As told by the inimitable Polly Pepper, actress, sleuth, and reluctant expert in English murder rates. Welcome, dear readers, to Abbots Clover—a jewel of the English countryside, where every cobblestone has a story, and most of them end in murder. (The stories, not the cobblestones.)I left Hollywood for the UK after a devoted fan—one I’d never actually met—bequeathed his castle to me. I expected Buckingham Palace. Or at least Balmoral. What I got was Thistlethorne Lodge—a shabby pile where even the gargoyles look nervous. Still, it’s mine—and one does learn to live with damp. And despair. THISTLETHORNE LODGE Thistlethorne Lodge is my home, my fortress, and, in winter, my personal freezer. It perches atop a hill overlooking Abbots Clover with the boldness of a monarch—and the plumbing of a Dickens orphanage. But it’s perfect for reading, reflection, and as fate would have it, attracting dead bodies. BOUND TO READ Bookstore/Coffee Shop The nerve center of village life—and, frankly, better equipped for interrogation than most police stations. Bound to Read is where I can find a good book and gather intelligence. My confidante, Tiara, is of the opinion that every mystery can be solved over a cup of tea and a…

Book Title: THE KIDNAPPING OF ALICE INGOLDCharacter Name: Catherine Newhouse Ingold How would you describe your family or your childhood?Fortunate is the most accurate term to describe my childhood. That’s somewhat due to the derivation of the word itself. Fortunate comes from the Latin fortunatus, meaning prospered or lucky. Generations earlier, my family had prospered and the rest of us were lucky to be the beneficiaries of their success. I grew up aware that the adult role for which I was being groomed wasn’t to employ my talents or pursue my personal idea of happiness but to identify people who would return the investment of my time and assets. I was a hedge fund of one, charged with correctly identifying an individual whose addition to our family would augment its status. Given my main directive, I capitalized on my purpose quite well. And that made me feel valuable—if not exactly loved or fortunate. What was your greatest talent?I once thought of myself as a writer, but I never gave the craft the necessary attention needed to succeed with it. I’m adept at what some might consider soft skills though they’re among the hardest to acquire. Forgiveness, I’m an expert. I’ve…

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 series title to learn about the other books in the series. Be sure to check back Friday for a list of the Top 25 Bestselling Indie Ebooks.

I love Thanksgiving because it’s all about food and family, my favorites things.  In my youth, we hosted between twenty and twenty-five for Thanksgiving dinner. My father cooked the entire meal: turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing (cooked inside the turkey), and corn. My aunts brought pies and snacks. My grandmother brought candy. Loved her! My mom sat in a recliner, read the newspaper, such a throwback idea, and did the crosswords. When the guests arrived, she rose from her chair and made orange sherbert punch. Her recipe: a can of frozen orange juice, six ten-ounce bottles of 7Up, and a container of orange sherbert. We still do this for family parties. It’s refilled several times. I only hosted Thanksgiving once. It wasn’t great, but no one died so I count it as a success. Cooking isn’t my strong suit. I relied heavily on my relatives to fill in. This year will be bittersweet. My sister-in-law and hostess with so much mostess, is planning on selling her big house. It is a perfect fit for our forty-five and growing crowd. The end of an era. Next year will be different because we may be with our individual families as opposed…

Get ready to cozy up with a heartwarming new holiday read in this week’s Jen’s Jewels! Bestselling author Jenny Hale returns with TEN CHRISTMASES WITHOUT YOU, a tender and nostalgic story about love, loss, and rediscovering purpose across the span of a decade of Christmases. In our chat, Jenny shares how she brought Emmy and Charlie’s emotional journey to life, why she decided to stretch the story over multiple holidays, and which traditions from her own life sneak into her books. Pour yourself a mug of cocoa, curl up by the fire, and don’t miss this festive interview that’s sure to put you in the Christmas spirit. Jen: What sparked the idea for TEN CHRISTMASES WITHOUT YOU?Jenny: I can’t really remember what sparked the idea. I might have come up with the title first. Many times, I think of a good title and write a retail description first. Then, I write the book that fits those two things. Jen: Emmy’s been struggling since losing her mom, and her emotional journey feels so real. How did you tap into her sense of loss and longing while writing?Jenny: I think we all experience loss in different ways—loss of a loved one, loss…

This excerpt is taken from Jake Arnott’s BLOOD RIVAL out on October 14th. BLOOD RIVAL is a neo-noir reimagining of Greek tragedy, a compulsive psychological thriller steeped in forbidden desire, family secrets, and fatal ambition. It happened at a place where three roads meet. Junction 1A of the M25, heading east towards Gravesend.     There’s a killer on the road.    Just after dawn on a bright June Sunday morning, Lee Royle was driving his dark blue Land Rover Discovery home from a long night in Essex. He’d crossed the water at Dartford, idly dreaming of his ancient homeland. Kent, he mused as he changed down to ease into the slip road.    Then a red Mazda MX-5 roadster cut him up across the right-hand side, making his foot flinch sharply on the brake pedal. Lee raged and blared his horn. He flashed his headlamps full beam and gave chase, gaining on the impudent little sports car as they approached a roundabout at the foot of the slope.    As he overtook the MX-5, Lee glanced over to judge his tormentor. Just a kid. A boy racer. A baby driver. Royle caught the youth’s eye and gazed a gorgon glare. But…

What is the title of your latest release?THE WELL-KEPT SECRET (Book 1 in The Wishville Mysteries) What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?When half-human, half-Dweller Lyra Wells inherits guardianship of Wishville’s magical wishing well, she discovers a murdered man, a missing mother, and a fragile treaty between worlds that’s beginning to crack. With a grumpy human police chief and a brooding Dweller enforcer at her side—and a sarcastic talking cat who steals every scene—Lyra must solve the mystery before both realms unravel. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?I wanted a setting that felt both cozy and otherworldly, so I created Wishville, Vermont—a storybook mountain town with cobblestone streets, quirky locals, and a magical wishing well at its heart. It’s the kind of place you’d want to visit…if you didn’t mind the occasional murder or mischievous spell. Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?Absolutely! Lyra is funny, fiercely loyal, and just the right blend of awkward and brave. We’d probably spend our time people-watching at the Wishbone Café and gossiping about the latest WishFest scandal. What are three words that describe your protagonist?Curious. Compassionate. Relentless. What’s something you learned while writing…

Book Title: BLOOD FOR THE UNDYING THRONECharacter Name: Eldred Note: Read in Jeremy Irons’s voice. How would you describe your family or your childhood?My childhood happened so long ago. The closest thing to family that I still remember is my master, who taught me magic for centuries then threw me out of her land over a perceived slight. She was cruel in her tutelage, but I understood even then it was necessary. Our talents and studies remove us from the world we are born to. It is inevitable that we live differently from mere men, as birds live differently from rats. What was your greatest talent?I excelled at mind and memory magic. The art of awakening memories in dead things was invented by the first grandmaster of our school but perfected by me. My own body is now a corpse that remembers who it used to be, my thoughts mere memories folding into and overlapping itself. It’s pretty neat. Significant other?Nothing earthly is significant to me. However, in my long life I have come to regard a few as more than grass in the wind. Yuma, the insolent Chief Herder of Danras, is one. Biggest challenge in relationships?That I don’t…

BLOOD ON THE BOARDWALK by Donna Taylor Inspired by The Lost Boys and 90s teen horror novels, Blood on the Boardwalk is a modern day horror comedy. SERAPHIM’S LAMENT Infernum by Layla J. Omorose Demonic fun with a compelling heroine and a sexy demon hero. BEWARE THE ROSEMOND RIPPER by T. L. MacRae A friends to lovers romance between two serial killers with a Mrs. and Mrs. Smith premise! FIMBULVINTER’S FIRES by A.M. WEALD An apocalyptic sci-fi queer horror romance inspired by the legend of Ragnarök. THE WITCHWOOD BOYS ARE TRENDING, The Witchwood Boys, book 1, by C.M. Stunich A Why-Choose supernatural horror romance! LAGOON by Jove Chambers. A horror romance for the monsterf-ckers out there! BIG BOOBENSTEIN  Big Boobenstein Series, book 1, by Jeff O’Brien Hear me out. The romance is actually sweet and there’s a nice body positivity message! BARROW MAID Winnie and Crela book 1, by Dani Finn A short, sweet, and gory lesbian necromance starring a graveyard ghoul and a bookish necrologist. HUNTED BY THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN, Roars and Romances series, by Emily Shore. For the dark romance girlies, The fifth standalonein the series of old lore retellings with gripping plots and enthusiastic consent. EYES OF THE…

What is the title of your latest release?THE SOUND OF THE DARK What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?Cally Darker, a true-crime podcaster investigates a murder from the 1980s – a kind, gentle family man slaughtered his wife and children and then killed himself, leaving only the words WORLD’S END written on the wall of their burned-out home. Cally learns that the deaths are somehow linked to a long-abandoned airfield called Warden Fell. When she finds the dead man’s tape-recorded diary, she thinks she’s about to learn the answers – but they might be too late to save her from the same fate. How did you decide where your book was going to take place?North Wales, where a lot of the book is set, is my favorite place in the world. The little town of Bala has popped up in a few other things I’ve written, but I’d never set anything there properly, so I thought it was about time. Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?Oh, definitely. In fact, Cally’s partly based on one of my best friends. What are three words that describe your heroine?Scared. Brave. Determined. What’s something you learned while writing this…