Excerpt from NO MAN’S LAND by Simon Tolkien: The company left at midnight. Tallow-faced, unshaven, and exhausted, the soldiers marched with stony, expressionless faces along the moonlit road and then fell into single file when they reached the communication trench, picking their way slowly through the mud. Their uniforms were still wet and they shivered, grimacing with pain as the blisters on their swollen feet rubbed against the inside of their hard hobnailed boots. Frequently they had to stop, flattening themselves against the crumbling walls of the trench as stretcher-bearers came stumbling past with their burdens hidden under dirty blankets. And sometimes they fell, slipping on the unstable duckboards, but they didn’t have the energy now for more than a few muttered oaths as they picked themselves up and went on. The guns had been largely quiet as they passed, but a stray shell hit a dump of Very lights and set off a mad firework display that illuminated their surroundings in a blaze of fantastic colours just as they came to a break in the communication trench where it crossed a cart track used by supply vehicles. They could see that they were standing at the entrance to a…

Winter pulls the world in close. Streets glaze with frost, windows fog at the edges, and even loud hearts learn to whisper. It’s the perfect season for romances that swap battlefields for hearths, where the grand gesture might be a cup of tea handed across a counter or a handheld steady in lamplight. Cozy fantasy romance is not shy about comfort, and yet it never feels small. It trusts quiet stakes, gentle magic, and the steady bravery of people who choose kindness on purpose. These are books that smell like cinnamon and old paper, that cherish communities built one conversation at a time, that promise love can thrive in the soft hours between dinner and dawn. Stash a blanket by the reading chair, let the kettle hum, and settle in with stories that thaw the cold and light the room from within. EMILY WILDE’S ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FAERIES — Heather Fawcett Professor Emily Wilde leaves the university for a snowbound village at the far edge of the map, intent on cataloging the Folk with the rigor of a scholar. Her new neighbor, Wendell Bambleby, arrives in a swirl of charm and secrets, very possibly otherworldly, and very inconvenient to a woman…

by Candace Lynn Looking for a fictional villain you’ll love to hate? How about a whole raft of bad guys? Yes? Then I suggest Griffin Mordecai. One of the top rogues of my high fantasy series, Stoneslayer. It’s packed with human and non-human bad guys. Griffin is mean, petty, vicious, and spiteful with a mountain-size chip on his shoulder. And he acts accordingly, stirring up all manner of mischief and driving the plot in various ways. You may even know someone like him in real life. I, alas, knew Griffin in “real life” because Stoneslayer is based on four of my past lives, and the past lives of family and friends. Griffin was the second cousin (father’s side) of first-generation heroine Helen Andros (me in a past life). Griffin despises her because she is not of “pure” blood, whatever that means. And he hates Helen’s newfound father with a passion even though the man spared his life when the laws of Azgard would have allowed him to put Griffin to death. Big mistake. Writing the series, at times I really want to smack Griffin on the side of his head and say, “You have so much! What is your problem?”…

With Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday coming, the big retailers will be bombarding us all with their sales. While Amazon and KU are the easy way to get books, that’s not always the best way to support authors AND often it’s no longer the cheapest way. Here are a few suggestions of better ways to get great deals and support your favorite authors. I know in my store, I ALWAYS price books cheaper than Amazon. Curios is a new platform that allows authors to keep every penny of their sales (though we have to pay an annual listing fee). They have videos and games and music too! Check their site and there will be freebies and deals on the homepage! Go HERE! Kofi is another direct store for authors, artists, and other creators. The Discount Challenge has us give discount codes for items in our stores and share the hashtag to win prizes. Search the hashtag and you’ll find all sorts of cool stuff! Kobo always has some awesome freebies and discounts. Browse HERE. You can request print books, or ebooks and audiobooks that you can access from Hoopla, Libby, Borrowbox, etc. You get a free read…

Excerpt from TURNS OF FATE by Anne Bishop: Lucas Frost completed his patrol of the part of Destiny Park visitors found interesting—or to be precise, didn’t find too strange and unnerving. There was more to the park if you knew how to find it—or were destined to find it—but no one had bought a ticket for any of the trains, no one had bought a ticket for the bus that traveled to the “neighborhoods” on the island. Since no one had come to the pavilion to report someone missing, that meant no one had been foolish enough to go through a moon gate without fully understanding what would happen, depending on the gate’s intention at that moment. Most of the moon gates within reach of determined visitors were transportation. They took a person from the park to the station where a ticket could be purchased for passage on a bus, train, or ship. Sometimes one of those gates took a person far beyond the park—and usually beyond any hope of returning unless you were one of the Arcana. Some of the gates had multiple possibilities—like transformation. A kind of alchemy, changing one thing to another. Changing a person into something…

What is the title of your latest release?VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?VIOLET THISTLEWAITE IS NOT A VILLAIN ANYMORE is a cozy fantasy romance about starting over, redemption, and what it means to be a good person. It tells the story of a powerful plant witch who has spent her whole life as the right hand to an evil sorcerer, but after his defeat she decides to turn over a new leaf and open a flower shop in a small town. But with a magical blight threatening her new community, her dark past knocking at her door, and her own growing feelings for the grumpy alchemist next door, Violet is forced to consider whether a former villain like her is ever truly worthy of a happily ever after of her own. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I love a small-town setting. I wanted it to feel tight-knit and picturesque, but not perfect. Dragon’s Rest is a place that has fallen on hard times, and I wanted that to be clear in both the setting and the people in it. I also wanted to set it…

I created Emma’s Playlist while I was writing this story, listening to these songs as I worked. Each song fits perfectly with the themes of the story, and you’ll notice that a song is mentioned here and there throughout. Each track highlights an aspect of the narrative. If The Good Witch and Practical Magic hooked up, their baby would be THE WHIMSICAL GIFTS OF EMMA, slow-burn romance, filled with faith and divine magic. Music has always been part of my writing process. Some songs remind me of specific scenes, others evoke my characters and their emotions, and a few mirror moments from my own life that found their way into the story. Here are five songs that inspired THE WHIMSICAL GIFTS OF EMMA, each connected to a chapter that holds its heart. “Wannabe” by Spice Girls – Chapter: 5Wannabe is the song I sing with my own daughter, and I had to include it during one of the sister moments. Emma is dancing, singing, and blasting music until Liz steals the hairbrush microphone and takes over. If you search my social media, you can find my daughter and me lip-syncing to this song. That joy is precisely what I captured…

Exclusive Excerpt from STEINAR’S GIFT by Virginie Marconato: Before she could touch the wood, the door opened, and she found herself in front of Steinar, inches away from his strong body. All the breath left her lungs. “Cwenthryth. I thought it might be you.” How did he know she’d just arrived? Had he been looking for her through the window? “Yes. It’s me,” she answered rather stupidly. But how could she think straight with such a man staring at her? He was so tall, so masculine. He was also tantalisingly close to her. Her body inched forward, as if in search of warmth and comfort, the same comfort she had felt when she had woken up this morning with his arms around her. “Come in,” he murmured. “You must be exhausted.” Was she exhausted? She didn’t think so. Exhilarated, rather. But her body did feel strangely languid. Steinar moved to let her through, then closed the door behind her. One hand on the small of her back, he led her to the only chair of the hut, the one placed at the head of the table. “How did it go?” he asked, ladling fragrant stew into a wooden bowl. It…

The upheaval of World War I changed society forever, wartime work by women opening doors to new opportunities that could never quite be closed again.  Whether it was new occupations or striking out after failed marriages to forge an independent life, the heroines of this month’s selections are determined to create the future they choose.  We begin with THE HARVEY GIRLS by Juliette Fay.  Charlotte Crowninshield’s Boston blue blood doesn’t protect her when she finds herself in an abusive marriage.  Desperate to escape, she flees to the Southwest.  Sixteen-year-old Billie MacTavish, eldest of nine children, needs to earn money to help her struggling immigrant family. Both find refuge when they are accepted to train as Harvey Girls, waitresses who serve the chain of restaurants set up along the Santa Fe railroad.  Assigned to room together, they initially share a mutual disdain—and both have secrets that would get them fired, Charlotte as a married woman and Billie being underage.  But as they continue the intensive training a bond is formed that deepens when both are assigned to the luxurious El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon.  We follow as they develop their friendship, their tentative romances, and the courage required to…

What is the title of your latest release?THE LIE SHE WEARS What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Museum curator Pearl Davis always had a strained relationship with her mother, Sally. Growing up, she rarely felt her mother’s love. So many things about her mother’s behavior never added up. But when Sally dies unexpectedly, she leaves Pearl a letter from the grave…confessing to murder. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I wanted to set another book in Portland, because it’s such a vibrant and quirky city. The possibilities are endless fun for plotting a thriller! Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Yes, absolutely. I am fascinated by museum curation and Pearl, as an art museum curator of Asian masks, would have tomes of tidbits to share. What are three words that describe your hero?Determined, insecure, creative. What’s something you learned while writing this book?Portland, Oregon has over thirteen bridges within city limits. Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?I wait until I am completely done with a draft. Otherwise, I lose my momentum. What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?Omakase sushi. Describe your writing space/office!A desk and my…