Ode to my Family by the Cranberries This song has the most direct connection to the book since it’s a favorite of the character Brett. It’s mentioned several times throughout the novel, and not only do I think that it’s a truly beautiful song, but it’s also perfect in terms of the themes of THE HAUNTING OF VELKWOOD. This is a novel all about family: our connections to the people and places we come from and also the painful mark those people can leave on us (and we can leave on them). This particular tune carries all those themes so well. Sadly, it’s also a haunting tune of its own now since the loss of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan. I still miss her, and I’m still so sad that she left us far too soon. At least we all have her legacy of such gorgeous music and such a gorgeous voice to cherish.   The Other Side by Sirenia My husband introduced me to this song, specifically because it reminded him of the relationship between the main character Talitha who escaped her ghostly neighborhood and her little sister Sophie who’s still trapped there. It’s such an evocative tune, and although…

Instead of trying to find your perfect match in a dating app, we bring you the “Author-Reader Match” where we introduce you to authors you may fall in love with. It’s our great pleasure to present Kevin G. Chapman.   Writes: I write mystery/suspense/thrillers, always with elements of humor (and often romance), and usually including subtle (and often not so subtle) commentary on social justice issues. My latest, THE OTHER MURDER, is a murder (obviously) mystery featuring two journalists as well as a pair of homicide detectives. Cable-TV producer Hannah Hawthorne scores a scoop the night of Angelica Monroe’s murder in Washington Square Park. She and her network light the flame of a media frenzy as every news outlet latches onto the tragic story of the 19-year-old NYU student who was brutally gunned down on a warm spring evening. It’s a coup for Hannah, who runs with the story, looking for the next angle. Meanwhile, on the other side of the park, an 18-year-old Latino basketball player with a history of gang membership is also gunned down. While the national media pours over Angelica Monroe’s murder, Javier Estrada is ignored, except by Paulo Richardson, a print journalist from a neighborhood…

The Wickedness of a Highlander, Book 4, Midnight in Scotland Series by Elisa Braden Zombie Fallout 22: Bridging the Gap by Mark Tufo Cruises Can Be Murder: A Girl and Her Dog Cozy Mystery, Book 22, Charlie Parker New Mexico Mystery Series by Connie Shelton The Last Duke She’d Marry, Book 3, Scoundrels of Mayfair Series by Anna Campbell The Empty Throne by Megan Derr Nerdy Boy, Book 3, More Than Two Series by West Greene Caution Contents Are Hot by Sandra Alex In Her Name: Red Legion by Michael R. Hicks Lust: A Vampire and Werewolf Power-Couple Romance by Candace Blevins Creeps, Cache, & Corpses, Book 7, Katie and Maverick Cozy Mysteries by Mary Seifert     Each Monday the Smashwords store lists the top ten most highly anticipated indie fiction ebooks based on the previous week’s preorder accumulations. Each title on the list is scheduled to release within the next week. To help the talented authors on this list accumulate even more preorders, click the title of the book. The hyperlink will bring you to a Books2Read page where you can order from your preferred ebook retailer. If the preorder is part of a series, click the hyperlinked…

Military Men, Military Men Series by Shelley Munro Silver Spoon MC Collection: Loni’s Crew by Loni Ree Already Gone by Diane Benefiel The Offer (Books 1-3), Book 2, The Billionaire’s Love Story Series by Lily Zante His Diamond, Book 3, His & Hers Series by Charlotte Russell Darcy and the Enchanted Library: A Pride and Prejudice Variation by Monica Fairview Bombshell by Abbi Glines Secrets of the Specter by Molly Fitz No Man’s Bride, Book 1, Misadventures in Matrimony Series by Shana Galen Spicetopia Collection (Books 1-4) by Phoebe Alexander The Housemaid by Sarah A. Denzil Betting On Her by Alexa Riley The Protectors Unlimited, Shifter Protectors Box Sets by Keira Blackwood The Stone of Knowing Complete Set by Allan N. Packer Whispered Words, Book 3, PowerUp! Series by Marie Harte Kilo, Book 9, The Alpha Elite Series by Sybil Bartel Never Bet a Duke: Dukes and Wallflowers, Book 7, Wayward Dukes’ Alliance Series by Alyssa Drake The Alpha’s Inferno, Book 2, Shifters of Grey Ridge Series by Reece Barden The Witch Collector, Book 1, Witch Walker Series by Charissa Weaks The Marcia Banks and Buddy Mystery Collection II, Books 5-7 by Kassandra Lamb   Each Friday the Smashwords store…

1–What is the title of your latest release? A HAUNTING IN THE ARCTIC 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? A gothic thriller about a woman captured on a whaling ship in 1901, and a group of explorers who set out to explore the wreck of the ship in 2023, which is said to be haunted… 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? I have loved Iceland ever since I went to Reykjavik in 2019 to teach for a few days at the University. When I pictured the shipwreck of the story in my mind, it was always in the Westfjords, on Iceland’s northwest coast, close to the Arctic circle – interestingly, there is a real wreck of an old whaling ship in the Westfjords, which I got to explore. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? I’m not sure – Nicky is a little prim, though she’s a badass, and Dominique is very paranoid. 5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Dominique is angry, scared, and bold. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? Whaling ships used to be double hulled to break through Arctic ice. That particular…

Sherlock Holmes has his mind palace, which sounds rather grand. My Muse has an old Victorian mansion—a little dusty, a little weathered, with enough rooms to make things interesting. One room has a meadow for the unicorns and a mountain or two for the dragons. Another has battlefields and dark possibilities for the future. There’s even a spaceship around here somewhere. So come in and have a look at what the Muse and I have shaped over the years. Don’t mind the creaking floors and stiff doors. There is always a way out, even if it’s not always the way you came in. You noticed the curtain on the top floor that looked like it had been pulled back by a pale hand? Don’t worry about that. The ghosts are playful. Most of them, anyway. Let’s start with a room I’ve returned to many times over the years. The Fairy Tales were among the earliest stories I wrote because retelling a fairy tale in a different way is like painting a room a different color and rearranging the furniture. The frame and the walls are already there, but when you explore something a little bit different within those boundaries, a…

1–What is the title of your latest release? TRAPPED IN YOSEMITE   2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? The quiet of the Yosemite wilderness is about to become the epicenter of a massive earthquake, trapping witness Stella Rivers in a deadly game of cat and mouse. It’s up to her ex-fiancé Von Sharpe, along with his team of Mountain Wilderness Guides and their dogs to fend off a killer dead set on destruction.   3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Yosemite is a special place for the Mentink clan. Every time I visit, I think it’s so incredible it hardly seems real. Such a grand setting seems the perfect place for a life-or-death struggle, don’t you think?   4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Probably, but only in the city. If she’s fighting for her life in the wilderness, I’d be absolutely no help. She’s on her own in that case.   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? Determined, intelligent, vulnerable   6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? John Muir loved Yosemite and he explored as much as he could. Often, he’d set out…

1–What is the title of your latest release? REMEDIAL MAGIC 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Kisses and disaster at a magical community college filled with “missing” people. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? It initially took place in the Midwest, but as I drafted, I realized that my brain was filling in images from Ligonier, Pennsylvania. So I changed it.   4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? Yes, I would. I have multiple protags, including Ellie the librarian, Prospero the Victorian witch, Maggie the mom/Southern lawyer. Admittedly, I like Prospero or Maggie the most.   5–What are three words that describe your protagonist? For Ellie—curious, bold, clever. For Prospero—ruthless, amoral, focused. 6–What’s something you learned while writing this book? How often people who vanish fall into one of several categories: crime related, National Parks, spousal, or custody disputes (kids).   7–Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done? I edit some each day as I draft AND when I’m done.   8–What’s your favorite foodie indulgence? Right now? Tillamook Sugar Cookie Limited Edition Ice Cream.  Sometimes I treat myself to an Aztec…

It was three a.m. in Laugarvatn, Iceland, and I couldn’t sleep. Now partly that was because it’s still light in Iceland in June, and my circadian rhythms were bouncing all over the place. But there was a much deeper problem. Here I was, two thirds of the way through the first draft of my mystery thriller Killer Story, and doubt held me in its iron grip. Had I chosen the wrong murderer? That seemed impossible. This was my sixth mystery novel, and I’ve written lots of mystery episodes for Law & Order, CSI: Miami, Medium, and other shows. When I start writing a mystery, there are things I’m not sure of: who all the red herrings are, and what all the plot twists will be. But two things I’ve always known, absolutely: who gets killed, and who does the killing. The beginning of the novel/TV show, and the end. But now here I was, on my skinny little bed at the Gullkistan Artist Colony (great place, BTW; highly recommend), retracing the entire book in my head. I was finally facing up to the cold hard truth that my murderer didn’t really appear until page 80 of the book. I mean,…

Ma bonniest Lia, The days are long, and the sennights are longer as you are never far from my mind. Each day that I’m forced to trudge through muck and sleep in the cold reminds me of what I have left at home and what I fight to return to. Will you warm me when I return? Mayhap keep me company in our tub? We are on the move again, forever chasing or being chased by Longshanks. The man is determined, but he still doesn’t understand there’s nay one more determined than a Highlander. I will fight to preserve the land our families have called home since the Picts. I will fight for the land where we will raise our weans. Hug Lachlan for me and tell him not to grow too fast. How I miss the feel our bairn growing in your belly. Would that I be home in time for your lying in. Ken naught matters more to be than returning to your side. I fear much about the future, but I never fear for our clan’s wellbeing when you are in charge. Nay one dares face you when you stand atop the battlements. I truly believe we…