
What do you think is the most important thing to remember when following your dreams?
That if the dream goes sour, you need allies and comforters. My advice is have a good therapist on stand-by and a day job. And endeavour to separate the joy of completing the work from the grief that might come from publishing world failure. I’ve grieved a lot over writing failure. But that part of my life is now over.
Does your family support your writing?
Yes, but I don’t need too much in terms of support. I have the hour in the morning to write during school run, which is very much appreciated. I work full-time in the IT department of a large logistics company and so I do not have any financial anxiety tied to writing.
Author Bio:
Susan Lanigan’s first novel White Feathers, a tale of passion, betrayal and war, was selected as one of the final ten in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2013, and published in 2014 by Brandon Books. The book won critical acclaim and was shortlisted for the UK Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2015. This edition is a reissue with a new cover and foreword.
Her second novel, Lucia’s War, also concerning WWI as well as race, music and motherhood, was published in June 2020 and has been named as the Coffee Pot Book Club Honourable Mention in the Modern Historical Book of the Year Award.
Susan lives by the sea near Cork, Ireland, with her family.
Book: The Tudor Queens’ Midwife Series: The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, Book 1 Author: Brigitte Barnard Publication Date: January 3rd, 2025 Publisher: independently published Pages: 299 Genre: Historical Fiction / Tudor Fiction
In the glamorous, glittering and dangerous court of king Henry VIII and his queen Katherine of Aragon, the desperate desire for a healthy male heir overshadows all. Plagued by a series of miscarriages the queen is left grappling with the weight of her singular duty to provide a son for the Crown. Amidst this turmoil the queen turns to Sarah Menendez, the most highly skilled midwife in England. Sarah, exiled from her homeland and concealing her true identity must serve the queen and battle her deepest fears. As Sarah strives to save the queen from the perils of childbirth, the specter of her own past threatens to unravel the carefully crafted identity Sarah has created for herself and her young daughter.
In a world where power, politics and religion collide, Sarah finds herself entangled in a web of intrigue and deadly danger. The fate of the queen’s unborn child, the survival of the midwife and her daughter, and the stability of the kingdom hang in the balance. Sarah Menendez must employ all of her skills, cunning and courage to protect those she holds dear as well as the life of the queen and her unborn child.
The Tudor Queens’ Midwife is a gripping tale of secrecy, sacrifice and religious turmoil amongst the most opulent court the world has ever seen.
Do you tend to read the same genre you write? I definitely read the same genre that I write, but not exclusively.
Do you have a favorite time period to write about? If so, why? My favorite time period is the Tudor era, which is why I am also writing about it.
Writers sometimes have furry, feathered, or scaled helpers. Do you have a writing companion? My writing companions are my dogs. They are Cavalier King Charles spaniels and extremely attached to me. They are draped across my lap and I am surrounded on all sides by them! It makes getting up very challenging.
How long have you been writing, and how long did it take before your first book was published? I have been writing only a couple of years. I am very happy to have made many fans and have received a book contract with Pen and Sword Publishing. My first published book was in January 2025.
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 am pretty disciplined about my writing. I write every day, for as long as possible. Some days I might write eight hours and some days maybe only a couple, it depends on what else is happening in my life on any particular day.
If you could pick your top 3 favorite books of all time, what would they be? My favorite books are all by Colette. The first is my favorite and it is called Sido / My Mother’s House. Second choice is actually a trilogy called Claudine.
Author Bio:
Brigitte Barnard is an amateur historian of Renaissance English history and an author of the trilogy The Tudor Queens’ Midwife, of which the first book in the series is available. She is currently writing a non-fiction book about Tudor midwifery for Pen and Sword publishing house.
Brigitte is a former homebirth midwife, and she lives at home with her husband and four children. She also raises Cavalier King Charles spaniels.
Raising the Dead is the journey of a naive young woman who grows to maturity through the love and mentoring of friends, both living and dead…
Title: Raising the Dead
Author: Jayne Lisbeth
Pages: 330
Genre: Coming of Age/Ghost Fiction/Mystery/Supernatural/Women’s Friendship
Jayne Lisbeth’s second novel, Raising the Dead, is a coming of age book which delves into the importance of friendship between women and men, strangers and spirits.
Raising the Dead, bookmarked in the year 1979, is the exploration of a young bride’s struggle towards maturity and overcoming the depths of grief. Ms. Lisbeth’s beautiful, poetic prose weaves history, love, friendship, reading, culinary arts, crafts and the beauty of nature into the development of Emeline, the protagonist of this remarkable work.
Synopsis:
Emeline, a new bride, has been transported from her beloved home in the California Delta by her husband with their move to his mother’s home city, Charles Town, in Virginia. Marooned in grief after the deaths of her beloved parents. a mysterious elderly woman, Felicity, befriends her. Through Felicity Emeline learns to love reading, cooking. She also becomes confident enough to reach out to others and form new friendships. Felicity teaches Emeline the craft of chair caning, which becomes a lucrative enterprise which further assists Emeline in her search for independence and maturity. When Emeline is most dependent on Felicity her friend mysteriously disappears. With the assistance of her new-found friends Emeline searches and discovers for her lost friend. Through the love of friendship, her husband and her friends assist Emeline in her search for Felicity, Emeline’s mentor and “other mother,” Emeline discovers a frightening spiritual reality which uplifts her in unimaginable ways. Through friendship she learns the value of love and the enduring spirit of those who have touched her life, even if they are no longer among the living.
Raising the Dead is a mystery to be unearthed by the reader in these poetic pages. Loveable and quirky characters, both living and dead, entrance and entertain. Reviewers of Raising the Dead “can’t put this book down” until they discover how and where Emeline finds her dear friend. Emeline’s friendships, the development of her relationship with her husband and her search for Felicity help this young bride to move into her future. Emeline is a beloved heroine worthy of the most sophisticated and avid readers.
Em breathed in the scent of fresh towels. “Smells like the delta, doesn’t it? Remember how pretty our farm was?” The look that Randy dreaded returned to her eyes.
“It’s going to be alright, Em. I promise. This is a new life for us. This was a good move. We’ll be happy here, you’ll see.” He stepped over the cats and left the little bathroom to retrieve more boxes from the truck.
At the moment, the large obstacle in his mind was not just Em’s continuing sorrow and lack of enthusiasm, but her meeting with Margret. He knew his mother could be difficult and her overwhelming love of Randy could be territorial. Randy hoped his mom would see past Em’s timidity which could make her seem standoffish and cold. He hoped his mom wouldn’t take Em’s timidity the wrong way. On the other hand, he hoped Em wouldn’t blow up over some off-hand innocent remark his mom might make. He had a vague feeling of unease, knowing the two most important women in his life could change in a heartbeat from sweet to sour. He wanted everyone to see Em the way he did: his pretty little bride of two years, with blond curls, violet eyes, curvy body and sweet demeanor. He wished Em could see the good in herself, the essence of who she was, rather than the ignorant delta girl she believed herself to be.
This is a good move, definitely, he reminded himself with each box he unloaded. What could go wrong? They had everything they needed. They had each other. The future looked as bright as any dream he had hoped for in his life with Emeline.
– Excerpted from Raising the Dead by Jayne Lisbeth, Austin Macauley, London, UK, 2023. Reprinted with permission.
About the Author
Jayne Lisbeth was born in NYC and continued her life’s journey from Long Island, to New Jersey, Massachusetts, Vermont, California and Tampa, all places featured prominently in her writing. Her first book, a memoir, Writing In Wet Cement has been published internationally by London based publisher, Austin Macauley. Jayne’s second book, Raising the Dead, a work of historical fiction, mystery, friendship and the supernatural, was published in 2023, also by Austin Macauley. Ms. Lisbeth publishes monthly “Food for Thought” blogs on her website, Jaynelisbeth.com. Her “Food for Thought” blogs are based on her reflections of life, friendship, love, and topical subjects of interest. Ms. Lisbeth’s non-fiction, poetry, and short stories have been published from Vermont to California to Tampa, Florida where she has received awards at the local level. She has been published locally in Pages of Our Life, volumes I and II which is currently part of the USF, Tampa, Geriartic Studies Programs. Ms. Lisbeth’s short stories have been published in the LEC Phoenix Anthologies, 2015-2023. Jayne’s interests include writing, reading, exploring, traveling, calligraphy, gravestone rubbing, entertaining and cooking. Jayne’s author’s website is Jaynelisbeth.com. Ms. Lisbeth and her artist husband, Tim Gibbons, are the owners and founders of Funky As A Monkey Art Studio, providing art in public places and launching new and emerging artists in exhibiting their art.
Book: Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon Author: Helen Hollick with Kathy Hollick Publication Date: 27th February 2025 Publisher: Taw River Press Pages: 201 Genre: Non-Fiction (with a bonus of two short stories)
Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not.
You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned and the myth that ghosts are to be feared is realised as nonsense.
It is a matter for individual consideration whether you believe in ghosts or not, but for those who have the gift to see, hear or be aware of people from the past, meeting with them in today’s environment can generate a connection to years gone by. Kathy and Helen Hollick have come across several such departed souls in and around North Devon and at their 18th-century home, which they share with several ‘past residents’.
In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared.
Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy this beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history… and a few of its ghosts.
(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)
cover design: Avalon Graphics cover artwork: Chris Collingwood
Almost everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile and frightening. An assumption perpetuated by intentionally scary stories, religious taboo, movies and TV docu-drama ‘haunted house’ shows. Non-believers – in many cases, correctly – maintain that supernatural experiences are caused by hallucinations of various kinds, the brain visualising something odd into something explainable. But there does not seem to be any explanation for the same ‘ghosts’ being seen in the same place at different times by different people. And actually, the majority of souls that are encountered by genuine Mediums and Spiritualists are not nasty spooks out to scare us. It’s about time that the Hallowe’en image of fear and superstition was firmly set aside. Most ghosts are non-threatening, friendly and indifferent to our presence – or even as unaware of us as most of us are of them.
Kathy was nine when she first mentioned ‘something odd’. We were at a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings at the English Heritage site of Battle Abbey in Sussex where I was researching the history of 1066 for my novel. (Harold the King UK title / I Am The Chosen King US title.) She asked why one of the men was not getting up like the other re-enactors, and when would they remove the dead horse? I made some non-committal answer, but began to wonder when she made the same comments, pointing to the same spots at events in successive years, one of which had no horses in the organised display. As an adult Kathy saw the same ‘bodies’ on our last visit in 2012. She knows exactly where King Harold II fell. (English Heritage have got it wrong.)
Find out more – and meet a few ghosts – in Ghost Encounters: The Lingering Spirits of North Devon
About the Authors:
ABOUT HELEN HOLLICK
Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur.
In addition to her historical fiction, Helen has written several short stories, further exploring themes of historical adventure or the supernatural with her signature style. Whether dealing with the echoes of the past or the weight of lost souls, her stories are as compelling as they are convincing. Through her work, she invites readers into a world where the past never truly lets us go.
Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which, The Forever Queen (USA title – A Hollow Crown in the UK) became a USA Today best-seller. Her Sea Witch Voyages are nautical-based adventures inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.
Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book…
ABOUT KATHY HOLLICK
Diagnosed as severely dyslexic when she was ten, Helen pulled Kathy out of school at fifteen to concentrate on everything equine.
When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy’s passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had her own Welsh pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training. EFT, or ‘tapping’, uses the body’s pressure points to aid calm relaxation and to promote gentle healing around emotional, mental or physical issues.
Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals.
She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown.
Standing up for magíq means the world stands against you.
Call Forth the Moonlight:
A Magíqon’s Guide to Gryphon Liberation
by Z.M. Celestaire
Genre: LGBTQ Ecopunk Fantasy Romance
Deubrise is a land blessed by the breath of the slumbering gods. Magíq lives within nature, powerful and beautiful. Few else can harness it besides the gryphons that reside in the mountains near Nico De Falco’s home, and the rare magíqon like Nico’s little sister. But magíqon are shunned and feared by modern society.
To protect himself from such treatment, Dr. Ackerleigh Sebring keeps his magíq a secret. Yet his “radical” teachings of magíqal history gets him fired from Ravensbourne University. Desperate, he finds a gamekeeper job caring for an imprisoned gryphon. Finally, he can be his whole self.
That is, until Nico follows a misguided impulse and frees the gryphon, injuring Ackerleigh accidentally.
Their fates—and feelings—become entangled in their determination to protect the sacred magíq of the gryphon. Ackerleigh and Nico will stop at nothing for the sake of liberation.
**Order direct from the author and get extra goodies!**
Z.M. (they/them) is a writer, artist, and therapist. Writing and art have been a hobby for some twenty years now since they were a goofy little middle schooler. Z.M. grew up devouring urban fantasy authors like Charles De Lint, Holly Black, and Patricia C. Wrede. Z.M. lives in Saint Paul with their spouse, human child, and fur children.
A public war between a governor and a theme park lights the fuse on a story of hate groups, murder, corruption, racism, and political espionage.
Ex-cop turned theme-park cab driver Lyle Deming finds the body of a park visitor during an LGBTQ event. The dead man catered gay weddings. Was it a hate crime?
Arizona governor Rod Gudgel, running for reelection, calls it a random shooting. He mocks Nostalgia City theme park for its inclusiveness, uses homophobic and racist slurs, and later challenges the safety of its rides.
Park CEO, “Max” Maxwell lambasts the governor’s prejudice and insensitivity, and the fight is on—in public and undercover. Maxwell drafts Lyle to investigate the murder while Kate Sorensen, his 6’-2½” public affairs VP, goes on the offensive in the media.
When an assault rifle attack kills and injures park employees demonstrating for gay rights at a Gudgel campaign office, Nostalgia City mourns, and Kate slams the governor’s unsympathetic response to the slaughter. While the FBI and sheriff’s deputies investigate the crime, the governor redoubles his efforts to regulate the park out of business.
Looking for a shooting suspect, Lyle gets a little too close to an armed hate group—with a possible connection to the governor. His lady friend Kate flies to Montana where she digs into the governor’s unseemly past uncovering a trail of malfeasance dating back two decades and arousing Gudgel allies who want to stop her at all cost.
With Lyle’s wry humor and Kate’s stick-to-itiveness the story moves quickly as mysteries and subplots multiply and loop together threatening the park, their relationship, and their lives.
Excerpt
April 5
Kate heard popping sounds and almost simultaneous screams. Bullets crashed through picket signs, crashed through windows, crashed through flesh.
Seconds before, she’d passed a line of gay rights demonstrators marching in front of Governor Gudgel’s new Polk campaign headquarters. When Kate walked into the office, the shooting began.
She dropped to the floor as the storefront picture window shattered and a coffee machine at the back of the room exploded. Somewhere in Kate’s mind, terror mixed with split-second knowledge that the prospect of being shot by a lunatic with an assault weapon had become part of American life. Would this be her final thought?
The shots continued rapidly, pop, pop, pop, one after another. Then stopped.
Kate stayed glued to the floor, along with the half dozen office workers. She listened. Sounds eerily similar to moans from the park’s zombie ride drifted in through the broken window. More than a minute without gunfire passed before she dared to raise up on hands and knees, keeping her head low. A man in the corner held his arm, attempting to staunch the blood that soaked his sleeve. Kate’s first impulse was to crawl over to him, but two other people, crouching low, inched to him with towels to stop the bleeding. After another frozen minute, a siren.
When a chorus of sirens sounded, Kate raised up enough to peer through the splintered window out to the street. A sheriff’s car skidded to a stop. Its doors flew open. Two deputies, one armed with a semi-automatic rifle, jumped out and scanned the surrounding buildings. Across the street more black and whites arrived. Uniformed officers dashed up and down the opposite sidewalk.
An ambulance braked to a stop. EMTs leaped out carrying gear. Kate stood up and took tentative steps to the door, her senses on hair-trigger alert.
She stepped outside, gagged, and turned away. Three of the LGBTQ picketers and a sheriff’s deputy lay on the ground, surrounded by blood.
About the Author
My first three mysteries were published by Black Opal Books with my debut novel earning recommendation from the American Library Association.
I started writing mysteries after a writing career in journalism and marketing. Prior to my novels, Ether Books of the UK published a collection of my flash fiction mysteries and many of my shorts have been published in online literary magazines. During my business career I wrote two books for John Wiley and Sons, one of which was a Library Journal Best Business Book of the Year. I have an MA in journalism and a golden retriever.
I write the kind of mysteries I like to read. I appreciate stories with twists, turns, and puzzles which appeal to the head. But I also like a mystery that appeals to the heart with a fast pace and challenges and threats that put the protagonists in peril.
