I’m happy to welcome author April Farlow. Today, April shares her creative journey and new release, Pieces of You.

Here’s April!

What was your inspiration for this book?

10 years ago, I started working with young adults who aged out of foster care through an organization I founded called Lydia’s Place (www.lydias-place.com). I saw the pain they experienced from the broken relationship with their parents and how much it impacted their faith. Repeatedly, I shared advice from my parents with them and decided it would be helpful to put it in a book. My dad was a businessman from Mississippi and shared these one-line truths that are sprinkled throughout the book.

As a corporate trainer for twenty years, I have used truths from my dad in classes and speeches repeatedly. We had an hour commute to get to school each morning and my dad used that time intentionally to talk to me about important life topics. He ended each conversation as I would get out of the car the exact same way, “remember who you are and remember whose you are.” Since our relationship with our Earthly Father impacts the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father, I use these stories to help the reader discover who they are and whose they are and hope it will feel a lot like we are riding in the car together as I tell the “pieces” of my story.

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

The best part of being an author is seeing my stories in print because I know they are captured for my kids and family. The hardest part is that I share some of the intimate parts of my life and so it feels vulnerable when I know people know some of the “pieces” of my life that have been hard.

Describe your writing space.

My writing space would be funny for anyone else to walk into. I write at my dining room and usually have papers spread out all over the place with ideas and lists. It is messy – and even when I clean it up, I tend to mess it back up because that is when I feel most creative! I also record myself saying a lot of my stories in the car, so you could say my writing space includes my drive time which usually happens on the way to/from speaking engagements or driving my kids to their activities.

Which authors have inspired you?

I spent a few days at a writers retreat with Bob Goff (Everybody, Always; Undistracted; Dream Big) and Kimberly Stuart (Stars for Jesus and Other Jobs I Quit; Balancing Act; Bottom Line; Better Together). I am always inspired by their words, but also by their passion for helping other people write!

What is your favorite quote?

I have two:
“Be the Change you wish to see in the world.” Ghandi
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them fee.” Maya Angelou

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Whether it is a superpower or not is to be determined, but I am pretty good at awkward conversations. I have taught communications as a corporate trainer for years and I find I use so much of what I teach in my personal life as well. This means that when there has to be a hard conversation, I am often the one who says what needs to be said. This can be both a gift and a challenge at times.

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

I have 4 girls and so their activities become my activities as well. My youngest girls love dance and theater, so I spend a lot of time in their world. I also have a mini farm with horses, chickens, rabbits and hope to have some mini-cows soon!

Any advice for aspiring writers?

Yes! Two things helped me tremendously:

1. Get a writing coach. It helped me be accountable to a timeline and get my ideas collected with the help of someone else sharing what made the most impact, rather than the story I wanted to say the most.

2. The advice that Sara Shelton, my writing coach, shared with me is something I would share with anyone. Get a box of index cards and write down every idea you have about the topic for two months. Then, use those cards to organize an outline. This one activity was a game changer for me!

What are you working on next?

Two things: I plan to host women’s events for the book so that other women can share their stories. For writing, next, I would like to share the story of how my oldest daughter joined our family from Legos, Nigeria. Maria grew up in extreme poverty. We met at a camp when I was speaking in Orlando and she had gotten a scholarship to learn and take back information to her school. Maria came to live with us eight years ago and is currently getting her PhD at the University of Houston. I am inspired by Maria and we have learned a lot along the way as we have merged two very different worlds.

Blurb

Knowing who you are has always been challenging, and in today’s world, more and more voices are coming from more and more places telling us who we should be. The result? A broken sense of identity that we’re struggling to put back together.

In Pieces of You, April Farlow shares how she discovered her identity is formed by the God who made her. Along the way, she’s learned that if we want to put the pieces of who we are together in a real, lasting way, we have to look to Whose we are for help.

It’s time to take a look at the unique pieces that make up who you are …

The pieces you compare …
The pieces informed by the father figure in your life …
The painful pieces …
The pieces of your relationships …
The pieces on which you’ve built your beliefs …
The pieces that give you rules and boundaries …
The pieces that show what you value …
The pieces that give you purpose …
The pieces that help you build a vision for what’s to come.

As we work to put those pieces together, we’ll look to the God who made us, knows us, and loves us to guide us. Because when you take all your pieces—the good, the bad, the broken, and the beautiful—and place them in your Heavenly Father’s hands, there, you’ll find peace. There, you’ll find security. There, you’ll find a real sense of who you are and Whose you are.

Excerpt

Over just a few hours, my Kaleidoscopes began to lean into each other’s stories. Things got real fast. And I think that’s because we took a break from measuring ourselves against each other. Instead of comparing, we chose to share.

And that’s a great place to start.

To stand confidently in both who you are and Whose you are, you must first learn to avoid the temptation to compare. Staying out of the comparison trap is an essential piece of the puzzle that is discovering and embracing our identity.

After our meeting, my friend Angela went home and looked in her daughter’s school folder. There, she found a worksheet her seven-year-old, Elle, had filled out. “Color yourself and then write words to describe yourself in the circles,” the instructions said across the top. That’s precisely what Elle did. She colored her hair and eyes to match hers and wrote six words to describe herself.

Funny
Artistic
Pretty
Love
Kind
Smart

For Angela, her daughter’s list was not only accurate, but it was also a stark contrast to the list she and the other women had made. Angela told me about it later: “I wonder at what age we stop believing the good? I wonder what happens to cause us to begin seeing the negative before the positive?”

I wonder the same for all of us.

Author Bio and Links

April Farlow has spent the last 20 years motivating audiences to get out of their comfort zone, speak up, and represent their values. In corporate environments, one piece is missed—the ability to talk about forming your identity in God. Today, as a speaker, author, coach, and non-profit leader, April is changing this by sharing her faith journey and helping others do the same with clarity and conviction.

In 2017, after speaking to a group of foster youth, April founded Lydia’s Place, a ministry serving young adults who have experienced foster care or homelessness. April and her husband have four girls and live on a mini-farm outside of Athens, Georgia.

Website | Instagram

Giveaway

April Farlow will be awarding a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to welcome author Claudia Riess. Today, Claudia shares her new release, Dying for Monet.

Blurb

Dying for Monet, book 5 of Riess’s art history mystery series, opens on a gala evening auction at Laszlo’s, an upstart auction house in New York City. After a much sought-after Impressionist still life painting is without notice withdrawn from the auction block, its broker is found dead at the foot of an imposing statue in Laszlo’s courtyard. Amateur sleuths Erika Shawn and Harrison Wheatley are once again drawn into an investigation involving an art-related homicide, this time with one sharing an unnerving coincidence with violent crimes occurring abroad.

Excerpt

For a short while they ate in a silence broken only by the soft clatter of utensils and restrained exclamations of praise, the meal more than living up to its aromatic overture. Yet, beneath the silence there was an insensate hum of anticipation, like an underlying spice that defines a dish, but can’t quite be identified.

Erika was slicing into a tender fragment of chicken; Harrison, scooping up a forkful of buttered noodles; Greg, wiping his lips with his napkin—when Robin, staring down at her plate, suddenly blurted, “Ivan and I—we were having a squabble.” She looked up. “It wasn’t much of anything at the start, but it escalated. We were having dinner. Right where we are now, at this table.” She seemed to marvel at the coincidence. “I complained, not very adamantly, that he was spending a lot of time in Manhattan—too much time. He said he was ‘learning the ropes.’ I remember thinking, how odd, I’ve never heard him use that phrase.” She studied her plate again. “I told him he didn’t share things with me. What was he doing at Laszlo’s? Who were his colleagues? I became agitated. I asked him if he was having an affair.” She sucked in her breath, as if someone other than herself had surprised her with that statement.

“He was stunned by my accusation. At a loss. For a minute he was silent, and then he said, ‘An affair? You want to know what I haven’t shared with you? Something personal? All right, I’ll let you in on my secret, my only secret, but you have to swear you’ll keep it to yourself. It concerns the contract between me and one of my clients. I’m going against my word, here, you understand. I gave Mr. Keller my word I’d keep it between us.’ It was essential, Ivan said. Essential.”

Robin picked up her fork and began pushing a morsel of chicken around on her plate, poking at it, as if to get a response out of it. “What was I thinking?” She let the fork drop onto the plate and looked up. “I can’t talk about this. I swore not to. There was a reason not to tell. A danger in telling.” She shook her head. “Greg, Greg, I was drunk with grief when I shared this with you. I know you’ll keep your word. Erika, Harrison, I’m sorry. I’ll give you anything else but this. Not this.”

Erika was sitting next to Robin. She laid her hand on hers. Robin placed her free hand on Erika’s and kept it there. Erika nodded her understanding, inwardly begging Robin to recant. The plea went unanswered.

A short time later, after acceding to Robin’s remorseful insistence they partake of her apple pie à la mode and coffee, the sated visitors were back on the road, heading toward Manhattan.

All three were seated in the back of the car, Erika between the men. Bill had taken it upon himself to shut the partition separating him and his passengers so that they could converse in private.

For a while silence ruled. Then, not quite breaking it, Erika turned to Greg, on her left, and, cocking her head ever-so-slightly, fixed him with an imploring look.

“No,” Greg said.

“Just thought I’d ask,” she answered. “I understand.” She rested her head on Harrison’s shoulder and tried to distance herself from the double-edged guilt for having pressed Greg to break his oath and disappointment for not having succeeded at it.

Author Bio and Links

Claudia Riess has worked in the editorial departments of The New Yorker and Holt, Rinehart and Winston, and has edited several art history monographs. Stolen Light, the first book in her art history mystery series, was chosen by Vassar’s Latin American history professor for distribution to the college’s people-to-people trips to Cuba. To Kingdom Come, the fourth, will be added to the syllabus of a survey course on West and Central African Art at a prominent Midwestern university. Claudia has written a number of articles for Mystery Readers Journal, Women’s National Book Association, Sisters in Crime Bloodletter, and Mystery Scene magazine. To read more about Claudia and her work, visit the author’s website.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Giveaway

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

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

I’m happy to welcome author Randy Dean Noble. Today, Randy shares his new release, Spiral.

Blurb

They’re in the number one watched game in the world… or so they were told. But they have no memory of who or where they are. Something beyond their wildest imaginations awaits to mercilessly strike them down. And looming in the darkness is something worse… much worse.

Green—named after the color of car he’s driving—awakens on the side of a dark highway surrounded by dense forest. And he’s in an old muscle car with no way to tell time, no cell phone, and the radio doesn’t work. When he encounters others like himself, they have to join forces to unravel the mystery surrounding them. Yet, trust doesn’t come easily—someone amongst them is a saboteur.

With their lives at stake, they are compelled to engage in a race where being last means certain death. They must disentangle the truth that threatens to consume them, before they spiral out of control.

Spiral is a gripping tale of survival, coalition, and the terrifying secrets that lie hidden in the shadows.

Prepare for a rip-roaring, adrenaline-fueled ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

If you enjoy books by authors like Dean Koontz and Blake Crouch that involve supernatural thrills laced with fast-paced action, then check out Randy Dean Noble’s exciting horror thriller, Spiral, today.

Excerpt

Have you ever had an instinct so strong that you had to comply? It’s all I had. An overwhelming feeling to run.

I woke up in a car I didn’t recognize, seated behind the wheel, with no memory of how I got there, no idea what day it was or what time other than I could clearly see it was night. I had no watch and no cell phone. The engine idled with a deep rumble, the gear shifter in neutral, and the emergency brake had been depressed. It was a standard transmission. Did I know how to drive a standard? I couldn’t remember.

And when I woke, every part of my being screamed at me to go, to just drive. The longer I contemplated, the sweatier my hands got, sliding on the hard, cracked green steering wheel. My heart palpitated faster and faster.

It was dark out, like really dark. A moonless night. Initially, disorientation didn’t register where I was, but it didn’t take long to see I was pulled over on the side of a highway.

My heartbeat thumped in my chest like it was trying to escape. Wide eyes greeted me in the rearview mirror, eyes I didn’t recognize, nor the sweat-beading bald head reflecting back.

Who was I?

A flicker of movement caught my attention—in the ditch, near the line of pine trees. The headlights were on the high setting.

When I turned my head to look, nothing was there, but I swear I saw… something.

Author Bio and Links

Randy Dean Noble is a supernatural thriller kind of guy. He grew up in Canada on a slew of movies and books (action/adventure, horror, sci-fi, and fantasy), all of which have inspired his writing interests. Working a plethora of minimum wage jobs took Randy into computer science and a career in I.T. (because he didn’t want to eat PB&J for the rest of his life). But his passion has always been writing, and his dream is to be a full-time fiction author. He writes stories he wants to read, which end up as fast-paced thrilling escape stories meant for one thing: to entertain the reader from beginning to end. His most recent work, Spiral, is a horror thriller wild ride you won’t soon forget.

Website | Facebook | TikTok | Instagram | Universal BuyLink

Giveaway

The author 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 his Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author Petie McCarty. Today, Petie shares her creative journey and the novels in The Cinderella Series.

Here’s Petie!

What was your inspiration for this book?

First, allow me to thank you, Joanne, for your kindness in showcasing my Cinderella series today on the Goddess Fish Promo Tour. Ahh, this is an easy question. Disney Princesses are beloved by children and adults worldwide, and the all-time favorite princess is Cinderella. I keep up to date from my years working at the Most Magical Place on Earth. When you drive by Cinderella’s Castle every day on your way to work, the inspiration sort of falls into place.

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

Telling stories is the best part. When you write, you can get so wrapped up in your plot, that your characters end up actually directing you. That’s the coolest surprise of all. The worst is all the typing and formatting.

Describe your writing space.

Would it be more fun to have a picture?

Which authors have inspired you?

Too many to count! Like the bacteria in a petri dish (*I once worked in a micro lab. 😊)

Suzanne Brockmann
Jayne Ann Krentz
Linda Howard
Jennifer Crusie
Rachel Gibson
Sarah MacLean
So many many more . . .

What is your favorite quote?

My favorite quote is: “The only difference between published writers and unpublished writers is the published ones never gave up.” I think Stephen King said that in his book, “On Writing”—my favorite writing text of all time.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

A magic wand to pop in and stop bad guys in their tracks, all kinds.

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

Golf and bike riding. I LOVE my electric bike. I do about 10 miles a day when I ride. And I hate rainy days now because I can’t go.

Any advice for aspiring writers?

See #5 first. Don’t ever give up. Each book you write makes you better. READ a lot, every day! I’ve learned more from reading good and especially bad books (so I know what not to do) than I ever did from my twenty or so writing texts (most written by folks who have never written a novel.)

What are you working on next?

Cinderella on the Rocks, Book 4 in my Cinderella series.
A beautiful Yank is hired by the wicked stepmother of a hunky Highlander whisky distiller in Scotland to steal his proprietary recipe for single malt. The sexy Highlander, Ian MacVicar, appeared in Par for Cinderella.

Blurbs

The Cinderella Romances…Fall in love with the fairy tale all over again.

Modern-day Cinderella stories that provide unlimited opportunities to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Cinderella Busted

Once upon a time, in Jupiter Island, Florida . . .

Billionaire developer, Rhett Buchanan, is forced to inspect a shipment of priceless trees and meets the girl of his dreams instead. A bit jaded where women are concerned—since most are gold diggers—Rhett falls head over heels for the Jupiter Island socialite who only wants him, not his money. Except she isn’t the glamorous socialite she appears to be.

She’s the gardener . . .

Betting on Cinderella

Once upon a time in Biloxi, Mississippi . . .

Garrett Tucker inherits his grandfather’s casino empire and steps into the reclusive billionaire’s shoes as the new “Prince of Vegas.” Discovering embezzlement in his newly purchased casino in Biloxi, Garrett goes in undercover. His prime suspect? The new finance supervisor . . . a feisty brunette who stole his heart at first sight.

Andi Ryan moves to Biloxi to care for her godmother. Taking a job as finance supervisor for the renovated Bayou Princess casino, she discovers someone is skimming from the till. Andi starts her own investigation, worried she will be blamed for the theft when the handsome new owner discovers her godmother likes to gamble.

Industrial espionage is afoot at the Bayou Princess, and Garrett and Andi are soon forced to work as a team to prove her innocence and save the casino before it’s too late.

\This swoonworthy modern-day fairy tale joins the other stories in the Cinderella Romances series. Each provides a new opportunity to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Par for Cinderella

Once upon a time in Cedar Key, Florida . . .

Golf resort developer Aidan Cross is at loose ends. Something feels missing from his life, but that something isn’t women. He has too many women chasing him now. To confuse things even more, his yacht breaks down off-shore of his next project site in Florida, and Aidan falls for his only competition in the small town—a woman who wants nothing to do with him or his rakish charm.

Casey Stuart is stuck living in Cypress Key, unwilling to abandon her uncle or the golf course they manage together. She doesn’t quite trust the stranger Aidan who shows up in town looking for work, and she vows to steer clear of him and the danger their intense chemistry provokes. Aidan’s stay is temporary, and falling for him promises only heartbreak.

But Casey needs Aidan’s help when she discovers Cypress Key’s mayor is making underhanded business deals, and she ends up on the wrong side of the powerful crook. Aidan steps in to rescue her, but secrets from his past threaten to bogey their new-found affair.

This swoonworthy modern-day fairy tale joins the other Cinderella stories in the series. Each provides a new opportunity to retell the classic fairy tale, happily with returning characters to share in these adventures.

Excerpt

From Book Three Par For Cinderella

Silhouetted in the outside light, Aidan looked big . . . and dangerous. Over six feet of pure sin. Too much for her to handle, and Casey officially changed her mind. Turned chicken.

Aidan must have sensed her decision to flee like a timber wolf senses his prey. “What are you doing down here?”

The deep sensual timbre of his voice vibrated along her spine and created tiny pinpoints of desire along its length. Her mouth had that dry feeling she got at the end of her tour spiel—dry and raspy.

“I-I was just going up to bed.”

“No, you weren’t.”

“I-I was too.”

His sexy chuckle rumbled in the darkness, and her skin prickled with anticipation. She couldn’t fool Aidan or herself.

Her brain taunted, Flight or fight, make up your mind.

She suddenly recalled her earlier decision following Janie’s call—to grant herself the month with Aidan. Better for her to have him than let Deedee steal him away. Casey had fully intended to enjoy every single minute of that month with Aidan before she’d chickened out just now. Instead of running away, she could enjoy the feel of those broad shoulders and muscled arms presently filling up the doorway. She could also allow herself a good long stare at that perfect butt when he turned, and maybe even enjoy that kissable mouth with those please-never-take-them-off-me lips.

“Stop looking at my mouth,” Aidan growled, “or you’ll be sorry.”

Her heart ended her dilemma. Go for it.

She could feel his unseen eyes track the movement of her chest, rising and falling with each hard-won breath. Time to force the issue for them both.

“K-Kiss me,” she whispered. Frozen in place, she left the outcome up to Aidan.

He didn’t move a muscle for three lifetime-lasting heartbeats.

One . . . he doesn’t want me.

Two . . . he’s still angry.

Three . . . my own fault.

She turned for the stairs, and he had her in two strides. His arms snaked around her waist and yanked her tight to his chest as his mouth took hers. This was no tender, make-up kiss. This was all need and desire and maybe a little punishment too.

She didn’t care. Her fingertips had gotten their Christmas wish, and Casey buried them in the silky hair at his collar, luxuriating in the soft texture and wanting to keep him close. Even that didn’t stop the tingling in her fingertips.

Aidan’s tongue teased at her lips, then swept inside and tangled against hers. She grew lightheaded as she reacquainted herself with the moist sweetness of his mouth, tinged with a hint of beer. A joyful reunion after the fear of separation, and she intended to savor every sexy nuance of flavor.

He growled low in his throat and turned his head to deepen the kiss. Casey just prayed he wouldn’t stop kissing her. Aidan had to care about her. He didn’t, couldn’t kiss another woman like this. Could he? An image of Deedee flashed behind her eyelids.

She pulled back, but her fingers refused to relinquish their hold on his soft curls.

“What was that for?” he asked, his voice rough with desire. “Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”

“I don’t want to be just friends,” she whispered.

“Thank God.”

Author Bio and Links

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—”The Most Magical Place on Earth”—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her “day” job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels for Christmas.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon

Giveaway

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

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

Cinderella Busted

A natural storyteller, Ms. McCarty skillfully drew me into the narrative and held my attention until the very last page. I felt an immediate connection with the protagonists—Lily and Rhett—and was eager to discover their fate in this well-crafted, character-driven novel. While reading, I found myself shaking my head in amazement at the many unexpected twists and turns in this modern-day fairy tale.

Highly recommended!

I’m happy to welcome author Gail Koger. Today, Gail shares her new release, Stilettos and Gunpowder.

Blurb

My name is Gemma Stone. I’m a Maricopa County Sheriff’s Deputy and not only must I deal with the sweat-soaked misery of the Arizona desert, I get to respond to a bunch of crazy 9-1-1 calls all day long. Like a parakeet up a tree, or a car accident where a tractor trailer full of fireworks is hit and the 4th of July comes a bit early.

But some days crime takes a deadly turn. Police cars are suddenly blowing up. Detective Sergeant Dante Delgado, the love of my life, was assigned to track down and stop the bomber. Am I worried? You betcha. There’s a madman on the loose and he is very, very good at making bombs.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, the Feds think I’m in cahoots with an Iraqi warlord who deals in stolen antiquities, Ichabod, my murderous ex-dance partner, escapes from prison and I’m suddenly in everyone’s crosshairs.

Excerpt

“Damn!” Frank spat and slammed on the brakes.

The seatbelt abruptly clamped around my chest. “Holy crap!” The skinny, white male with the feathered headdress and loincloth was doing his war dance in the middle of the road. I keyed my mic, “Charlie-23 show us out at 85th Avenue and Bell Road with a male dancing in the middle of the street.”

“Copy, Charlie-23,” the dispatcher responded.

A truck narrowly missed the demented dancer. Did he notice? Nope. With his loin cloth flapping in the wind, he shook his hips in what looked like a weird belly-dance. Then he switched to the Texas two-step.

“Ugh. I really don’t want to make another arrest today,” I grumbled.

Frank nodded. “Me, either.”

“Stay with our prisoner. I’ll handle the boogie man.” I got out of the car before Frank could protest and approached the moron. “Sir, if you feel the need to dance, could you do it on the sidewalk?”

He took one look at me, shrieked and bolted down the roadway, yelling, “It wasn’t me. It wasn’t me.” Horns honking, cars swerved around him.

“Aw, c’mon! It’s too dang hot to be running.” Did he listen? Hell, no. I trotted after him. It wasn’t like he could run very fast in flip-flops. “Stop! Now! You’re gonna get hit!”

The overhead lights flashing on the patrol car, Frank followed behind us.

The fool lost his flip-flops and did a crazy hippity-hoppity dance over to a circle of grass on the highway median.

I picked up his flip-flops. The pavement was about 180 degrees, and he wasn’t going anywhere without his shoes. “Why are you running?”

“I don’t want to go to jail,” he wheezed.

“And I don’t want to arrest you.”

“You don’t?”

“Nope. What’s your name?”

“Tim White.”

“Okay, Tim, what’s up with the dancing?”

He shrugged. “I’m just trying to spread a little joy.”

“Un-huh. Does it look like it’s working?”

Author Bio and Links

I was a 9-1-1 dispatcher for the Glendale Police Department and to keep from going totally bonkers – I mean people have no idea what a real emergency is. Take this for example: I answered, “9-1-1 emergency, what’s your emergency?” And this hysterical woman yelled, “My bird is in a tree.” Sometimes I really couldn’t help myself, so I said, “Birds have a tendency to do that, ma’am.” The woman screeched, “No! You don’t understand. My pet parakeet is in the tree. I’ve just got to get him down.” Like I said, not a clue. “I’m sorry ma’am but we don’t get birds out of trees.” The woman then cried, “But… What about my husband? He’s up there, too.” See what I had to deal with? To keep from hitting myself repeatedly in the head with my phone I took up writing.

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram | Book Bub |
Amazon Author Page | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

Gail Koger will be awarding a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to welcome author Amethyst Drake. Today, Amethyst shares her creative journey and new release, The Scheme.

Here’s Amethyst!

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

A: The best part of being an author are the moments when inspiration flows and ideas come together smoothly. It’s exciting to solve plot holes and uncover surprising connections between characters. Getting lost in the story and letting the characters take over is an indescribable experience. Dealing with feedback and waiting for reviews are the worst parts. I’ve poured my heart and soul into creating a captivating story. The silence between submitting my work and receiving feedback can be deafening. Wondering whether my story connects with readers leaves me feeling anxious and uncertain. The minutes feel like hours, and the weeks feel like months.

Q: Describe your writing space.

A: My writing space is a cozy room with pale lavender walls. My adjustable writing table faces a window, giving me a peaceful view of the big tree in our front yard. I can adjust my table and office chair up and down to suit my needs, allowing me to work comfortably for long stretches. The walls are adorned with colorful landscape paintings. Water scenes in particular inspire my creativity. I designed my office to feel different from the rest of the house so I have a retreat without leaving home. It’s a special place where I can fully immerse myself in storytelling.

Q: Which authors have inspired you?

A: One author who has truly inspired me is Agatha Christie, a trailblazing writer who broke barriers in a genre dominated by men. She was both a a strong, independent woman and a remarkable writer who created her own path and made a lasting impact on mystery and detective fiction. Her daring plot twists keep readers on their toes even today, showcasing her skill and creativity. Who can forget Hercule Poirot, with his famous mustache and “little grey cells”? Her clever use of plot devices, like the locked-room mystery, has influenced generations of writers. Christie’s work remains iconic, reflecting her innovative spirit and commitment to her art. She continues to motivate writers and readers, standing as a true giant in the world of literature.

Q: What is your favorite quote?

A: I collect quotes so it is hard to pick a favorite! One of my favorites that has influenced the themes in The Scheme comes from Agatha Christie’s autobiography.

“Loyalty and courage are two of the finest things there are. Any kind of courage, physical or moral, arouses my utmost admiration. It is one of the most important virtues to bring to life. If you can bear to live at all, you can bear to live with courage.” – Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

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

A: My hobbies help me relax and explore my creativity. Crochet is one of my favorites. I mostly make hats and blankets, but I just took a class at the local yarn store to make little pumpkins and I am obsessed. I also love cross-stitching and diamond painting. These crafts take patience and attention to detail, but it feels great to see the beautiful designs come to life. Basically, I love all kinds of crafts, anything that involves turning one thing into something else that is more beautiful or useful.

Q: What are you working on next?

A: I’m currently working on a companion story to The Scheme. It will be a cozy read that dives into the secondary plot we introduced in The Scheme and follows Margaret Mitchell, a lawyer and Katherine Carson’s best friend. There are several fun new characters that I think readers will enjoy. The ebook will be available to my newsletter subscribers as soon as it is finished later this year.

I’m also busy with the second book in the Carson Crime Files series. I’ve had many fans asking about its release! You can find the prologue for Framed included as a final chapter in my current novel. In this installment, Carson Investigations will take on a murder case in order to prove the accused widow is innocent. I can confirm that it will be released in 2025, but I’m still finalizing some details before setting a specific date. Thank you for your patience and support!

Blurb

Katherine Carson, a former intelligence operative turned private detective, has never been in it for the money. But when a desperate CEO offers double her usual fee to find his missing daughter, she can’t refuse.

Set in Baltimore, 2009, what begins as a simple missing person inquiry transforms into a complex case of espionage, financial crime, and deep-seated grudges. For Katherine, this case strikes a personal chord, stirring up haunting memories from her own past. As unexpected connections emerge, she must confront her unresolved guilt.

Can Katherine and her team of private detectives solve the case before it’s too late, or will the turmoil of her past consume her?

Excerpt

Katherine slowed down as she closed the final feet between them. Her target was cornered.

Lee reached up and felt the top of the door frame. “No key. I guess Ames forgot to leave it.”

“He has his own key. He just said Olivia keeps it up there.” Katherine bent down to flip back the welcome mat. Still no key. She sighed. “Should we see if the manager has a spare?”

“The manager isn’t on site.” Lee slouched against the wall. “If only we knew someone who could pick a lock.”

Katherine rolled her eyes, but smiled in spite of herself. “Breaking and entering could lose me my license.” Lee and Jake liked to tease her about some of her skills, although they always stopped short of mentioning the Espionage Services Agency.

“Sure, sure. But we do have permission to enter. And we’d have to drive to Wilmington to get another key from Mr. Ames…” Lee let his voice trail off and studied his fingernails.

Katherine chuckled and pulled out her pocket knife. “You know I don’t carry picks anymore.” She opened the knife and carefully slid the high carbon stainless steel blade between the door and the striker plate. Finding the latch, she pushed it out of the door jam and opened the door.

“Don’t tell Sammi.”

“Never.” A huge grin spread over Lee’s face.

Author Bio and Links

Amethyst Drake is a passionate storyteller. She excels at crafting delightful characters and enjoys developing com-plex relationships among them. Mystery has always been her favorite genre to read, making it a natural choice for her writing. She aims to blend her personal experience with mental health and the moral complexities of intricate interpersonal relationships into engaging novels.

Amethyst loves reading all kinds of mysteries, suspense, and thrillers and enjoys watching classic detective and espionage dramas like “Murder, She Wrote,” “Perry Mason,” and “Mission: Impossible.”

She also loves hearing from readers! Connect by signing up for her newsletter at amethystdrake.com or email amethyst@agswordsmiths.com

Author Website | Facebook | Amazon Buy Link | Barnes and Noble Buy Link

Giveaway

The author will award a $25 Amazon gift card and a signed book to one randomly drawn winner, a $10 Amazon GC and a signed book to a second randomly drawn winner, and a signed book to a third randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

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

I’m happy to announce Winona Kent’s new release…

Blurb

Fresh from a thirty-four-day, eighteen-city tour of England, professional musician and amateur sleuth Jason Davey accepts an invitation from a fan, Marcus Merritt, to meet at Level 72 of The Shard, in London, to sign one of his band’s programs. Marcus hands him the booklet, then leaps to his death from the open viewing platform. Thus begins a week-long quest, during which Jason is tasked with retrieving a stolen collection of scores by England’s most famous composer, Sir Edward Elgar.

Marcus shared Elgar’s love of eccentric puzzles and games, and the challenging clues he’s assembled for Jason seem to mirror the fourteen themes in Elgar’s renowned Enigma Variations. Jason’s journey takes him to Derbyshire and then back to London, and a four-hour walking tour of Soho’s lost music venues where, in Denmark Street, he faces a life-threatening battle with two adversaries: a treacherous Russian gangster who is also hunting for the stolen collection, and Marcus’s sister–who holds the key to a decades-old mystery involving a notorious London crime lord’s missing daughter.

Winona describes Bad Boy as “well-scrambled” as, generically, it falls somewhere between a soft boiled and hardboiled mystery, and is served with an added dash of noir.

Buy Links

Amazon CA | Amazon US | Amazon UK

Author Bio and Links

Winona Kent was born in London, England but grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and a Diploma in Writing for Film and TV from Vancouver Film School. She’s the author of twelve books, including Ten Stories That Worried My Mother (an anthology of short stories) and her five current Jason Davey mysteries. She’s the national Vice-Chair and BC/YT Representative for the Crime Writers of Canada, and is also an active member of Sisters in Crime-Canada West. She lives in New Westminster, BC.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Happy Release Day!

I’m happy to welcome author Dottie Sines. Today, Dottie shares her debut novel, Where the Stars Cross.

Blurb

In the depths of the Great Depression, Ellie suffers another crash—that of her marriage. She’s left struggling to restore her shattered life, feeling as damaged as the stained-glass panels she refurbishes for Chicago’s historic structures. While visiting her aunt in Marietta, Ohio, a charming river town, Ellie encounters towboat captain Wyatt and feels a searing attraction to him. But thanks to past and subsequent wounds, her attempts at opening herself to love seem futile. Her hope for love and her determination to find the place she belongs are further complicated by her tendency to make impulsive decisions. In her journey, Ellie draws on an unrealized level of courage and learns she must identify her brightest passions in charting her course.

Excerpt

Climbing from her automobile, Ellie ambled around to the sidewalk, where she tipped herself onto her toes to stretch her legs and flung out her arms with a moan, promptly smacking a hand into what felt like a human. She pivoted.

“Oh, my goodness, I’m so…” The “sorry” came a heartbeat or two later, followed by, “Are you all right?” even though there was no way this man wasn’t okay.

Tall and sturdy enough to survive much more than a little whack in the chest, his faded blue-and-white pinstriped shirt, tan leather vest, and well-worn trousers did nothing to detract from the toned lines of his body. A sampling of gray wove through the hair peeking out from beneath his newsboy cap. Slightly wavy, sandy blond hair, which on anyone else would need a good trimming but suited him fine. He hadn’t shaved in a day or two.

“Lengthy drive, I take it?” His mouth curved into a half smile, crinkling the corners of soft, hazel eyes. “Nothing like a good punch to work out the kinks, huh, Slugger?”

Ellie drew in her lips. A laugh didn’t seem appropriate right now. “Really, I am very sorry,” Ellie said. “You are all right, aren’t you?”

“I think I’ll be fine,” he said with a nod and a languid blink of those captivating eyes. “Ma’am,” he said with a tip of his cap before he and his comrades continued toward the river.

Ellie’s feet felt their way to the door of the five-and-dime. Wowee, did that bloke look better from the front or the back? Biting her bottom lip, she reached for the door handle.

Author Bio and Links

Dottie scratched out her first fiction as a little kid transfixed by the books she read all those lazy summer days on the front porch swing. Two of her short stories have been published in The Ernest Hemingway Foundation of Oak Park’s literary journal, Hemingway Shorts, having placed among the top ten entries in its annual short story contests.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

The author will be awarding a $15 Amazon/Barnes & Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Find out more here.

Follow Dottie Sines on the rest of her Goddess Fish tour here.

I’m happy to welcome author Dora Farkas. Today, Dora shares her new release, Choice.

Blurb

Val is a young Mexican-American quantum physicist and single mother struggling with an anxiety disorder and financial challenges. Her world is turned upside down when her ex-husband files for full custody of their three-year-old daughter to take her across the country where he was offered a job. The story unfolds as she decides either to stay put in Boston and meet job related deadlines or go on a holiday and visit her parents in Mexico.

Encouraged by her father, Val flies to Mexico with Maya, her service dog, and Daisy, her daughter, and she discovers a world of magic that will change her outlook on life forever. She also reconnects with her childhood friend, Mercedes, who gives her a glimmer of hope. Things, however, are not what they seem to be. As all areas of her life begin to fall apart, Val must explore the power of her intuition and make different choices to change the course of her and her daughter’s futures.

Excerpt

While growing up, Mom and I had a special tradition: every Friday afternoon, she showed me how to cook and bake her family’s recipes, some of them as old as 400 years. As soon as I could stand, she pulled up a stool for me, and I watched her prepare dishes from her native town in Oaxaca, Mexico, which had been passed down from mother to daughter for many generations.

Although she had to create a new home when she and Dad moved from Oaxaca to a suburb of Boston before I was born, she made sure that I would be well-prepared to pass on our family’s recipes to my children. My memories from elementary school are filled with rolling churros in cinnamon sugar, measuring out ingredients for our family’s secret mole recipe, and taking turns with Mom mixing sweet corn dough for tamales.

When I was in middle school, she stood right next to me as I simmered the sweetened milk for capirotada, the bread pudding my family ate every Easter, and nodded in approval as the deep aroma of cinnamon sticks, brown sugar, and cloves filled the air. The older I became, the more Mom expected from me in the kitchen, but there was one thing that never changed throughout the years: whenever we cooked and baked together, time stood still.

Author Bio and Links

Although Dora was born in Budapest, Hungary, she lived in Mexico for five years during her early childhood. Her connection to the Mexican language, history, and cooking inspired the cultural setting for her debut novel, “Choice.”

After getting her doctorate from MIT, she published her first book, “The Smart Way to Your Ph.D.” which paved the way for a six-figure consulting business while she was a stay-at-home mom with two daughters. She has given workshops about writing at MIT, Tufts, Boston University, the University of Connecticut, Ohio State University, the Scripps Research Institute, the University of Calgary, and the University of British Columbia.

Author Website | Facebook | Amazon Buy Link

Giveaway

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

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