January has been an unbearably cold month this year! And since my day job is barn manager at a horseback riding school, I was definitely bundling up in the mornings and bracing against the frigid wind. But nothing could keep me away from horses!
New Release!
Speaking of horses, my first historical fiction “When Dealing with Horses” is out on Kindle, paperback, hardcover, and audiobook now! You can even find it in some of the sales and giveaway links below.
In the 1860’s, Anastasia Ambrose returns to her family’s horse breeding farm in Northwest Indiana after her lover abandons her and her daughter. She hopes to take over her father’s horse and carriage business in town only to find that after his passing in the Civil War her mother sold everything off. In need of a way to support herself and her baby, Anastasia heads to Vanatta & Sons Horse and Carriage Dealership to ask for a job. There, she discovers her passion for horses and a desire to be a part of her father’s dream. Her goals are clear; get out of her oppressive mother’s home and help horses find their right owners…but love has a way of finding Anastasia when she least expects it.
This series is one of my favorites. It has a special place on display in my office with all my other favorite series (Outlander, Harry Potter, The Bear and the Nightingale). Everyone is so intrigued by the mystery of who King Arthur is. I loved that the author built this entire series on a real life mystery of bones discovered in a cave and then lost to time forever when the archaeologist lost them. Who was she?
The series follows the life of the sister to who many believe to be the historical figure of the wizard Merlin…
I’ve been working my way through the Outlander series for a few years now. They are very large books with very small print, and it can take me a month to two months to finish just one. Sometimes I take a break and read a quick something else just to break it up. This is the eighth book. Right now there are nine out, but ten will complete the series we’re told. This is the first time I get to read the book before watching it, so it’s fun not knowing what’s going to happen. It keeps me more interested than when I’ve seen the show and then read it. I am really liking this one. There is a lot of mystery and intrigue, and I feel us getting closer to figuring out the big mystery of time travel and the stones. I highly recommend this series, but just know it is a big commitment.
Free and On Sale eBooks from Awesome Indie Authors!
As always, here are the links to so many eBooks from indie authors. Some links give you discounted books and some are giveaways. All they ask is you sign up for their newsletter in return. You’ll even find a bunch of my books in there if you’re missing a few and wanting to read them. A lot of these end at the end of the month, so don’t wait!
Don’t forget to pre-order my latest release and first historical fiction, “When Dealing with Horses”! It will show up in your Kindle Library early Christmas Eve morning for you to enjoy over the nice long holiday break.
It’s been a good year for reading for me! I had a lot of historical fictions, a ton having to do with Scotland and America, some fantasy, some horse related, and so much more! Here is the list of books I read in 2024. I didn’t read a single book I didn’t like, so I highly recommend them all! Be sure to follow me on Goodreads and Bookbub for reviews.
“Mr. Lemoncello’s Library Olympics” by Chris Grabenstein
“Highland Healer” by Florence Love Karsner
“The Two Towers” by JRR Tolkien
“The Lily of Ludgate Hill” by Mimi Matthews
“The Giver of Stars” by Jojo Moyes
“And Echo in the Bone” by Diana Gabaldon
“The Spellshop” by Sarah Beth Durst
“The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel” by Alyssa Palombo
“Midnight Sun” by Stephanie Meyer
“Twilight” by Stephanie Meyer
“New Moon” by Stephanie Meyer
“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” by JK Rowling
“Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott
“The Muse of Maiden Lane” by Mimi Matthews
What I’m Working On
All of 2025 I will be writing and editing my next historical fiction, which is also a twist on the classic “Little Women”, one of my favorite books of all time. I reimagine the ending of the story and continue on in a new on as if Jo HAD said yes to marrying Laurie. I’m so excited to work on this and be a contribution to the classic tale. Look for it coming out November of 2025!
I can’t believe November is already over. I know, I say that every newsletter for every month but does anyone else feel like falltime went by super fast? We already had our first snowday here in Northwest Indiana! It was magical and gone the next day. I loved it! Everyone here thinks I’m crazy because I love snow so much, but I can’t help myself. I love cozy sweaters and blankets, hot coffee and hot chocolate and hot tea, and I love my usual holiday rereads; Harry Potter and Little Women! What are you reading this holiday season?
Latest Release
Don’t forget the last installment in my Zooey Zombie series is out now! “The End of the Undead” wraps up the exciting story of what happens after the zombie apocalypse is over. It’s free to read on Kindle Unlimited all the time and will even be the giveaway for this year’s Black Friday deal.
Coming Soon
Here is the final final cover for “When Dealing with Horses”. I loved all the springtime sunflower covers I had, but this one is just a better representation of the story, which starts and ends in the winter holiday season. If you like Little Women, you’ll love “When Dealing with Horses”. It has a strong and independent female lead during the years following the Civil War. There’s holiday scenes, lots of snow, family struggles and joys, and even a little romance. I wanted to make the hardcover version as reminiscent of olden books as much as I could, so here are some sketches that will be included depicting scenes from each chapter. I hope to have this one out before the Christmas holiday for everyone to enjoy the nostalgic holiday feels inside.
Also coming soon is the Zooey Zombie box set! This will be released in a Kindle Box set, free to read on Kindle Unlimited, and in a paperback and hardcover collection in one book.
After those two are out, it’s anyone’s guess what I’ll work on next! I always have about ten book ideas at once so it will all depend on what mood I’m in. Here are some in the works. Give me your vote for what you’d like me to write next!
We have a historical fiction set in 1000 AD Scotland when the idea of formal clans just began to emerge. It combines the fantasy fairy tale of the “The Light Princess” with history in a magical way!
The next is another “When History meets Fairy Tale” story, Beauty and the Beast meets the French Revolution!
The third is a Fantasy trilogy with its own world and magical creatures.
The last is a reimagining of Little Women if Jo had married Laurie.
What I Read this November
This has been the month for rereads. In October I had started rereading the “Twilight” series (Don’t laugh!). I got through New Moon, but then my holiday nostalgia feels kicked in and I had to take a break. I reread “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” while rewatching all the movies. Now I am rereading “Little Women” for the hundredth time while rewatching all the different movie versions. What is your favorite book you could reread a million times?
Free and On Sale Indie Books!
And here’s what you’ve all been waiting for! The links to hundreds of free and on sale indie books to enjoy over your holiday breaks. Stock up those eReaders and cozy up by the fire.
Thank you, everyone, for all your support. Not just of me and my writing, but of all indie authors out there. Have a Happy Thanksgiving this week! May you find all your Black Friday deals with ease.
Please follow me on Instagram to stay connected and up to date on sales, giveaways, and releases.
That’s right! I am STILL working on my first Historical Fiction, “When Dealing with Horses”. I’ve decided to slow things down from how I was producing books before. I tried to crank out three in a year and the quality was just lacking from what I would like it to be. So now the goal is to get one book out a year, maybe. And it’s going to go through several drafts of writing, several rounds of editing, and I am hoping this means the quality of work will be superior to what it was before. I love the books I wrote before and there is not much in them I would change, but when it comes to Historical Fiction I feel like things have to slow down for me and attention to detail is much more important. Plus there is so much more research that goes into it when writing so that took longer than I was expecting. The story is written though! I am in my first round of editing, and I hope to have it published this Fall. I am so excited to break into the genre of Historical Fiction/Historical Romance (although the romance will be soft and never the main focus of the story). This book is not available for preorder, but I will keep you updated on its release date. Thank you for all your support while writing and editing!
Sneak Peek Free First Two Chapters of When Dealing with Horses Just for You!
I’m giving my newsletter subscribers a chance to read the first two chapters of “When Dealing with Horses” this month! To download, click the button below. It’s going to ask for your email to download. This will not sign you up for my newsletter twice. But if you are not signed up, it will sign you up so you never miss another sneak peek or giveaway again!
May is my birthday month, and in honor of that I am giving away my Kindle box sets for free!! That’s right, you can download the entire epic six book YA Fantasy series, Chronicles of a Supernatural Huntsman, or the thrilling zombie apocalypse trilogy, Dead Soil, or both (why not?) from Saturday May 18- Wednesday May 22. Don’t miss out on this rare deal, and please leave a review once you’ve made your way through these epic adventures. I love hearing what my readers think of my stories and characters. Plus reviews are like food for an author’s soul. They get the word out to other readers so they can find our books and read them too. Word of mouth is a powerful thing.
I know, I know. I’m late to the party! Who hasn’t read LOTR?? I have to be honest, I attempted this book three times over the last few years and always got about a quarter of the way through and gave up. I didn’t understand why I had such a hard time with it when its an acclaimed Fantasy novel, a timeless classic! But in the beginning it’s a lot of description, very little dialogue, a lot of walking and eating and long winded poems. I couldn’t get into it. This time I pushed myself to finish and I am so glad I did! Once I the hobbits left Tom Bombadil’s house and made it to the Prancing Pony Inn the dialogue picked up, the story was more fast-paced than before, and it was definitely more exciting and enthralling! I looked forward to reading it every day.
Not much needs to be said of this classic because its all already been said. I loved the characters. I loved the in-depth descriptions of the elven realms of Rivendell and Lothlorien. I wish I could live in the elven tree kingdom forever! The main reason I am so glad I read the book finally is because there was so much more in the book than the movies! With the movies being SO long I didn’t think that would be the case, because the books don’t seem that big, but there was really a lot of story and detail altered or left out from the movies.
I highly recommend reading this Fantasy classic trilogy if you haven’t already. I am already into The Two Towers (book 2). The only reason I gave it four starts instead of five was because of how long it took me to get into it from the beginning.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Every year my daughter’s elementary school does a one book across the whole school system read together. Parents are to read a chapter or two a night to their kids and then the next day the kids discuss it in class and can win prizes for having the answers. It’s a lot of fun. This year was the first book in the Lemoncello series and my daughter loved it! It has some great Willy Wonka vibes, if he was in charge of a library and made games instead of candy. Lemoncello is whacky and eccentric, and what nine year old wouldn’t love that alone? And the kids in the story talk like the kids today with all their “bro”s and “whatever”s. It’s hilarious. My daughter struggles with reading. She hates it because it’s such a challenge for her. It feels like a chore. But she loves stories so much, so me continuing to read these chapter books she really likes are a great way for to stay connected to reading. And hey, who said listening to a story wasn’t reading a book? I’m sure there are a lot of audible listeners who would agree. My daughter loved the first book so much that she had me buy the second book to keep going. There are five books total and we will be reading all of them I’m sure. They’re funny to her, have good moral values in them, no goofy political agendas hidden inside, and they are fun for parents as well. I highly recommend it if you have kids (or if you like kid stories yourself!)
Currently Reading
I am forever reading Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series (LOL). I will start a book, get a quarter through, take a break for a quick other read, come back to it, take a break. It’s a vicious cycle, but I’m on book 7 and I will someday get through the entire 10 book series (when book 10 finally comes out).
Highland Healer is my work read. I bought it because I love historical Scottish fiction, the fact that its about a healer means there will be some witch accusations the main character has to deal with, and Scotland! Come on! I’m more than halfway through and loving it. It has elements of real magic in it that I was not expecting! I love when history and fantasy collide.
Once I finished The Fellowship of the Ring I moved straight into The Two Towers. It’s much more fast paced, action-packed, and similar to the movies than the first one ones. I am surprised by how long the movies are that they did not incorporate more of the books into them. Tolkien definitely has a way with detail. It’s magical.
Since my daughter and I finished the Lemoncello second book and I have yet to order the third, I thought we’d take a break and shift over to some fairy tale/fantasy with The School for Good and Evil series. We watched the Netflix show and absolutely loved it. Right now, I am liking the read a lot, just for myself. I am not sure that my daughter is as enthralled with it as I am or as she was with Lemoncello. This might be more for teens than elementary or middle school. There is a lot of great descriptions. The author makes you really feel like you’re there in Gavaldon. I am a fan of their writing style and even if my daughter doesn’t want to continue the series I think I will. I bought the box set and its a fun read.
Character Profile
I decided to add something new and fun to my newsletters. Each one will have a new character profile from one of my books! I’ll talk about stats, background stories, their part in the story, and the inspiration behind the character. I love all my characters so much that I just can’t let them go even when a series is over! That’s why you’ll see Christine Moore and her sister Gretchen from the Dead Soil trilogy in my Zooey Zombie post-apocalypse series! And a Holly Everest trilogy is in the works in my brain, a spin off from my Chronicles of a Supernatural Huntsman series. These characters are forever in my heart and so they will keep popping up in my stories and connecting my series in a complex and hopefully entertaining web. So here it is. The first character profile! It’s only fitting we start with a main character.
Kamlyn Paige from the Chronicles of a Supernatural Huntsman YA Fantasy Series
I do not own the rights to these pictures. They are merely used as inspiration for the characters
Stats
Name and Meaning: Kamlyn has English, French, and Slavic origins. In French it means Young Ceremonial Attendant. In Slavic it means perfect, complete. Lyn in English means lake so it could be a combination of meanings. In English the name Cam means crooked nose, and the name Kam in Dutch means Brewery, so the meanings could be endless. Paige is Kamlyn’s Surname. It’s found in the USA, Canada, UK, and Scotland. It’s most common ancestry has origins in the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It’s given to someone who has worked as a servant or personal attendant to a Lord or nobleman. I chose the last name of Paige because I’m a booknerd and it’s a variant of page, like the pages of a book. Right on the nose with that one.
Age: 24
Hair: Long brown and wavy
Eye Color:Hazel (because all authors can’t help putting a bit of themselves in their characters.)
Currently Lives in:Valparaiso, Indiana
Education: High School Graduate
Income:She lives off her parent’s inheritance, which is quickly dwindling
Occupation:Huntsman for the Chamber of Darkness (In Training in Book 1)
Relationship Status: Single, though there is a man of interest throughout the series
Personality Traits: Kamlyn is a bit of a loner. She always had her one best friend and her family and that was enough. She wasn’t a party girl, but she did have a high school sweetheart. It’s because of the hurt he caused her that she has remained alone to raise her son. She is a loving mother who would do anything for her little boy, Danny. And once he is taken from her she becomes a fierce warrior who will stop at nothing to have her revenge for his death. She’s hardworking, diligent, kind-hearted, caring, and smart. She can keep her cool in tough situations and isn’t afraid to use her weapons and combat training to protect those she loves.
Story Motivators: Kamlyn is motivated by revenge in the first book, Broken Angel. Her son is murdered by a mysteriously cloaked figure in the night and she will stop at nothing to hunt it down and take its life. As the series continues she has different reasons for further revenge, now against the fallen angels. When she learns of their plans to destroy the human race, she’s motivated to save her fellow humans and the world.
Background Story: Kamlyn Paige lived with her mother and father in Northwest Indiana all her life. She had one best friend, Cara, and lived simply and peacefully. In her senior year she met Rob, a cool new kid who showed an interest in photography and her. Weeks before graduation Kamlyn learned she was pregnant. She turned to her family for support when Rob refused to help her. Just before the baby was due, her parents were in a fatal car accident. Her best friend, Cara, moved in with Kamlyn to support her and her baby. For five years, Kamlyn lived off her parent’s inheritance while Cara worked contentedly at the local diner. Life was good, until one fateful night when a cloaked figure appeared in the dark of night and killed Kamlyn’s beloved son, Danny. She was almost defeated by her grief, when a neighbor she’d never met before saw her crumpled in tears on the sidewalk. He picked her up and revealed a whole new world to her. A world that lives just beneath the surface of ours. A world of monsters and mythological beings, and a secret society that protects the human race from them all. Kamlyn is invited to joint the Chamber of Darkness as a Huntsman in the first book, giving her the chance to have the one thing she wants the most in life…revenge.
Special Abilities: Kamlyn does not have a natural aptitude for physical activity. She was always more artsy than she ever was a jock, pursuing her passion for writing through journalism with the high school newspaper. But she trains hard at the Chamber of Darkness, and eventually she proves that with hard work and determination we can do anything we set our minds to. But that’s not all there is to Kamlyn. Further into the series, without giving too much away, I can tell you she realizes that she’s not who she thought she was, and she has a whole slew of special abilities that will help her in the upcoming war against the fallen angels. She trains with various the very creatures and beings she once hunted to hone in her new magical skills. All should beware of the power of Kamlyn, that’s for sure.
Writer’s Inspiration: I will fully admit, that like most writers, that my first character I developed, Kamlyn Paige, was based a lot on myself. Not just who I am, what I look like (or wished I looked like) but also who I would like to be if put in a similar situation. Kamlyn is strong and fearless, but she doesn’t start off that way. In the beginning she is a bit of a nerd. She likes to write and tells her best friend everything, but is not the popular girl is school. She flies under the radar and stays out of trouble until she meets a boy, a fact of life I think we women can all relate to in some way or another. I love Kamlyn’s character arc of going from this bookish loner and nurturing mother to a fierce bad-a warrior. The readers seem to like that storyline as well, so I’m glad.
May Free and On Sale Book Links
I use Bookfunnel to connect with readers who like to give indie authors like me a chance. It’s a completely safe network that many of you are familiar with, but if you’re not here is how it works. Authors set up their profile, add their books and giveaway pages, and then they can join promotions with other authors. The authors then put the word out about the promo through their mailing list and social media. Most of the time the books are free to download for readers, all the authors ask in exchange is their email to add them to their mailing list. And why wouldn’t you want to be on that list? Free books! But no one holds it against you if unsubscribe, which you easily can. Other times, the links will lead you to Amazon or Barnes and Nobles where the author’s books are on a special sale for you to purchase. And that’s it! Your info and email is never shared with anyone except the author you are downloading the book from. Here are the links to the promos I am currently participating in for the rest of May. Come June there will be more!
For those of you who have been following me and know me, you know I like to hook readers up with free and on sale books at least every Friday! I, like many indie authors, participate in the service called Bookfunnel. It’s a great way for indie authors to rum promotions with other authors to give away their books or alert that it’s on sale. Readers can then download the free books in whatever format works best with their eReader. Bookfunnel even has their own reader library for you to store all your Bookfunnel downloads! The only thing us authors ask for in exchange is your email to add you to our mailing list. It’s easy to unsubscribe, but honestly why would you want to? Think of all the free books you’d be missing out on! Here is the link to download your own Bookfunnel Library App so you can start collecting free books! This link will also tell you more about Bookfunnel, how it works, and how safe it is to use.
Still not sure if you want to give out your email to authors to be added to their mailing list? Feeling a little skeptical? That’s okay, and it certainly doesn’t mean you have to miss out completely either! Use the links below that advertise as a “sale” and it will connect you to their books in stores like Kindle and Nook and iBooks for you to purchase on sale there, no email required.
If you are looking for any of my books, you’ve come to the right place. I have one or more books in each and every one of these links! Stock up, but don’t forget to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, Bookbub, your personal blog, Instagram’s #bookstagram, Tiktok’s #booktok, or wherever you like to review books when you’re done! Reviews are how indie authors like me find new readers and survive to write more.
Links to Hundreds of Free and On Sale Books from Dozens of Talented Indie Authors
So, without further ado, here are you free eBook Friday links to so many truly fantastic books! Stop up that eReader because summer will be here before you know it!
