I’m happy to welcome author Kate Ellington. Today, Kate shares her new release, The Secret Cottage.

Blurb

Isabel Tate yearns for the simple pleasures she took for granted before scandal rocked her family two years ago. On May Day, she’s determined to forget her troubles and enjoy herself at the Claremont family’s annual festival. Meanwhile, Robert Claremont steels himself to begin courting the haughty heiress next door, but his bashfulness is only one obstacle to winning her hand. Despite a deep sense of family obligation, he dreams of choosing his own bride. Captivated by each other from the moment they meet, Robert and Isabel are kept apart by a misunderstanding until a chance encounter leads to friendship and more. With opposition on all sides, they must overcome inconceivable odds to claim happiness.

Excerpt

Isabel turned her horse into the woods, directing him to a gurgling stream under a canopy of trees. The forest was quiet but for the splashing of the water, bird songs and the rustle of branches. They hadn’t been there long when Isabel heard a new sound. Hoofbeats and muffled voices. She urged her horse closer to the road, and easily heard the riders’ conversation.

“What makes you think she came this way?” a man asked.

A deeper voice answered, “Merely a guess. It seemed as good a place as any to look, but I’m thwarted again.”

“Let’s turn back, we can look for her tomorrow.”

“I’m sitting for the portrait tomorrow.”

Isabel’s pulse quickened as she recognized the deeper voice. Robert Claremont. So he’d been looking for her. Why hadn’t he come to the house? She started back toward the stream, but suddenly reason left her and she guided her horse through the trees, emerging just as Robert and his companion rounded the bend going in the opposite direction. They hadn’t seen her.

Isabel paused for a moment, thinking what to do. Go back home and hope he came to the house soon? Or seek him out for herself? Her reckless side won. Spurring her horse to a gallop, she chased after them. Robert turned in his saddle and Isabel was delighted with the look of shock on his face as she sped past him and who she could now see was Mr. Kensington.

Author Bio and Links

Kate Ellington grew up in a woodsy New England town where summer days at the lake seemed to last forever. She read her first historical romance at age eleven when a teacher challenged her to find a book in the library written by an author she’d never heard of. Thus began a life-long love of love stories.

After graduating from college with an art degree she settled in the Pacific Northwest, where she currently resides with her family.

Goodreads | Bluesky | Website | Facebook | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Kate Ellington will award a $20 Amazon gift card to a randomly selected winner. Find out more here.

Follow Kate on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author p.m. Terrell. Today, she shares her creative journey and new release, Padlocked.

Interview

What was your inspiration for this book?

I hadn’t intended to write a book set in Poland or against the backdrop of World War II, but I dreamed this story from beginning to end in one night. When I awoke the next morning and pondered the thousands of details that had come to me overnight, I knew it was meant for me to write this book. I immersed myself in Polish history, particularly the Nazi invasion in 1939, and the subsequent years leading to the defeat of Nazi Germany.

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part of being an author is the entire creative process. I love everything from the outline and character development to the first draft and all the editing passes afterward. There is something magical about bringing something so complex to life, seemingly from out of thin air.

The worst part is the income. We hear about famous authors who have sustained an entire lifetime from one book (looking at you, Harper Lee and Margaret Mitchell) or those who the largest publishers embrace anything they write, but the reality is different for those of us below that exalted level.

Describe your writing space.

I have a dedicated office. My writing desk faces a window so I can view the changing of seasons, and my dogs enjoy doggie beds scattered around the perimeter. I listen to gentle instrumental music coupled with birdsong. Perhaps the quirkiest part of my office is my underdesk bicycle, which I pedal about twenty miles a day.

Which authors have inspired you?

The authors who inspire me have grown over the years, as my career has evolved. It all began with Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, a nonfiction book that unfolded like a thriller. The first book I ever read in one sitting, then turned back to the first page and read again, was Richard Matheson’s What Dreams May Come. He taught me how to end each chapter with a cliffhanger. Sebastian Junger (The Perfect Storm) and Jon Krakauer (Into Thin Air) taught me that history could be suspenseful and that everything depends on whose eyes we look through.

What is your favorite quote?

“At its lowest ebb, the tide turns.” I read that more than fifty years ago in Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking. It has stayed with me all this time.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

If I had a superpower, I would like to see into the future. There are times when I just need to know that everything is going to be alright.

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?

I have aquariums, and my favorite fish are freshwater angels. I used to breed them and had nine tanks at one time. I love the way the parents take care of the eggs and then the babies (fry). I used to sell the fry to a local pet shop when they were about two months old.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Learn as much as you can about the publishing industry and work constantly to hone your craft. Write the very best book you can write, and don’t expect anything to happen overnight—although I hope it does for you!

What are you working on next?

My next book is another work of literary fiction set against the backdrop of the 1920s and the rise of capitalism in the industrial age. It has surprising commonalities with our present time. Of course, there will be murder and romance, along with interesting twists.

Blurb

Padlocked is an epic historical and visionary novel that follows the lives of a group of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary, life-altering circumstances as Nazi Germany invades Poland in 1939.

Two foreign photojournalists, an American and a Spaniard, are trapped between armies at Festungsfront Oder-Warthe-Bogen, along Poland’s western border with Germany. It is Hank’s last overseas assignment, and he’s been counting the days until he can go home to North Carolina to be with his family. Rafe fled Spain after the dictator, Francisco Franco, targeted his family. The experience changed him, and he now sees the rise of fascism in Europe as a battle between good and evil. They will find themselves embedded with the Polish, Nazi, and Soviet forces at varying times, forcing them to face moral and ethical decisions in their struggles to survive.

A young woman is separated from her sister in Warsaw as the Nazis encircle it. Agata made a vow that she would return to take Elsa to safety, but soldiers and barbed wire prevent her from entering the newly established Jewish sector. She is consumed with guilt over their separation, and when she discovers her sister was taken by train to a work camp near Krakow, she navigates her dangerous, war-torn country in search of her. Her quest will force her to confront a Hell on Earth to find her.

A young man joins the Jungdeutsche Partei, or the Young German Party. Once bullied as a child, Max’s new affiliations promote him to a position where he can dictate life or death and settle scores. In order to thrive under Nazi occupation, he makes daily choices that legitimize brutality and erode humanitarian principles and scruples.

While they don’t know one another at the start of their journeys, each will make decisions that have the power to transform them and place them on paths that ultimately converge on January 27, 1945, as the 60th Army of the First Ukrainian Front opened the gates to Auschwitz-Birkenau for all the world to witness.

This is ultimately a story about the strength of love, courage, faith, and resilience in the face of unimaginable hatred and obsession with power, and how every decision we make places us further along specific paths.

Excerpt

Hank watched the interaction with the same guilt he felt every time. Before the war, Pervitin was a commonly available over-the-counter medicine, much like aspirin in the United States. Unlike aspirin, which targeted pain, Pervitin made a person more alert. It could be used by students studying all night, long-distance drivers, shift workers, or even doctors performing lengthy operations. It was so popular and reliable that it soon caught the attention of top military brass.

The problem with soldiers was that they needed rest. A man could only march so far before his body grew tired, and even forced marches required breaks to keep the men from passing out. They also needed sleep. And when a soldier was sleeping, it meant he wasn’t marching.

All that could—and did—change with Pervitin and a similar product, Isophan. Both made soldiers so alert that their minds failed to register the need for breaks or sleep. As a result, they could advance deep into enemy territory without the need to sleep for as much as seven days. The pills ensured Blitzkrieg, a rapid advance by air, vehicles, and infantry, could overwhelm the enemy forces with such speed that the enemy was woefully unprepared for the advance. It created the myth that the Nazi army was filled with a superior Aryan race of superhumans.

One pill could cause alertness. Several taken over time could create feelings of superiority and grandiosity. As the soldiers continued to take them, it resulted in escalating forms of aggression.

The problem, Hank quickly observed, is that some soldiers became addicts because the active ingredients in Pervitin and Isophan were methamphetamines.

And no matter how quickly the factories churned out the pills, they could not keep up with demand. The chemical factory in Będzin’s Jewish quarter had been a possible solution; by converting the original purpose from processing metals to generating pills, the transportation issues from Berlin, which often resulted in lag times and shortages, were resolved through manufacturing on-site. Every day, thousands of the little pills were manufactured and boxed in the facility that Hank had just left, but the vast majority of those pills did not remain in Będzin but were disbursed throughout the immediate area.

As Otto barreled through Będzin and citizens scattered in advance of his careening vehicle, Hank tried not to think about the drug supply chain he and Rafe had created. Each week, they bribed the commissary staff with drugs to get alcohol and food, which they brought to the factory in exchange for more drugs. They then bribed the guards at the gate, Otto, and numerous others for access to areas officially deemed off-limits, to process film in clandestine locations, and to convey the real, unaltered stories to the Allies through underground networks.

Author Bio and Links

My full name is Patricia McClelland Terrell, and I have been writing under the pen name p.m.terrell ever since a publisher presented me with my first fiction book cover. The graphic designer had also entered my name in lower-case letters; my editor hated it, and I loved it. It’s been p.m.terrell ever since.

I began writing when I was nine years old, inspired by a schoolteacher and elementary school principal. Scott-Foresman published my first book, a computer instructional for universities, in 1984. Scott-Foresman, Dow-Jones (Richard D. Irwin branch), Palari Publishing, Paralee Press, and Drake Valley Press have published 27 books to date.

Before embarking on a full-time writing career, I founded McClelland Enterprises, Inc., in the Washington, D.C., area in 1984, specializing in workplace computer instruction. I opened another business, Continental Software Development Corporation, in 1994, which focused on custom application development, programming, website design and development, and cybersecurity.

I was honored to be the first female President of the Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Crime Solvers. Since moving to North Carolina, I served on the boards of the Robeson County Friends of the Library and the Robeson County Arts Council.

I launched The Book ‘Em Foundation with Waynesboro, Virginia, Police Officer Mark Kearney, and assisted in Virginia, New Hampshire, and South Carolina events before establishing the Annual Book ‘Em North Carolina Writers Conference and Book Fair, chairing it for several years before turning it over to Robeson Community College in Lumberton, NC.

Website | Facebook | Apple | Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Kobo | In France | In Germany | All Other eBook Formats

Padlocked is available in all eBook formats, trade paperback, hardcover, and large print editions.

Giveaway

p.m. terrell will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow the author on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome back award-winning, best-selling author Patricia Leavy. Today, Patricia shares her new release, Twinkle of Doubt.

Blurb

For fans of Colleen Hoover, this inspirational follow-up to Shooting Stars Above continues the love story between internationally best-selling novelist Tess and counterterrorism agent Jack as they both fight to overcome their deepest fears.

Tess Lee is a wildly successful and world-famous novelist whose inspirational books explore our innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Jack Miller is a federal agent who has spent decades working in counterterrorism—a violent world that has left an inevitable residue on his psyche. Two years into their marriage, as Tess and Jack both heal from past trauma, their epic love, fostered by their ability to truly see one another, has brought them profound happiness. When an anonymous threat is made against Tess’s life, however, everything changes. Will they learn to lean on each other, or will they fall apart into the darkness?

In Twinkle of Doubt, the second Celestial Bodies Romance, Tess, Jack, and their chosen family explore the nature of doubt and the struggle to feel worthy of love.

Excerpt

The next morning, Tess and Jack were snuggling in bed. Jack was playing with Tess’s hair and teasing her. “I’m serious. You’d look good in a tiara; maybe you should have gone for that royal.”

“First of all, everyone looks good in a tiara.”

“That’s your first of all?” he said, tickling her mercilessly.

She giggled uncontrollably until he stopped.

“Okay, I should have said, ‘In no particular order.’ But my other points were that royalty is absurd, and that man was dull and uptight. And furthermore, Omar is out of his mind. He wasn’t in love with me.”

“Well, that’s where you lose all credibility. I trust Omar on this one. It’s impossible not to fall for you.”

She slid her hand behind her head, pulled out her pillow, and walloped him in the face.

“You did not just do that,” he said through laughter.

“That’s what you get for saying such silly things,” she said, now lying flat on the bed.

“Hey, I’m just grateful you’d give up a crown and palace for a guy like me,” he said.

“Jack, there are no guys like you. There’s only you.”

He leaned over, caressed her face, and kissed her.

“Give me my pillow,” she said.

“Oh, now you want it back?” he teased, holding it in his hand as far away from her as he could stretch. “You’re gonna have to come and get it.”

She started to crawl over him when his cell phone rang. “Ah, you’re in luck,” he said, handing her the pillow. “It’s Bobby.”

“See if they want to go to the movies with us later,” Tess said, propping herself up against her pillow. “If Gina’s there, we can persuade you two to see a romantic comedy and not one of those killing spree monstrosities.”

Jack laughed and answered the phone. “Hey, Bobby. What are you guys up to later? Save me from a chick flick.”

Buy Links

Amazon | She Writes Press | Simon & Schuster | The Celestial Bodies Romances

Author Bio and Links

Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She is also the publisher and CEO of Paper Stars Press. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than fifty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book awards. Her novel Shooting Stars Above was featured on People “10 Romance Books to Read After Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry” and was the 2025 Firebird Book Award First Place Winner in Contemporary Novel, Romance, and Summer Beach Read. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” In 2024 the London Arts-Based Research Centre established “The Patricia Leavy Award for Arts-Based Research.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | X/Twitter

Giveaway

Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Patricia on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author Jessica Rakus. Today, Jessica shares her creative journey and her new release, Haven Strong.

Here’s Jessica!

What was your inspiration for this book?

The book started as a personal reaction to the Humboldt Broncos hockey team bus crash in April of 2018. As a hockey fan, the next several months contained frequent reminders, and every time, I’d feel a strangely deep pain. I was still crying months later. Eventually, I decided to write something down, to try to take my emotions and give them to someone else.

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

The best part has definitely been getting feedback now that my debut novel is out in the world. Probably because the feedback has been positive (haha), but also just because there’s something about it being a book I can hold in my hands that means I’m a “real writer” (whatever that means). The hardest part is finishing! I have so many projects sitting at 75% ready for publication, and getting to that 100% mark feels impossible some days. I know I need to (and not just because I’m getting asked when my next book is coming out).

Describe your writing space.

I mostly work at a desk in my living room, a room that has also become my home office since I started working remotely a couple years ago. It’s scattered and messy, because my brain and my life are scattered and messy. I do have a separate desk and computer for writing and for work, so I can at least keep the two separate.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Healing powers! I’ve always thought that would be incredible, being able to lay hands and fix everything. I’d imagine that’s something I do by writing – I can fix the things that are hurting these people, even if they’re pretend.

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?

I’m an avid scrapbooker (hence the scattered and messy desk!), and currently my daughter and I are learning to crochet together.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

My advice would be to read everything you can get your hands on, write constantly, and write what you love. Don’t stress about market trends and how it’s “supposed” to be done. Sure, learn the craft, but if you love writing about werewolves, just write about werewolves (or whatever they’re saying is “out”).

What are you working on next?

Almost certainly by the end of 2026, I’ll have a new book out, title TBD, about a newly widowed woman navigating her grief and finding love in a surprising place (sound familiar, readers?).

Blurb

Josephine Grant lives a charmed life – a husband, three perfect children, strong bonds with family and friends in the small town where she’s lived her entire life. She’s the helper, the hostess, the one who always shows up. The person who can do it all.

Then the bus carrying her son’s basketball team crashes, and Jo’s husband and son are among the lives lost. Now she has a new identity. Widow. Single mother. Woman who lost everything. Grief begins to tear apart the place that’s always been her home. Infighting among friends. Gossip and rumors. Wounds that may never heal and bonds that just might.

Now Jo has to rebuild her life, but as the person who thinks of herself as the helper, asking others to help hold her together is impossible. Jo must learn to lean on others as she learns to stand on her own.

Excerpt

I handed my husband his sneakers, shoes he should have been able to keep better track of, given how often he wore them. At least he didn’t leave them where I’d trip on them, like the kids did.

“Thanks, Jo, you’re a lifesaver.” He cupped my face with his free hand. My shoulders relaxed and I melted against him, forgetting all the things on my to do list. My eyes drifted shut as he kissed me, the lingering kiss we were rarely allowed, with three kids running around the house. Our daughters were spending a few hours with their grandparents, and our son was upstairs ignoring us. And even without the kids interrupting us, Steve’s cell phone pulled us apart, ringing incessantly from his pocket.

“Ignore it, Steve,” I murmured against his lips.

“It’s Reston, and we have to leave anyway.” He stepped away from me and answered the phone call before sitting down to tug on the sneakers, grubby with constant wear. “We’re on our way, I swear. Walking out the door as we speak.”

A lie. Despite multiple reminders we needed to leave, Matt was still in his room. Matt and Steve were due at school in ten minutes to catch the bus to this evening’s basketball game. And if the head coach was calling, we had to leave the house now.

Author Bio and Links

Jessica Rakus is a debut novelist, after many, many years of writing practice. She currently lives in Louisiana, after living briefly in seven other states.

Website | Amazon Buy Link | Barnes & Noble Buy Link

Giveaway

Jessica Rakus will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Jessica on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author C.P. Silver. Today, she shares her creative journey and new release, Whispers of the Elixir.

Interview

What is the best part of being an author? The worst?

For me, the best part about being an author is getting to do what I love. During all the years I practiced law, writing was always my dream job, and it has lived up to my expectations. Even the frustrations of having to scrap something and start over, or facing writer’s block, don’t take the joy out of it for me.

The worst part then, isn’t about the writing itself, but what happens after: marketing. Getting your book into the hands of the people it was written for isn’t always straightforward, and sometimes feels like an uphill battle.

Which authors have inspired you?

Various authors have inspired me in different ways. In terms of world-building, definitely J. R. R. Tolkien and Jin Yong, with their layered cultures and sweeping epic settings.

But in terms of my writing journey, it would have to be Michael J. Sullivan. He was so open about how he learned to write, which was in part by studying authors he admired. Since I love his books, I was inspired to do the same, and learned so much in the process.

What is your favorite quote?

This changes depending on the season of my life. Right now, I’d say it’s one from The Fellowship of the Ring, by J.R.R. Tolkien.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

This feels so poignant right now, with all that’s happening in the world. Because, while we can’t control everything, we do have the power to determine what we say and do and accomplish in our own lives.

Besides writing and reading, what are some of your hobbies?

I’d have to say painting is the main one. Creating a scene with a paintbrush gives me that same magical feeling as when I’m creating one with words, like anything is possible. And those rare moments when I manage to transmit the picture in my head onto the canvas always leave me with a deep sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Keep improving through practice. Even the greats (or perhaps especially the greats) say they’re still striving for improvement.

Also, avail yourself of writing craft books and training videos, and really study them. There are a thousand good ones.

But above all, keep going.
When work, or sickness, or family commitments make you drop your writing for weeks on end, pick it up again.

When you have to delete entire chapters because you took a wrong turn somewhere, just start over.

When others read your work, and their feedback crushes your soul, don’t give up.

I’ll borrow a quote used by many people in different contexts: If you keep on writing and don’t give up, finishing your book is “not only possible, it’s inevitable.”

What are you working on next?

I have a number of irons in the fire right now.

The one that will be released the soonest is the prequel to my series. It’s a short story that follows the journey of my protagonist’s mother—who also happens to be the main antagonist of Whispers of the Elixir.

Then there are other short stories that I work on whenever I can, which I find is a wonderful way to vary my writing practice.

Finally, I’ve got the first drafts of books 2, 3, and 4 of the Order of the Ember series in the works. I’m writing these simultaneously to ensure consistency across the series. Needless to say, this is a fairly big project, but I’m loving every moment of it.

Blurb

A matriarchal empire. A princess with forbidden magic. A mother who would kill to protect her own legacy.

As heir to the Min empire, Tori has spent her life under the iron will of her mother, Empress Zinchen—a sovereign determined to shape the world in her own image. But Tori has been hiding a dangerous secret: a forbidden elemental power tied to the world’s mythic past. If Zinchen discovers the truth, it will cost Tori her life.

Haunted by this threat, Tori flees into the hidden lands—an ancient realm of ghost-flowers, sentient forests, and immortals from a half-remembered age. But magic here is neither blessing nor curse—it is a reflection, a test, a force that shapes as much as it destroys. And as her trials progress, Tori is stripped of certainty and pride. To survive her mother’s ambition, she must use what she learns to suppress the power that could doom her—but in doing so, she risks losing the very future she was born to inherit.

Whispers of the Elixir begins the Order of the Ember series—a character-driven epic of legacy, sacrifice, and the strength of a princess destined to rise from the shadows and claim her place in legend.

In Whispers of the Elixir, you will find the political intrigue of Andrea Stewart, the mythic worldbuilding of Ken Liu, and the emotional resonance of M.L. Wang.

Excerpt

A cool, fluid resistance hit her head, flowed down her spine, and clung to her clothes, as though she were walking through a curtain of water. Sounds muffled, apart from the tinkle of trickling droplets, and the earth felt slick beneath her feet.

A moment later, the sensation ended, and she checked her body, finding it dry. All that remained was a feeling of pleasant freshness. Master Banfay stood a few steps ahead, poking idly at the ground, and at the sight of him, relief flooded her—she was in!

She looked around and gaped—the forest burst with color. It was as though she had been viewing the world until now through a dull, gray-tinted pane, and had finally stepped into the open. The air, too, had a purity she had never imagined possible, and everything felt alive in a way that didn’t seem rational.

Elnora popped into sight, looking pale, and Master Banfay finally looked up from the ground.

“Welcome to the Veil of Ayenashi,” he said. “Be happy. Very few mortals ever set foot here.”

From then on, swaying trees bordered their path, along with bubbling fountains where birds bathed, splashing merrily. Lomi filled the place, shimmering and dancing, flashing and swooping, spinning feverishly inside shafts of sunlight.

Author Bio and Links

C.P. Silver writes fantasy set in a world where matriarchy is absolute, with immersive worldbuilding, evocative prose, and emotionally complex characters. A former lawyer who also briefly studied Chinese medicine, her experiences shape the nuance and depth of her debut novel, Whispers of the Elixir, a slow-burn epic centered on legacy, inheritance, and the dangerous cost of power.

Raised in the Cayman Islands, she now lives in Europe. When not writing, she’s usually reading in a quiet nook or walking somewhere green, listening for the next story.

Author Website | Goodreads | BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon Buy Link | All Other Retailers

Giveaway

C.P. Silver will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow the author on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome Canadian author Phillippa Mann. Today, Phillippa shares her memoir, House of Cards: Surviving Munchausen by Proxy and a Mother’s Web of Lies.

Blurb

A raw and unflinching memoir of survival, truth, and transformation. Phillippa Mann takes readers deep into the fractured world of a girl who grew up living with a monster–a world where love and fear shared the same face, and silence became a means of survival.

Through heartbreak, chaos, and betrayal, Phillippa’s voice emerges from the shadows as she begins to piece together a life that was never hers to begin with. Her journey is one of courage and reckoning, of facing the unbearable truths that shaped her, and finding strength in vulnerability.

More than a story of pain, House of Cards is a testament to the power of healing and self-forgiveness. It reminds every survivor that bringing hidden truths into the light is not the end – it’s the beginning of reclaiming your story and rebuilding the foundation of who you were always meant to be.

Excerpt

My parents were married in England in June 1969. They emigrated to Canada in 1970, had my brother in September 1972 and me in October 1974. Both sets of my grandparents emigrated to Canada shortly after this to be closer to us.

I was born in Northern BC. My mother separated from my dad and moved to the Lower Mainland in 1976, approximately 900 km away, with her boyfriend at the time. While I have no recollection of that period as I was quite young, I’ve come across photos of my younger self with my dad and brother, and I can see the joy on my face. In those times, I truly felt happy. I remember camping with my dad, fishing, pretending to shave with him, and the smell of the Coleman stove. It was returning home to my mother after spending time with my dad that was the toughest part. Even though I was so little, I knew that something at home wasn’t right. I always felt such intense sadness and anxiety when my dad brought us back home after summer camping, winter break, or his weekend visits. I didn’t know how to articulate what I was feeling, and I struggled to express my emotions at such a young age, but I just knew that I hated it when my dad brought me back home. This is the first recollection I have of the abuse.

Naturally, at such a young age, I didn’t see it as abuse, and it took me over two decades to realize it. My dad would drop me off at my mother’s house before returning north, and even though I knew I’d see him again in a few weeks, to a three- or four-year-old without a grasp of time, it seemed like an eternity. I would cry when he left because I loved him so much and didn’t want him to leave. After my dad left, my mother would be so unkind to me, often ignoring me for days. I do not remember a single word being spoken to me. I recognize she must have said something to me; however, I remember the silence more than anything—the absence of good nights, hugs, or any trace of warmth. It continued until I finally begged her to say something, anything. Eventually, once she got what she wanted, she’d pretend nothing had happened, slipping back into normalcy as if the hurt had never occurred.

Author Bio and Links

Phillippa Mann is a Canadian author who is passionate about helping others find healing through shared experience.

Her memoir, House of Cards: Surviving Munchausen by Proxy and a Mother’s Web of Lies, explores the emotional journey of growing up in chaos and reclaiming strength through forgiveness and self-discovery.

Family is at the heart of everything Phillippa does. She and her husband share a love of creating together, and their children and grandchildren inspire her every day to live with gratitude, laughter, and purpose. When she’s not writing, Phillippa can be found playing with her Corgi, Glenn, crafting handmade gifts, baking cookies and cupcakes for her family business, Sweet Lavender Designs, which she started in memory of a dear friend.

She is currently working on her next creative project, a heartwarming children’s book titled Hop Hop and the Great Garden Adventure, inspired by the wonder and imagination of her grandchildren.

Website | Instagram | Amazon

Giveaway

Phillippa Mann will be awarding a $10 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here .

Follow Phillippa on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here .

I’m happy to welcome author Stu Strumwasser. Today, Stu shares his new release, A Real Collusion.

Blurb

A Real Collusion is about the secret conspiracy between the Republican and Democratic parties to control the US government through an illegal duopoly.

From the author of the bestselling novel, The Organ Broker, (hailed by Lee Child, New York Times # 1 bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series as, “Exciting and thought-provoking–the perfect package”) comes, A Real Collusion, a stunning political thriller and expose.

A Real Collusion is a David Vs. Goliath(s) story about a man who accidentally becomes the leader of an independent political movement that nearly takes down the two-party system in America, while exposing a conspiracy that affects the results of the 2016 election. It explores universal and deeply human themes of loss, and the tension between justice and power. In the opening sentence the narrator points out that, “Ordinary people often do extraordinary things.” The characters in the book do, and the action is driven by the fantastic events of a unique political satire. It is also the heartfelt story of regular people struggling with lost love, alienation and nearly universal disaffection who find strength in enduring loyalty and friendship

This is the story of John Campbell (a regular guy from the lower east side of Manhattan) as recounted by his friend Skip Winters. Skip becomes John’s campaign manager and later, a congressman in his own right. He narrates the stunning-but-plausible story of how John Campbell and The American Coalition race to popularity, raising over a hundred million dollars from grassroots contributors—and become a threat to the political duopoly of the Democratic and Republican parties. The book sprinkles in references to real events from recent history, and real political leaders including Trump, John McCain, and more. This imbues the novel with a sense of realism, albeit one of an alternate reality. Skip discovers a deep-seated conspiracy within our political system whose leaders orchestrate a murder, destroy his friend and tip the scales of the election. The novel turns out to be Skip’s exposé of the secret collaboration between the two major political parties in our country—a cooperation to protect the duopoly that is, in part, real.

Excerpt

Fenterman and I are forever bound by the one and only direct interaction that he ever had with John Campbell. The tragic events of that day ruined all of our lives, and I will never forgive him for it. Or his handlers.

I have spoken to Father MacCauly about this. I am not a particularly religious man and yet I have prayed—I have prayed less for John, or myself, or our country, than I have prayed, truthfully, for the strength to stop despising Steven Fenterman, to let go of the hate that consumes me, even now, years later. I cannot. Nonetheless, beginning around a year after it happened, every few months I got in the car and somberly headed up the Taconic Parkway toward Ossining. I made those drives alone, leaving the radio off, preferring to listen only to the rasp of the wind upon the windshield and frame of my car. I drove, deliberately and obediently, to Ossining Correctional Facility, otherwise known as Sing Sing. I went to visit the man who was the object of more of my hatred than any other person or thing I have ever been repulsed or angered by. I am probably the only visitor who saw Steven Fenterman who didn’t fall into three distinct categories: media, Secret Service, or women obsessed with murderers on death row.

The first time I made the long, quiet drive to Sing Sing, past the suburbs and through the tree-lined stretches of highway in Westchester and Putnam counties, I was shocked that Fenterman agreed to see me. It was the summer of 2016. Trump had clinched the Republican nomination in May and Hillary clinched for the Democrats a few weeks later. I was running for Congress at the time but was still largely unrecognized out in public. I fully expected to be denied access, turned away at the rifle-guarded gates, pointed back to the city after having accomplished nothing more than sending a signal. Still, I wanted him to know that I had been there. I wanted that vermin to think about it—alone in the worn bed of his barren cell—that I had driven an hour along that tree-lined stretch. I wanted him to know that I was thinking about him, that I remained committed. I wanted him to be reminded, every god-damned day, that someone hadn’t forgotten, and to be afforded constant reminders of the fate that he was slipping forward toward there on death row. He should know that I want to confront him, I had thought. He should never stop thinking about all of it, not for one second, never be allowed the respite of a lapse in those memories—just like me. However, the irascible bastard admitted me.

Buy Links

Amazon Link (ebook) | Amazon Link (hardcover) | Barnes & Noble (ebook) | Barnes & Noble (paperback) | Kobo | Apple Books | Google Play (ebook) |
Google Play (audiobook) | Payhip

To read the first two chapters of the novel please visit the following link.

Author Bio and Links

Stu Strumwasser is a modern-day muckraker who writes literary novels that address important sociopolitical issues. His first novel, The Organ Broker, was published by Skyhorse (distributed by Simon & Schuster) and shortlisted as one of five finalists for the Hammett Prize for literary excellence in crime writing. Strumwasser was also the primary songwriter and drummer for the indie rock band Channeling Owen. He is a longtime investment professional (investing in sustainable technology that improves the manner in which we make food) and hails from Brooklyn NY. His new novel, A Real Collusion, is both an exposé and analysis of broken government and a fictional David Vs. Goliath(s) story of the man who almost took down the two-party system in America.

Website | Goodreads | Instagram | TikTok

Here is a link to the author’s op-ed piece in Fortune Magazine: https://fortune.com/2026/04/01/congress-lower-approval-rating-than-hitler-rigged-system

Giveaway

Stu Strumwasser will be awarding a $25 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Stu on the rest of his Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author Morgan Blake. Today, Morgan shares her new release, The Cherry Trees of Rosings.

Blurb

A Pride & Prejudice variation with a slightly paranormal, mainly comic twist!

When Elizabeth Bennet visits her newly-married friend, Charlotte Collins, at the Hunsford parsonage, she has no idea that Mr. Darcy (he of the arrogant demeanor and perpetual cause of annoyance!) shall turn up to ruin her blissful, idyllic days.

Only, Mr. Darcy is not himself. And then Elizabeth stumbles straight through him one day… like one would an apparition! Goodness gracious!

“Mr. Darcy, I do not know what you mean, but I would appreciate it if you would desist from haunting me!”

“I apologize, Miss Bennet, for scaring you,” Mr. Darcy said, almost regretfully.

To solve her haunting problem, Elizabeth must team up with Mr. Darcy to find out what happened to him, and along the way discover that maybe he is not all that he seemed at first. And that maybe… she doesn’t hate him after all.

“You wish to write the letter now?” he asked as she moved past him with the candle.

“Well, to be honest,” she glanced at him. “I would prefer to sleep. But since you are here, I do not see why not.”

From the antics of Lady Catherine de Bourgh to the hilarity of Mr. Collins’ advice on staying fit, The Cherry Trees of Rosings shall make you laugh and cry in equal measure. And wonder: Will our favourite couple find their happy ever after?

Spoiler: Yes, they will!

This Pride and Prejudice variation features our favourite Regency romance couple from Jane Austen’s original classic in a somewhat spooky setup. ✨ But fear not, dear readers! ✨ This story is not scary in the least. Prepare for a chuckle fest and abundant cups of tea!

Excerpt

It was three days since her encounter with Mr. Darcy’s apparition. Elizabeth was not certain if what she had experienced was a dream or real.

Perhaps she had fallen asleep on that iron bench in that chestnut copse. Perhaps it had been nothing but her overactive imagination.

Yet, she had not gone for her usual walk since that day. Not since the news.

A shiver crept up Elizabeth’s spine at the thought. She shook it off as best as she could and went back to tossing feed to the Collins’ chickens.

“Are you real?”

Elizabeth screamed—nearly jumping out of her skin!—and dropped the bowl of feed. Mr. Darcy was standing a few feet away from her.

“Mr. Darcy…” she said in a hush. Eyes wide in horror.

“Why do I see you, Miss Bennet?” he asked, voice soft and melancholic.

It was almost as if he was speaking to himself, not her. Elizabeth could only stare at the man.

Her heart thumped loudly within her chest. Blood thundered past her ears, and within her veins. He was still dressed in the same clothes as the day she had spoken to him under the cherry trees.

Author Bio and Links

Morgan Blake writes regency romance novels and Austenesque variations of Pride & Prejudice that are sometimes steamy, sometimes not. Satire is the name of the game and happy ever afters the goal!

Morgan loves exploring themes of personal identity, inner strength, social discourse and hope alongside enduring love in her stories. She also believes that strong heroes and heroines are not enough to make a tale worth telling. They need a supporting cast of good and not-so-good characters that add more punch and vibrancy… and some dramatic ridiculousness!

Morgan is a cat friend, tropical girl who prefers winter clothes, perennial fantasy/historical fiction nerd, and a night owl.

Author Website | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | UBL

What reviewers are saying about The Cherry Trees of Rosings:

“When an author marries two of your all-time favourite stories, this is it! Morgan keeps some Austen language but makes it palatable for modern audiences. It was witty and beautifully descriptive.”

— Nicole Curls Up to Read

“This variation mixes the absurdity of Mr Collins, the entitlement of Lady Catherine, the scepticism of Colonel Fitzwilliam, with the awkwardness and humour of Darcy and Elizabeth’s interactions. A good combination of humour, romance and angst.”

—My JAFF Obsession

“The story was really captivating, especially as Elizabeth tries to figure out why Darcy is an apparition and how to help him back to his normal state. At some points the story was also a bit sad because it seems that there can be no future for Darcy and Elizabeth. Fortunately that is not the case and in the end (*spoiler*) they find their happily ever after.”

—Melanie Reads JAFF

“That was fast reading in one day, but I just couldn’t stop reading!”

—Eileen Smith, Goodreads

Giveaway

Morgan Blake will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Morgan on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.