For more of Debbie Wiley’s articles and Fresh Fiction reviews, you can visit here. *** Everyone knows I love cozy mysteries, but I also love mysteries and thrillers with a mental health component. After all, my life’s work is devoted to working with children and families grappling with social and emotional needs and mental health is a major aspect of that. COVID-19 brought to the forefront the desperate need for both more mental health services as well as improved accessibility and availability to services in the United States. Hopefully, this need won’t be ignored once “normal” resumes as COVID-19 merely exacerbated a need that already existed. One trend I’ve been thrilled to see in the book publishing industry is increased attention to mental health issues and I’d like to highlight just a few books recently that have included mental health as part of the storyline in some capacity. The Helping Hands series by Annelise Ryan is quickly becoming one of my favorites as it features a social worker as the heroine. In NIGHT SHIFT, it’s only Hildy Schneider’s second official night on her new grant-funded side job riding alongside the local police officers with her canine therapy dog, Roscoe when trouble strikes….

Jennifer Vido: What inspired you to write Don’t Look for Me? Wendy Walker: The book began with a personal experience, which has never happened before! I was driving back from my son’s soccer game four hours from home. The game had been hard to watch – rough play, bad ref calls, jeering from the other team’s classmates that was cruel. I felt terrible for my son and realized, perhaps for the first time, that I could not protect my children from many of the uglier things in life. I was also in a difficult stage of my own life so this was coming on top of an already heavy emotional load. I was halfway home and had to stop for gas. Standing at the pump, unable to stop my spinning thoughts, I saw this long road flanked by cornfields. Out of nowhere, I had this flash of a thought to just leave everything and walk down that road. Of course, I didn’t do that and the thought left immediately. But the rest of the way home, I wondered where it had come from and if, perhaps, there was a bigger story there which other people might relate to. It turns…

Forgiveness is one of the themes woven throughout the pages of my historical time-slip novel, Under the Tulip Tree. In it, Frankie, a 101-year-old former slave, tells the story of her life to Rena, a young white woman who works for the Federal Writers’ Project, a government program that employed thousands of out-of-work writers, teachers, librarians, and others during the Great Depression. As an unlikely friendship emerges between the two women, a startling revelation threatens to undo the bond of respect and admiration they’ve nurtured. Can they overcome it? The answer hinges on one word: forgiveness. Forgiveness means different things to different people, but in Under the Tulip Tree and in this article, I’m referring to the biblical definition. The original Greek word that appears in the New Testament is aphiemi, a verb with several meanings: to send away; to expire; to let go; to disregard; to give up a debt; to keep no longer. In Under the Tulip Tree, both Frankie and Rena are faced with situations that require them to forgive someone, yet forgiveness is not easy. In fact, it can be one of the hardest things we’ll ever do, especially if the offense left us traumatized. As…

Libby Kingsley is excited to begin her new job as a librarian in the small town of Heritage, Michigan. But when she arrives, she quickly realizes that the library is barely more than a small storage closet filled with outdated books. What the community really needs is a new library building.  When she learns the only funds available are already allocated for a new town square, she is determined to make the library part of the square. But, the landscape architect wants nothing to do with her or her plans. Austin Williams’ feelings for Heritage, Michigan, have been tainted by the town’s admiration for Nate–the brother who has already cost him so much. But, when the local media wants to showcase the brothers working together, Austin must put his feelings aside to save the family business. To make matters worse, the town’s new librarian wants to change his blueprints and his plans to leave town unattached. Will the determined bookworm find her way into his blueprints–and possibly even his heart? U – U is for Uniting Old Friends . . . In this second novel we return to Heritage with the opportunity to unite with old friends like Nate, Olivia,…

It’s the final day of our Fall Recipe Potluck–we hope you have enjoyed it as much as we have, and you’ve learned about some great new books and collected all of these delicious recipes. Don’t forget! You can check back on the week’s posts for chances to win books by these awesome authors. Thanks for joining our potluck! We’ll be back with another recipe round-up soon. . . Day 1: SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LAND by Reese Ryan Day 2: THE SECRET FRENCH RECIPES OF SOPHIE VALROUX by Samantha Verant Day 3: SIMMER DOWN by Sarah Smith Day 4: THE SECRET INGREDIENT by K.D. Fisher Day 5: AN AMISH COOKIE CLUB COURTSHIP by Sarah Price — The Sentimental Nostalgia of Amish Sweets! For most of us, September marks the end of summer. In general, life slows down from the chaotic schedule of shuffling children to camp, arranging family vacations, and coordinating neighborhood barbeques. Community pools close, local schools reopen (typically…although COVID has thrown us all for a loop), and the warm days give way to cooler nights. For the Amish, however, September brings a different change and faster pace of life into their daily routine. The advent of autumn brings…

Another day, another recipe… Our Fall Recipe Potluck continues with more books, more recipes, and another fabulous featured author! I hope you are enjoying these awesome posts and opportunities to win great books. Don’t forget to take a look at what else has posted: Day 1: SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LAND by Reese Ryan Day 2: THE SECRET FRENCH RECIPES OF SOPHIE VALROUX by Samantha Verant Day 3: SIMMER DOWN by Sarah Smith This autumnal roasted delicata squash is exactly the kind of dish Beth would serve at her Yellow House restaurant. It’s simple, seasonal, and very tasty. Feel free to use any winter squash you’d like, but delicata is my favorite because it looks fancy, you don’t have to peel it, and it gets extra crispy and caramelized in the oven. The Italian-style herb salsa verde is wonderful with any roasted vegetables or meat.  You can eat this as a side dish with your favorite fall meal (it’s excellent with roasted chicken) or enjoy it as a vegetarian main course with some sautéed greens, fresh bread, and a glass of wine (optional but highly recommended!) Roasted Delicata Squash with Sage Salsa Verde For the squash 3 medium delicata squash,…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  THE NIGHT PORTRAIT: A Novel of WWII & da Vinci’s Italy 2–What is it about?  THE NIGHT PORTRAIT is a dual-timeline historical novel about the creation of one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, Portrait of a Lady with an Ermine, and the woman who fought to save it from Nazi destruction during World War II. It’s a story of two women of art, two men of war, one painting, and one obsession.  3–What word best describes your main character(s)?  Determined. Brave! 4–What makes your story relatable?  I wanted THE NIGHT PORTRAIT pinned squarely on the historical record, but my goal was also to bring these two very different eras to life. I want readers to ask themselves what they might do in similar situations. The four different narrators deal with challenges that sometimes seem insurmountable. I believe historical fiction allows us to relate emotionally to the larger human experience. Following a protagonist’s story makes us ask what we would do, facing such challenges. An immersive historical tale allows us to understand how we are connected to the long threads of history. 5–Who are the people your main characters turn to when…

He wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt with leather flip-flops. His longish, snow-white hair framed a deeply tanned face and the most startling eyes Keely had ever seen. In fact, they were the first thing she’d noticed after being placed in the cell. The old man’s eyes were blue, but it was a lighter–no, a brighter–shade of blue than she had ever seen. It was as if his eyes had been encased in crystal. There was a clarity to them Keely was unable to define. She had heard of eyes that sparkled, but always considered that specific description a way of referring to excitement reflected in a person’s face. But this old man? His eyes really did sparkle. He had already been in the cell when Keely was locked in during the early morning hours. When the door had shut behind her, the officer quickly departed. Keely simply stood by the door with tears streaming down her face. She had been angry, afraid, and drunk. Now, her head pounded ferociously, but she was beginning to recall those first moments in the cell. The old man had stood when she walked in, Keely remembered. And he had said something. What…

1–What’s the name of your latest release?  The Edge of Belonging 2–What is it about? The Edge of Belonging is a dual timeline story about a homeless man who finds an abandoned newborn. His greatest desire is to protect her from the experiences he had in foster care.  Twenty-four years later, Ivy goes back to her hometown to manage her grandmother’s estate sale and finds out that her grandmother left behind a way for her to learn about Ivy’s adoption. But, a key piece to the mystery is missing. 3–What word best describes your main character(s)? Harvey: Extreme Independence. Life has taught him that people aren’t to be trusted. But when he finds an abandoned newborn, it completely overturns his hermit’s way of life, and he starts to reevaluate if he really is incapable of being loved. Ivy: Searching. She suddenly becomes aware of just how fragile the life she was building for herself was. She finds herself going back to her roots to rediscover her sense of identity, but in the process discovers there’s a lot she doesn’t know about the people who raised her. 4–What makes your story relatable?  I think most of us can relate to craving…

We have MORE fabulous books and awesome recipes to share! We’ll be here all week, LOL. Also, check out the other posts that have gone up so far and check out the giveaways: Day 1: SECOND CHANCE ON CYPRESS LAND by Reese Ryan Day 2: THE SECRET FRENCH RECIPES OF SOPHIE VALROUX by Samantha Verant *** My new book Simmer Down is a rivals-to-lovers romance between two competing food truck owners Nikki and Callum, who are fighting over the same coveted parking spot near one of Maui’s most beautiful beaches. After a whole lot of bickering and sabotaging, Nikki and Callum realize they have sizzling chemistry. Like in any good romance, they end up in bed together. A lot. When they’re not getting physical, these two are both capable of whipping up endless mouth-watering specialties. You can count on British hunk Callum to cook scrumptious English recipes, while Nikki has spent a lifetime perfecting her mom’s delicious Filipino dishes. Once these two finally get their happily ever after, they’ll be spending loads of time in the bedroom, as any newly in-love couple would. But that doesn’t mean cooking will be put on the backburner. Nikki would figure out a way…