Tag Archive | fiction

Meet Gabriel Constans!

Jul31

Please welcome Gabriel Constans to my blog. Nice to see you on my blog, Gabriel.

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

I’ve written for newspapers, magazines, and websites, as a freelance journalist for years and then in the last 20 years started writing short stories, novels, nonfiction books and screenplays. I keep learning all the time.

Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

Writing’s been a part of my life since being a teenager and starting an other newspaper at the high school I attended, but then didn’t write much for 15 years, until encouraged to write again by my wife.

How difficult was it writing your first book?

Writing my first book was not too difficult, as it was a fictional YA book based on a real experience with a mother who was in hospice and her children.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

No. I’ve wanted to try different genres and outlets, which I’ve done.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

As mentioned previously, my wife. Not only has she encouraged me from the beginning, but she is also honest with her feedback and provides space and time for me to write.

Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Writing means so many things to so many of us. Sometimes I write stories to inform and inspire people. At other times it’s to entertain and be moved by the tale. And, at other moments it’s to externalize my experiences and have some objectivity to what has or is happening in my life.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Discover your passion, be consistent, and most of all, be kind.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

Presently, and for the last few years, my target audience has been for readers of romance.

Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

I was fortunate to collaborate with Jane Cornwell on the cover. She was the illustrator and designer.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

I have four screenplays in progress. One with some star actresses attached. They are each different. Taking excerpts from a screenplay doesn’t really work that well.

Any last words before we wrap things up?

Much appreciation to Mary for letting me participate in this interview and share it with others. Writing or not writing isn’t the end of the world. Losing hope, insight and connection with others are the real challenges.

Bio: My most recent sapphic romance, The Last Conception, was both a novel and a romcom film (which is now playing around the world). Other works include Buddha’s Wife, and Saint Catherine’s Baby.

Author Page: https://tinyurl.com/53vyrwe2

Website: www.gogabriel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gabriel.constans.7

Twitter: @GabrielConstans

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/133749.Gabriel_Constans

Amazon author page: https://tinyurl.com/53vyrwe2

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/constansgabriel/

A Woman Like Maria links:

Amazon Print: https://tinyurl.com/LikeMaria

Kindle: https://tinyurl.com/5x4f6cj5

Barnes & Noble: https://tinyurl.com/bd7dpynf

Apple: https://tinyurl.com/dxshwbsw

Smashwards: https://tinyurl.com/p7t6tuzw

Kobo: https://tinyurl.com/bdzktcka

Hotel Obscure

Jul27

Book Link:

From Amazon:

In a run-down neighborhood in an unnamed city, people live and die in “the Obscure.” Whether anyone remembers the real name of the derelict establishment is a mystery. In this six-story building, most who occupy the rooms are long-term residents, though some stay for as little as an hour.

The patronage is an eclectic group: musicians, writers, addicts, hookers, lonely people, poor people, rich people, once-well-off people, and those who have reason to hide from their former lives or to escape the demands of a disapproving and punishing society.

As shabby as the Obscure is, as long as its walls keep out the wind and the rain, it remains a shelter, a hideaway, and a home for the many bewildered souls. Hotel Obscure is a collection of seventeen short stories that all take place in or around the “the Obscure.”

While the stories stand alone, they are to be read in order. Some characters appear in multiple stories, and sometimes, a story will continue in an unexpected way. The Obscure is life. It is death. In the blink of an eye, it may appear supernatural. It is a place we all visit … whether metaphorically or physically, at least once in our time on Earth.

REVIEW from NY Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry: “Absolutely riveting. Lisette Brodey spins magic with HOTEL OBSCURE. Each story gives us a peek into the life of a collection of disparate characters. It’s the kind of storytelling that would appeal to Tom Waits, Charles Bukowski, or Leonard Cohen. It would also make one heck of a good anthology TV series. Brava!”

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: I write characters as I hear them speak to me. Some of these stories contain non-gratuitous expletives and sexual references. If this is not to your liking, please don’t read this book. Thank you.

My Review:


Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars Obscure yet not quite obscure Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2024

Verified Purchase

If you’ve read other books by this author, you must read this one. Please note: If you can not handle cursing and such, then don’t read it. If you’re okay with that, you will read a book full of twists and turns as you read each story in order, and I highly recommend this five-star read! Honestly, on the first story, I was not sure about what I was reading. By the end, I knew I was hooked. Do read each story in order. I write that because each successive story builds upon the one before it, yet you wouldn’t know how until you immerse yourself into each story. Hotel Obscure is riveting and emotional at the same time. I don’t like giving away too much of a book, but I’m compelled to remark about one aspect. That is identity theft and stalking. I could relate to this as I recently had a stalker who left me more than 700 notifications in a 12 hour span overnight. Stalkers are always a bad thing, and they can hurt a person easily if they speak with you in person and know where you live. I was anxious as I read about the stalker in Hotel Obscure, and I worried about the woman being stalked and having her identity stolen right before her eyes.

So This Happened…

Jun21

Book Link

I found a new review! I’ve been sitting at 92 for over a year. 93 my new number.

From Amazon:

After surviving the cruel rage of tyranny from her mother and ex-husband, Sarah Jackson traveled a new path; a journey of loss, heartbreak, and ultimately strength. How do we survive the unthinkable, our child suffering from a terminal illness? They say there is no greater loss than that of a child; I say losing a child is the king of loss. Sometimes the thing that helps us survive it, is knowing we are not alone. Bestselling author, Sarah Jackson, will take you on her journey of hope and strength as she provides an intimate raw look at her life.

New Review Number 93!

Top reviews from the United States

Lizzy

5.0 out of 5 stars A heartwrenching and important book

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2024

Verified Purchase

This book is a beautiful testament to a mother’s enduring love for her son, through the most unimaginable and heartbreaking circumstances.

I read this book over many days. There is a lot to digest on many levels.

Cancer is a brutal beast. It is gut-wrenching when an adult is diagnosed, but to be diagnosed at four, before his life had barely begun, is something impossible to understand.

The author, a registered nurse, was by her son’s side every step of the way. This book is a combination of many things: it is a woman’s journal (with many medical specifics), the story of a little boy (who loved water guns) and tried so very hard to carry on, the story of a woman fighting the imminent death of her son only to have an abusive husband (and mother) complicating and twisting her pain. It is also the author’s story of a blossoming love with a good man, who was steadfastly by her side, counteracting the sorrows, grief, and abuse as well as any mortal can.

In this book, the author mentions that after her son’s death, she was told by many that she should be “over it by now.” That hit me hard, as this is something I have not only personally dealt with, but seen many grieving human beings slimed with the same inappropriate and horrific commentary. We all have a right to feel what we feel and to grieve as we do. In reading this book, I hope that having journaled this sad transition from life to Heaven, that some comfort is given.

This was not an easy book to read, but an important one. I believe each reader will take from it what they most need to know. A brave and important book.


Long Lost Lies

Jun18

Book Link

From Amazon:

Alexa’s younger sister, Natalyn, is accused of murdering her boss, and why not? Jacob Burnley is found stabbed to death in Natalyn’s bed the morning after an office party. Because of this current chaos in Alexa’s life, Winnie is forced to take her place and travel to 1958 with Detective Slater for his next rookie Guardian Angel case. Before too long, Alexa finds herself entangled in a tricky situation: what could happen if her fiancé, Cliff Slater, a detective from the current century, would investigate the same murder as his grandfather, Clifton Slater, a detective from the previous century? Moreover, what would happen if said investigations were happening simultaneously? What kind of cross-interference could erupt on either side of time? What would that look like? Worlds collide, justice for a murdered girl hangs in the balance, and only time will tell.

My Review:

This book did not disappoint! I’ve read the other four books, and this was the best one yet. What happens when you toss together two detectives, a few women, several lawyers, more than one murder, and time traveling with guardian ghosts who take you back in time, never mind you can’t do anything to change history so you must tread carefully as you investigate a cold case with a woman from the current day? A lot can happen! This book Has all of that and more. Five shiny gold stars.

DRAWN APART 

Jun6

Book Link

From Amazon:

When Avalon Martelli and Stephanie Lambert meet at the start of their junior year at Mystekal High, they form an instant connection. Stephanie is from South Jersey and Avalon from North Jersey, and they both feel out of place in the Southern California desert.

Aside from having a home state in common, they each possess a talent for art and the heartbreak of a broken family. Avalon has the gift of sight, where the future is sometimes revealed in her paintings, while Stephanie’s drawings are all about forever love. As Stephanie, a self-described poetry geek and hopeless romantic, talks about past lives and eternal happiness, Avalon denies she’s in love with her best guy friend, River Dalworth, who is attending art school in Los Angeles.

Only weeks before graduation, Stephanie is in a car accident and falls into a coma. Devastated, Avalon believes it is all her fault. The night before, she had painted Stephanie with her head against the steering wheel—and hadn’t told her. She confides this to River, who has come home to be with her, but he can’t convince her she’s not to blame. Avalon loudly proclaims to the universe that she no longer wants her gift, but River warns her she may receive another one in its place.

Avalon and her family, along with Stephanie’s mother, pray for a miracle. River tries to console her, but she finds his presence difficult, knowing he has someone else who “just might be the one.” Trying to push her own pain and disappointment aside, Avalon keeps vigil for her best friend, hoping that Stephanie will wake up and have her greatest wish fulfilled— the meeting of her soul mate.

My Review:


Mary Schmidt

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique storyReviewed in the United States on June 6, 2024

Verified Purchase

Well, this was certainly a unique story for me. I’ve not read books one or two, but this book was fine as a stand-alone story. Some people in real life have super powers of sorts. They tend to be highly creative as well. That is just a touch of the surprises found within. I love a good love story with ones soulmate, and this book has more than one pair of soulmates. Tears are shed and misunderstandings happen, sad endings happen yet new beginnings occur. Avalon and Stephanie both know their soulmates, and a struggle occurs for each couple. Mixed into all of this are beautiful and meaningful poetry. This book is actually a book of prose poetry in how the relationships mesh and how amazing each one who has a special ability comes to the forefront. I believe that some people are this way in real life. Avvie and Riv, Steph and Theo, are two sets of soulmates, despite the perceived angst among them in not believing that one person loves another, and misunderstanding arises. Five shiny gold stars.

Mollie McQueen is NOT Ruining Christmas

May30

Book Link

From Amazon:

Mollie is back for Christmas!
“Be naughty and save Santa a trip. It’s better for the planet…”

There was little over a week to go until Christmas Day, but Mollie McQueen hadn’t sent a single card. She hadn’t purchased one gift, and she hadn’t decked the halls with anything other than mountains of wet laundry.

Usually, come the first of December, the McQueen house resembled Santa’s grotto. Stockings would hang from the fireplace, his and hers advent calendars would be propped up on the mantlepiece, and the two sparkly polar bears bought by Mollie’s mother would stand proudly on the windowsill.

This year, all was quiet on the Christmas front. The door was missing its usual wreath, the sprig of mistletoe was absent from the hallway, and the alcove in the living room was minus the retro tree that Mollie normally insisted on rolling out on the first day of December.

When Mollie first announced her plans to strip Christmas back to basics, she received nothing but negative feedback. Max accused her of trying to ruin Christmas, Margot advised her to chuck back a daily vitamin D pill in a bid to rediscover her Christmas spirit, and Mrs Heckles had taken to singing Christmas carols through Mollie’s letterbox.

Despite their grumbling, Mollie was determined to prove to everyone that you could enjoy Christmas without falling victim to the endless marketing campaigns that emotionally blackmailed you into purchasing unnecessary gifts for people who would rather have a pack of socks and a slice of Yule log.

With her no-Christmas Christmas amassing quite the guestlist, Mollie had an almighty task on her hands.

Can she convince her nearest and dearest that the true meaning of Christmas had nothing to do with expensive gifts and garish decorations?

One thing’s for sure, Mollie McQueen is NOT Ruining Christmas.

My Review:

This book is funny. Hilarious, actually. Mollie decides to make Christmas all about the reason for the season and helping less fortunate people through actual working for free, while all the while bringing the true and best of any Christmas come to be. Never mind the kooky homemade gifts Mollie made, or tossing beans into mashed potatoes, but Mollie has everyone worried about what they will eat and the gift giving doesn’t line up with past years. Decorations are off the table and slowly but surely, time happens, and the true sense of the best Christmas ever happens.

Dark Descendents

May22

Please welcome Stacey Pierson to my blog this morning. Good morning, Stacey! I’m glad you were able to join us today. Shall we have a chat?  

  1. Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

I’m Stacey L. Pierson. I am a horror writer living in Louisiana. By day I take notes and door dash, by night I write.

  1. Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

For me writing has always been my escape and the one thing I constantly had morning, noon, and night. I was a military brat, so moving around it was hard to keep friendships. But I never lost and made friends with the characters I created in wild adventures I put them through.

  1. How difficult was it writing your first book?

With Vale, my YA bayou murder mystery I rewrote it 17 times. I didn’t have the voice for a long time until one day I placed a new character into it. Dark Descendants, my Creole Island horror, I knew what was happening with every key stroke. And my third not yet out Static, had it own floe. I was just riding the waves.

  • Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

Oh yeah. I love twisting tropes in everything I write. When it came to finding my novels homes, it was hard. With every query, I felt I was taking a few steps back when someone said that what I was writing was too different. I wanted to quit, but didn’t because if I love the idea, then someone out there will too.

  • Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

My parents for sure. They are the best when it comes to beta reading and tossing ideas out. They have never had a problem telling this or that could be better, work on this, and I am blown away I forgot I was reading your word. And always telling how proud and howe much they love me.

  1. Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Get through the first chapter. Lean into the characters words, and more importantly remember you are not in control when you fall for the words. And enjoy the ride because things are going to get bumpy with my stories. But fun.

  1. What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Look at everything like a reader. Would you read that book? Would you read that type of story? If yes, then write it because if you love it, then others will too. And the person who told me this is my mom.

  1. What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

I love horror. I want to have horror readers on the edge of their chairs like they are watching a movie. But I also love good thrillers. I want thriller readers to find the thrill inside the lines between the horror. It may be hidden but it’s there. I love the aspect of my writing, always asking the question what if in everything chapter. You never know where and how far I will write a character and scene.

  1. Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

For Dark Descendants I had a wonderful cover designer, A.A. Medina. All I did was mentioned a few things and let him take over. He buried the body in the right place with DD’s cover. Pure horror love.

  1. What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

I am working on a few things right now. But yes, I can share a line from one of them. It’s from my smalltown horror – “I might regret it in the end, but I am going to do everything I can to prove what I saw.”

  1. Any last words before we wrap things up?

When writing a fist draft, don’t worry how long it is, how many notes you write in the margins, or writing in caps PUT SOMETHING HERE…just get it done. Once you feel you have sone the best you can, print it off, and have a blast editing and adding all through it.

My poem, “My Little Dragonfly,” appeared in Collected Whispers, The International Library of Poetry, in 2008. My YA novel, Vale, was released by Darkstroke Publishing in July 2022, as was my haunting poetry, Carnival, which appeared in Abditory Literary Journal’s Issue One: Mirabilia. Dark Descendants, my Creole Island horror novel, was published by Anuci Press and came out in May. Static, a different kind of ghost story, will be released in October 2024.

Screenshot

Website – StaceyLPierson | Links to Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube – Linkr

 X – @SuperStacey318

Instagram/Threads – @superstacey318

Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/httpslinkrbiostaceylpierson

Amazon – https://a.co/d/cepODWB

B&N – Dark Descendants by Stacey L Pierson, Paperback | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)

Anuci Press – Dark Descendants | Anuci Press (anuci-press.com)

Meet Robin Burnage

May13

Please welcome Robin Burnage to my blog.

Hello Robin. It’s so nice to have you on my blog today. Shall we sit and have a chat about what’s going on in your writing life?

1. Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post.

Hi, my name is Robin Burnage, I live in Wales, UK and am delighted to have been asked to discuss my first novel ‘The Threat in the Atlantic’ which is book number eight in the series ‘The Merriman Chronicles’.

I know that sounds a bit weird, so probably need to clarify that the series was originally written by my late Father. He managed to write nine novels in total which I originally published for him. Sadly, he died in 2015 leaving some unfinished works and a plan for the series. Shortly before he passed, he asked me to continue the series.  

That brings back some difficult memories for sure, maybe for another interview.

2. Has writing always been part of your life and when did you “know” that it was time to start writing your first book?

Honestly no unless you can count business plans and marketing blurb for property sales and rentals. I always ‘knew’ I was destined to be self-employed, so writing that sort of thing just sort of flowed. That was in a previous professional life before I quit the rat race and bought a boat to live aboard.

There was a period when I was living on the yacht, that I passed some time writing the start of a crime series – about a nearly retired Police Inspector in The Metropolitan Police in London. I’ve got a few novels underway and a serious lead character with a grudge against the system. But to be fair, cruising around the Mediterranean, popping into Tavernas and mingling with yachties took up a lot of time and I was never that serious about getting them finished.  They are on the back burner whilst I concentrate on The Merriman Chronicles.

3. How difficult was it writing your first book?

It’s certainly been a long process. Just getting into the right place psychologically after my dad passed away was difficult enough. It took until the end of 2022 to get his last novel ‘The Fateful Voyage’ published.  I’m glad I did though, because it rekindled interest in the series, plus helped boost sales beyond anything we could have expected. I think this was a bit of a catalyst for me – a kick in the butt if you like – to get on with the next book.

The starting point was always obvious – pick up where Dad intended the next novel to start. From that point of view, I already had a subject matter and a protagonist in Captain Sir James Abel Merriman.  I also had his crew, a ship and a period of history already mapped out to start the next novel.

There were certainly difficulties in getting the feel of the book right. Like Dad’s but also maybe adding my own flavour. There are some new characters and hopefully a bit of fleshing out of existing ones, adding some more dimensions. I hope so anyway, that’s what I was aiming for.

4. Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you?

Many times… next question!

5. Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer?

Uncomfortable question, sorry but can we move on?

6. Anything specific you want to tell your readers?

Probably this book can be read as a standalone novel, but it’s much better to be acquainted with the series. Start with ‘A Certain Threat’ and work your way through it.

If you want a flavour of my Dad’s writing without committing to a series, then try ‘The Fateful Voyage’ which is currently not connected with the rest, other than the name Merriman. I’ve set it as book 38 in the series, so it will link up one day. But that means I have a lot of work to do!

7. What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom?

Oh gosh, just general stuff, I guess. Read lots, write lots. If you want to be an author, then you need to stuff your head with other people’s work.

Wear sunscreen – I forgot a couple of times when I was sailing and seriously burnt my nose. Being severely “tutted” at by an elderly French Pharmacist in Brittany was an experience I don’t want to repeat.

8. What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience?

OK, this should be obvious – Dad’s old readership audience. There are quite a few reviews on Amazon stating that the reader was sad the series ended. Well, guess what…. Merriman is back!  Hopefully I can gain my own following if – and it’s a big if – that ‘The Threat in the Atlantic’ hits the spot.

9. Did the cover evolve the same way, or did you work with someone to make it come together for you?

The cover? You mean the book cover?  Well, I worked with an amazing chap called Colin Baxter, a Marine Artist from the south of England.  I have followed his work for quite some time as he does beautiful paintings of the exact era the book is set. Think of HMS Victory and Admiral Nelson.  Anyway, I had messed around with AI which was a huge mistake, so decided that this next cover needed to be extra special.

We started with a scene from the book. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but it features HMS Thunder and The Hercule engaging in battle. I’ve now got the original painting hanging at home and limited edition signed prints are available which makes it so much more special.

Colin is on social media if you want to check out his other work:-

@ColinMBaxter

10. What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt?

I have a plan for the next book, but not ready to share too much yet. Besides it might spoil the ending of ‘The Threat in the Atlantic’.

11. Any last words before we wrap things up?

I think I would like to give encouragement to indie authors. It’s tough having to do everything – writing, editing, proofreading, publishing, promoting…… you know the list goes on. But…. I also know that it can be rewarding. Being “published” with an agent and traditional publisher isn’t always the best route to market. At least as a self-published author, you control your own destiny… sort of!

Bio:

Robin Burnage is a first-time author taking on the challenge of continuing his late father’s series “The Merriman Chronicles”. His debut novel “The Threat In The Atlantic” picks up the story of Captain James Merriman on his return from his mission in the Adriatic in 1810.

Previously a property professional (for which he does actually have recognised qualifications), sailing and travelling always had a greater pull than accounting and spreadsheets.

He sold his business in 2012, bought a yacht and headed off on a five-year adventure as a full time liveaboard sailor. He also then travelled through Europe in an old Land Rover and then a motorhome before settling back in bricks and mortar.

He currently lives in Wales overlooking sand dunes and the Irish Sea As always he is dreaming about his next adventure.

Links:

Amazon author pages: 

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robin-Burnage/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Robin-Burnage

Website:

https://www.merriman-chronicles.com/

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7419857.Robin_Burnage

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/MerrimanChronicles/

Twitter:

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/merriman1792/





West of Santillane

May8

Please welcome Brook Allen to my blog. Hello Brook. Please come and sit down for a chat this morning.

Please introduce yourself to those reading this blog post. It’s such a pleasure to be here, Mary! I write historical fiction and my goal with a novel is to immerse the reader within the period and create believable characters. I still have a day-job (sigh), but I hope to retire soon and devote myself to full-time WRITING! I love traveling, reading, and researching my next project, and snuggling with my black Labrador, Jak.

How difficult was it writing your first book? It took fifteen years to write the Antonius Trilogy. First off, I didn’t know what I was doing. Second, during that time, my aging parents needed caregiving, so Antonius took a backburner to everything. They were so supportive, and my dad read many of my drafts for Son of Rome. However, they passed on before I was ever able to publish the complete Trilogy.

Have you ever wanted to give up and what stopped you? Not getting traditionally pubbed has certainly given me pause, and lately, it seems that marketing a new book has become so much more difficult and frustrating. However, I believe in my work and I’m a stubborn old woman who refuses to give in.

Who is the most supportive of you and your dream to be a writer? Naturally, my husband has been SO supportive and even helps me problem-solve when I have plot-holes. However, NYT bestselling novelist Margaret George has become a very dear friend and has cheered me on every step of the way. She sees the positives in self-publishing when so many traditionally published authors do not. And more importantly, she doesn’t consider my work “less” than her own just because I am self-published. We have such a great relationship. I treasure her.

What is the best advice given to you (book or otherwise), and by whom? A scholarly man once told me, “Knowledge is never wasted.”. I’ve really taken that to heart with my researching process. I start researching six months ahead of starting to write, letting ideas and possibilities tumble through my mind. Then, once I begin writing, I’m STILL researching as I go. I find myself able to include jewels of information that pops up in certain scenes that I’d never considered adding. Knowing your stuff about the subject-matter associated with a project is integral to its success.

What is your target audience and what aspect of your writing do you feel targets that audience? I write for adult audiences who want to know something more about a historical character, or who might be fascinated by my book’s cover or back-cover blurb.

What are you working on now? Can we get a peek, an excerpt? I’ve just completed a new work: WEST OF SANTILLANE, the untold story of Julia Hancock. Julia married William Clark of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Most of the story takes place after the men return from the Pacific, and most people aren’t aware of what took place once they came home. Honestly, there was just as much drama going on as when they were traveling west. What’s more—Julia was in the middle of much of that drama. It was fascinating, getting to sort through letters and documents of Lewis & Clark—getting to handle them. There was a glut of fine information, and my heartfelt prayer is that I did the project justice. So far, it’s gotten rave reviews.

Any last words before we wrap things up? Go pick up WEST OF SANTILLANE! It will have its first promo during the week of May 13th, and the Kindle version will only be .99. It’s Julia’s story of adventure, forgiveness, and self-discovery.

       WEST OF SANTILLANE PRESS KIT

ISBN: 9781732958579

***For bulk retail shipments of books/print on demand: Ingram-Spark:

https://www.ingramspark.com/

CONTACT INFO:

            Brook Allen, Historical Fiction Author

            133 Piper Glen

            Blue Ridge, Virginia 24064

            (540)520-3479

            1brook.allen@gmail.com

                                                   CONNECT WITH BROOK

EMAIL: 1brook.allen@gmail.com

WEBSITE: https://www.brookallenauthor.com/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/1BrookAllen

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Historical.FictionWriter/photos/a.1921073788134240/274856848538 4762/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard?ref=nav_profile_authordash

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/brookallen54/

                                                            Brook Allen Bio

Author Brook Allen has a passion for history. Her newest project, West of Santillane spotlights history from a little closer to home. It’s the story of Julia Hancock, who married famed explorer, William Clark. Each character of this thrilling, adventurous period was researched throughout southwest Virginia and into Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Idaho, and North Dakota. It launches in March of 2024.

Brook belongs to the Historical Novel Society and attends conferences as often as possible to study craft and meet fellow authors. In 2019, her novel Antonius: Son of Rome won the Coffee Pot Book Club Book of the Year Award. In 2020, it was honored with a silver medal in the international Reader’s Favorite Book Reviewers Book Awards and then won First Place in the prestigious Chaucer Division in the Chanticleer International Book Awards, 2020.

Though she graduated from Asbury University with a B.A. in Music Education, Brook has always loved writing. She completed a Masters program at Hollins University with an emphasis in Ancient Roman studies, which helped prepare her for authoring her Antonius Trilogy. Brook teaches full-time as a Music Educator and works in a rural public-school district near Roanoke, Virginia. Her personal interests include travel, cycling, hiking in the woods, reading, and spending downtime with her husband and big, black dog, Jak. She lives in the heart of southwest Virginia in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains.

                                    West of Santillane Back Cover Blurb

Desperate to escape a mundane future as a Virginia planter’s wife, Julia Hancock seizes her chance for adventure when she wins the heart of American hero William Clark. Though her husband is the famed explorer, Julia embarks on her own thrilling and perilous journey of self-discovery.

With her gaze ever westward, Julia possesses a hunger for knowledge and a passion for helping others. She falls in love with Will’s strength and generous manner, but, like her parents, he is a slave owner, and Julia harbors strong opinions against slavery. Still, her love for Will wins out, though he remains unaware of her beliefs.

Julia finds St. Louis to be a rough town with few of the luxuries to which she is accustomed, harboring scandalous politicians and miscreants of all types. As her husband and his best friend, Meriwether Lewis, work to establish an American government and plan to publish their highly anticipated memoirs, Julia struggles to assume the roles of both wife and mother. She is also drawn into the plight of an Indian family desperate to return to their own lands and becomes an advocate for Will’s enslaved.

When political rivals cause trouble, Julia’s clandestine aid to the Indians and enslaved of St. Louis draws unwanted attention, placing her at odds with her husband. Danger cloaks itself in far too many ways, leading her to embrace the courage to save herself and others through a challenge of forgiveness that will either restore the love she shares with Will or end it forever.

                                                Where to buy the book

                          *Print copies are now on sale for $19.99.

Amazon.com

amzn.to/48KZn3N

Book No Further (Roanoke Market)

Botetourt County Historical Society & Museum

***For bulk shipments of books/print on demand: Ingram-Spark:

https://www.ingramspark.com/

I Just Found Out!

Apr22

PenCraft’s Spring Seasonal Book Awards

We are proud to announce that your book Christmas in Evergreen: Heart of Evergreen, has been selected as a winner of the 2024 PenCraft Seasonal Book Award Spring Competition. We hope this award inspires you to keep writing and helps you reach new heights in your career. The PenCraft Seasonal Book Awards recognizes books of remarkable literary quality, artistic excellence, and popularity with readers. Christmas in Evergreen: Heart of Evergreen exemplified these criteria as a winner in the Fiction – Drama genre. We hope receiving this award will contribute to your ongoing writing success.

A complete list of winners is posted on the PenCraft Book Award site, and all winners will also be listed in a national press release within the next couple of weeks.

Each Seasonal category winner receives a personalized award certificate.

Each winner also receives a sheet of 24 Seasonal Best Book award seals for the PenCraft Spring Seasonal Best Book Award.

A National Press Release announcement of all winners.

All Seasonal Award winners are also invited to our Annual PenCraft Book Award Ceremony. The event will consist of Dinner and the awarding of personalized plaques to all “attending” winners. The award ceremony and Dinner will probably take place in Las Vegas in February or March of 2025.  You will be notified of the actual date and place after the announcement of the Annual Winners in October of this year.

We hope you and your significant other or friend can join us to celebrate and help honor you and all the talented authors whose books won.

David Hearne, Editor In Chief, PenCraft Book Awards