Since this week is a “Halloween freebie,” I decided to post books that have a least a hint of the paranormal, if not more.
Killjoy by Gail Meath is the 6th book in the Jax Diamond mysteries. In this one, Jax and Laura are investigating a murder. But is the ghost of a famous actress to blame?
The three books by Heather Webber are all small-town mysteries with a hint of magical realism.
The three books by Nora Roberts are part of a trilogy about a woman who inherits a house, and the ghosts who live there. And not all of them are good.
The Thin Place is set near a bridge that actually exists where dogs inexplicably jump to their deaths.
Everybody knows Twilight. It has more than a hint of paranormal. It slaps you across the face with it.
Iron Flame is all about the dragons and their riders, who have special abilities.
Have a Happy Halloween! We live in the country and don’t get any trick or treaters. I hope those of you who do get to hand out candy have a great time!
Indie Spotlight is my effort to help Indie authors with marketing. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Below see my review of My Grief Jar by Deborah Waffle. It is a memoir of a Mom who has lost her daughter, and how in the midst of her grief, she decided to help others.
BOOK REVIEW
My Grief Jar is the story of Deborah Waffle’s daughter, Kelsey, and her battle with constant pain and severe complications from Small Fiber Neuropathy. But it is also the story of Deborah’s journey after Kelsey’s death, as she sought to fulfill Kelsey’s wish that her Golden Retriever, Brody, become a therapy dog.
Deborah shows us Kelsey’s debilitating pain and her own grief in such an honest way. Her decision to honor her daughter by helping others and getting Brody trained as a therapy dog is admirable, and as I read her story, I could see it was the absolute best choice. She was able to visit hospital patients with Brody, bring them joy, and feel close to her daughter at the same time. The analogy of the grief jar is a powerful one–the grief stays the same, but the vessel holding the grief can grow, and helping others helped Deborah to grow. She and Brody became a source of joy for hospital patients and Deborah then became a writer, for this is a very well-written book.
I feel honored that Deborah asked me to share her book, her beautiful daughter, her walk through overwhelming grief, and her remarkable journey afterwards with Brody because, just maybe, somebody will see this post, read the book, and be helped by it as well. Highly, highly recommended.
I downloaded this book on Kindle Unlimited. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deborah Waffle taught second and fourth grade for 33 years and is now retired. She lives with her husband Marty, and their dog, Brody, in Broadalbin, New York. Deborah and Brody visit several different medical facilities once or twice a week as a therapy dog team. They recently celebrated their 50th therapy dog visit. Brody brings smiles to all the people and patients he meets.
PURCHASE LINKS
Click on the image below to purchase My Grief Jar. It is also available on Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.
BEFORE YOU GO
Remember, if you read the book, please leave a review. Reviews help the author so much, because the more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it. The review does not have to be a masterpiece. Just a sentence or two about how the book made you feel will be perfect, and will make the author’s day. Please also remember to share this post with others so they will see this wonderful book.
The Time Police don’t think twice about jumping to the past. But, this time, the past has come to them…
What connects a dead dinosaur in Wales with Romulus the founder of Rome, a plot to murder the Princes in the Tower and a shocking cover-up at TPHQ?
It sounds like a joke. It isn’t.
The Time Police are determined to find the answers, helped – and occasionally hindered – by a certain wayward member of St Mary’s and a recently reunited Team 236. Will they succeed before Time runs out?
And, as if all that wasn’t enough, something somewhere in the Timeline is wrong. Very, very wrong. What is the Time Map trying to tell them?
BOOK REVIEW
In this sixth Time Police book, a chilling and horrible secret from the past comes to light, and it will shock almost everyone, except the two who already knew. At the same time, a dead dinosaur has been found in Wales, and it’s no fossil. A team is assembled to find out why, and Commander Hay reluctantly turns to an expert who has actually seen dinosaurs in person, Madeline Maxwell, better known as Max from St. Mary’s, As for Team Weird, Matthew gets trapped in the time map, and Luke is still sorting out his feelings for Jane as they head to St. Mary’s to pick up Max. Wait until they discover who is behind the dinosaur appearances and what their plans are next!
Jodi Taylor is a genius at combining history, time travel, and hilarity with a big dose of sadness and tears. She will literally leave you laughing and crying in many different times and places. Max, the main character from The Chronicles of St. Mary’s series, usually pops up in the supporting cast of the Time Police books, but this time she has a starring role, and you don’t want to miss it. As always, there are big revelations, and I was shocked more than once. The Princes in the Tower are mentioned in The Chronicles of St. Mary’s, and they come up in this book as well, in a very disturbing way. There are bloody battles and a heart-touching moment, but the end will surprise everyone. As always with Jodi Taylor’s books, I’m sorry the story came to an end, and I can’t wait for the next one.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher, Headline. My review is voluntary, and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodi Taylor is a British author best known for her Chronicles of St. Mary’s series, which originated from her love of history and a self-published first novel, Just One Damned Thing After Another. Before becoming a full-time writer, Taylor had a long career in local government, working as a facilities manager for North Yorkshire Libraries. She retired in her early 60s to run a hotel in Turkey, where she started writing, and has since sold over a million books.
Early life and career: Born in Bristol, she worked for the North Yorkshire County Council for almost 20 years, including as a library facilities manager. She also spent time in the RAF.
Path to writing: After retiring, she moved to Turkey and, finding herself bored, decided to write a book at age 60. Her first novel, Just One Damned Thing After Another, was self-published online.
Publishing success: The book’s unexpected success led to a publishing deal with Accent Press, which was later followed by a contract with Headline Publishing Group.
Current status: As of 2024, Taylor lives in Gloucestershire. She is the author of several successful series, including the Chronicles of St. Mary’s, the Time Police series, and the supernatural thriller series featuring Elizabeth Cage.
Writing style: Her work is characterized by a blend of humor, history, and adventure. Taylor is known for engaging directly with her readers and attributes her success to them.
Well I had my oral surgery on Tuesday, and it still hurts pretty badly. I had a cyst removed from my jaw and a molar that the cyst had compromised taken out. I have slowly been transitioning to eating again but my jaw just aches most of the time. I’m hoping this pain goes away soon. I have a hard time sleeping because of it, and I’ve been sleeping in the reclining love seat so I don’t accidentally roll over on my left side, which hurts my “newly operated on” jaw.
The leaves are slowly starting to turn here in Western North Carolina, so I hope to be able to post some great photos soon, and maybe even some Fall inspired poetry. For now, here’s a picture of an interesting sky Doug took outside our home the other day. It was getting ready to storm.
BLOG ACTIVITY
We have had some great new Indie releases in the last couple of weeks. I did a Release Day announcement for The Weight of Snow and Regretby Elizabeth Gauffreau on October 1st. I also did a Release Day post and Review of A Bloody Banquet by Gail Meath on October 10th. Amanda in Ireland by Darlene Foster was also released on October 1st and I’m reviewing that this coming week. I’ll participate in Top Ten Tuesday if time permits. I also hope to get even more Indie reviews in.
NETGALLEY HAUL
The Valley of Vengeful Ghosts:(I hope this one isn’t too close to horror, but it looked interesting and more “paranormal” than horror. Horror can affect my dreams so I avoid it if it’s too dark and/or bloody) In the aftermath of her mother’s death, Eleanor is unmoored. For years, her mother orchestrated every detail of her life—from meals, to laundry, to finances—so that Eleanor could focus on her career as a therapist. Left to navigate the world on her own, Eleanor clings to her mother’s final directive: use her inheritance to buy a house.
Desperate to obey her mother one last time, but finding few options she can afford, Eleanor impulsively buys a model home in a valley-turned-construction site, a picturesque development steeped in a shadowy history. It feels like a fresh start, until the rain comes—an endless, torrential downpour. As water seeps in through the house’s cracks, the line between what is real and what is not begins to blur. Haunted by the stories of her clients, a stream of workmen and bureaucrats she can’t trust, and visions of ghosts from her past and present, Eleanor’s reality unravels, and she is forced to reckon with the secrets she’s buried and the desperate choices she’s made.
The Lumber Baron’s Wife: (Jumped on the chance for the forthcoming book by my favorite Christian author, Lynn Austin).
1873. After a devastating loss, Hannah Wagner never imagined she’d leave her comfortable home for the harsh, unfamiliar wilderness near Lake Michigan. But when Henry Abernathy—a friend of her husband, John—offers them a fresh start in a booming lumber town, where John’s skills as a doctor are sorely needed, Hannah reluctantly agrees. There, she meets Kate, Henry’s spirited, much younger wife. Kate’s sharp tongue and outsider status have made her unwelcome among the town’s elite, and when she begins confiding in Hannah, it’s clear her marriage is not what it seems . . . and that a secret from her past could destroy everything.
Present day. Ashley Gilbert never planned to settle in Michigan, but when her husband lands his dream job as a conservationist, she agrees to follow. While restoring their historic home—built in the 19th century for a doctor and his wife—Ashley becomes captivated by its past and its connection to the nearby Abernathy mansion, now being transformed into a museum. While volunteering with the restoration, she stumbles upon the unsolved mystery of Kate Abernathy’s disappearance. What begins as curiosity soon becomes a quest for the truth—one that will connect her to two women whose stories and struggles echo and inspire her own.
**Indie Spotlight is my effort to highlight and promote Indie books. You can help too by sharing this post far and wide. Let’s work together to help Indie authors.
Happy Release Day to Gail Meath! A Bloody Banquet is Book Two of The Stone and Steele Series. The review is below.
BOOK REVIEW
Fashion designer Vivian Steele is excited to attend an awards banquet at the Cocoanut Grove club in Hollywood. Some of the honorees are going to be wearing Vivan’s designs, and she and her best friend Carole Lombard are looking forward to an enjoyable evening. When Carole sees a dead body in the club’s restroom, she immediately calls for help. But when help arrives, the body has disappeared. Vivan begins to investigate, reluctantly allowing playboy Preston Stone to assist her once again. This is the second book in the Stone and Steele Series and can easily be read as a standalone.
This is a wonderful cozy set in Hollywood, and I love the fact that the fabulous Carole Lombard is a supporting character. The mystery is so well crafted, and I did not guess the villain before they were revealed. The backstories of Vivan and Preston continue to be another captivating mystery, and a little bit of that onion is slowly unpeeled in this second book. The ending of this compelling cozy offers more clues into their backstories and hints at an exciting third book in the series to come. Fans of cozy mysteries will enjoy this series, which transports us to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
I received a free copy of this book. I also purchased a copy. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Gail Meath is the author of the multi-award-winning Jax Diamond Mysteries, a fun 1920s series about wise-cracking PI Jax Diamond, his courageous German Shepherd partner, Ace, and Broadway star Laura Graystone, as they, along with a crazy group of friends, solve some of the toughest crimes in New York City. She is alternating that series with her new 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood mysteries series, Stone & Steele, starring Vivian Steele, a widow seeking justice, and Preston Stone, a playboy vigilante.
In both series, the author challenges readers to identify the villains before she reveals them:)
Gail also has a list of other award-winning historical romances, westerns, and fictional biographies of true heroines. She lives in a small village in Upstate New York with her husband and sweet Boston Terrier, and she spends loads of time with her grandchildren.
PURCHASE LINK
Click on the cover to buy this book on Amazon. It’s only $2.99!
BEFORE YOU GO
*After you read the book, be sure and leave a review. Reviews do not have to be complex or fancy. Just a sentence about how it made you feel will help the book succeed on Amazon.
Congratulations to Liz Gauffreau on her new release! The Weight of Snow and Regret is out today! The Book Description, Liz’s bio, and a purchase link are below.
BOOK DESCRIPTION
For over 100 years, no one wanted to be sent to the Sheldon Poor Farm. By 1968, no one wanted to leave.
Amid the social turmoil of 1968, the last poor farm in Vermont is slated for closure. By the end of the year, the twelve destitute residents remaining will be dispatched to whatever institutions will take them, their personal stories lost forever.
Hazel Morgan and her husband Paul have been matron and manager at the Sheldon Poor Farm for the past 20 years. Unlike her husband, Hazel refuses to believe the impending closure will happen. She believes that if she just cares deeply enough and works hard enough, the Sheldon Poor Farm will continue to be a safe haven for those in need, herself and Paul included.
On a frigid January afternoon, the overseer of the poor and the town constable from a nearby town deliver a stranger to the poor farm for an emergency stay. She refuses to tell them her name, where she came from, or what her story is. It soon becomes apparent to Hazel that whatever the woman’s story is, she is deeply ashamed of it.
Hazel fights to keep the stranger with them until she is strong enough to face, then resume, her life–while Hazel must face the tragedies of her own past that still haunt her.
Told with compassion and humor, The Weight of Snow & Regret tells the poignant story of what it means to care for others in a rapidly changing world.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Gauffreau writes fiction and poetry with a strong connection to family and place. Her work has been widely published in literary magazines, as well as several themed anthologies. Her short story “Henrietta’s Saving Grace” was awarded the 2022 Ben Nyberg prize for fiction by Choeofpleirn Press.
Liz has published a novel, TELLING SONNY: THE STORY OF A GIRL WHO LOVED THE VAUDEVILLE SHOW, and two photopoetry collections: GRIEF SONGS: POEMS OF LOVE & REMEMBRANCE and SIMPLE PLEASURES:HAIKU FROM THE PLACE JUST RIGHT. Her second novel, THE WEIGHT OF SNOW AND REGRET, based on the closing of the last poor farm in Vermont in 1968, is due out October 1, 2025.
Liz’s professional background is in nontraditional higher education, including academic advising, classroom and online teaching, curriculum development, and program administration. She received the Granite State College Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2018.
Liz lives in Nottingham, New Hampshire, with her husband.
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