If you are looking for a Halloweeny read, check out this series:
The five young women
of Hecate’s Fury are more than rock stars.
They are
Shadow-walkers, chosen to help the supernatural world.
There’s just one
problem. No one trained them.
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Passion. Friendship. Love. Some things a man simply can’t forget…
Finn
has no idea what he’s doing at a haunted house on Halloween, but his tour guide
Caty certainly rocks his world. Irresistibly drawn to her, he indulges in
wicked delight and a return to their shared destiny.
TEASERS
Thanks so much for reading today's post. Hope you enjoyed it!
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Jan Selbourne—a writer whose work I admire and love to read—and I (as Anne Krist) wrote Evil Lives in the Night as novellas so readers could enjoy the suspense of a good mystery in a tidy package. As always, she brings her knowledge and love of her homeland, Australia, in her tone and nuance. You feel as though you’re a part of the Oz experience. For my historical mystery, I channeled my childhood in Iowa and my grandfather’s Lithuanian heritage for a tale that could have happened on the street where he used to live. We sure hope you enjoy these two novellas!
In Jan Selbourne’s The Next Stop is Dead, a woman boards a city train one night and finds herself alone in the car with four strangers, all men. When she discovers one of them is dead, she has to find a way to exit the train and get help. Will she escape, or will the next stop be her final one?
In Anne Krist’s Missing, sisters Audra and Daina communicate using “twin language.” But how much difference will that make when Daina disappears? Can Audra find her sister before her abductor ends Daina’s life? Even with the help of an over-protective detective, saving her missing twin might not happen in time.
Buy link:
Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Evil-Lives-Night-historical-suspense-ebook/dp/B0B5B2VPB6/
Amazon Aus: https://www.amazon.com.au/Evil-Lives-Night-historical-suspense-ebook/dp/B0B5B2VPB6/
Excerpt:
From The Next Stop Is Dead
Alison buttoned her coat against the cold wind blowing along the platform. Melbourne might be dull and staid, but we hosted the 1956 Olympic Games, we are known for our theatres and culture and Flinders Street Station was once the busiest in the world. Something the bragging Sydneysiders hadn’t achieved.
She looked at the ticket in her hand and up at the train timetable. The next train would go express from Richmond to Caulfield then stopping all stations to Dandenong. You can’t sit here all night.
Wheels on the tracks and the train pulled into the platform. Not one of the new blue trains but an old red rattler that should have been pensioned off years ago. Three young, laughing women wearing Footscray Tennis Club jackets got out of the end carriage and hurried down the exit ramp. Feeling miserable, Alison got in hoping she’d be on her own. Empty except for three men sitting together on the last row of seats. She walked to the other end of the carriage and sat down. The whistle blew and the train moved away from the platform and into the tunnel.
The train increased its pace through Jolimont Yard and without meaning to, Alison glanced at the three men at the other end of the carriage. They hadn’t moved, just sitting there reading newspapers without speaking. The man next to the window looked at her, lit a cigarette and after blowing a cloud of smoke into the air lifted his newspaper closer to his face. She turned to the window again as they passed the huge Melbourne Cricket Ground, holy ground for cricket fanatics and home of Australian Rules Football. Watching grass grow was more interesting than watching cricket.
The train was slowing down to stop at Richmond station. The door opened and she looked up as a man with a newspaper tucked under his arm got in. He walked past her and took a seat on the other side of the aisle. The train began to move out of the station.
Four men and one woman and they’d express through the next five stations before stopping at Caulfield. Feeling very uncomfortable she held her overnight bag closer and gazed through the window as the train gathered speed. Except for the clattering train wheels it was quiet, creepy quiet. They’d just passed South Yarra station and the reflection in the grimy window moved. That man was looking at her. Oh hell, he was standing up. Her chest thumped when he crossed the aisle and sat beside her.
A wide smile. “What are you like with crossword puzzles?”
Alison felt the blood drain from her face. Should she get up and go closer to the three men? It struck her then they hadn’t spoken or moved since she got on the train.
He lifted his newspaper. “The crossword is very hard today. Can you help me?”
Her throat went dry. “Pardon?”
“Two heads are better than one,” he said brightly and pointed to the top of the page. For a few seconds her eyes refused to absorb the words in thick capital letters. DO NOT LOOK UP. GET OUT AT THE NEXT STOP. THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE IS DEAD.
From Missing:
Something woke her. She moved and the magazine fell to the floor. Groggy, she scraped her hair back from her face and then rubbed her eyes. She didn’t need to look to see that Daina’s bed remained empty—she’d feel her sister if she were there.
The room was dark, the door closed. But she’d left the light on in the living room and the bedroom door open. Hadn’t she?
She’d forgotten to wind the alarm clock and it had stopped at two-oh-five. She clicked on the lamp on the table between their beds and got up to check her watch on the dresser. Three o’clock. Her heart raced and her mouth dried. Where in the world was her sister?
Suddenly, the front door closing sounded like a shot. She slid into her slippers and tightened the sash on her robe. “Daina!” She threw open the bedroom door and rushed to the apartment door.
Automatically grabbing her key from the dish by the door, she rushed out into the hallway and down the stairs. She hadn’t reached the bottom step when she saw a man halfway out the door. He turned to look at her and she gasped. His face was rough. Stubble made it dark. A jagged, angry scar ran from his left temple to his jaw line. There was no smile, no lightening of expression. With a scowl, he pulled a black, flat cap low and then left.
The door hardly made a sound but his presence in her building set off an explosion in Audra’s mind. Who was he? How had he gained entrance? What was he doing at three o’clock in the morning skulking around her building?
Fear gave way to panic. Her knees nearly gave out when the thought occurred that he might have been in their apartment, that it had been he who she heard closing their front door. Then the thought that screamed in her mind. Did he have anything to do with Daina’s disappearance?
On shaky lags, she climbed the stairs. She’d make a pot of coffee and then wait until daylight made it safe to walk to the bus stop to start the trek downtown to the police department. She’d think later about calling her parents but first thing this morning she’d have to file a missing person report for her sister. Her twin. The other half of her soul.
Reviews:
“I enjoyed these stories. They fit together despite being half a world apart. There's an innocence to the stories you don't find in the crime drama of today.” 4 Stars
“I really enjoyed these two novellas. I am a fan of mystery and historic novels, so these two were great to read. Keep up the good work ladies I am waiting for the next books or novellas to be published. They are great gifts for my sister. Highly recommended.” 5 Stars/4 Stars
After a while, Dee split her personality into thirds. She writes as Anne Krist for sweeter romances, and Jenna Stewart for ménage and shifter stories. All three of her personas are found on the Nomad Authors website. And all three offer some of the best romance you can find! Also, once a month, look for Dee’s Charity Sunday blog posts, where your comment can support a selected charity.
Author links:
Website: https://nomadauthors.com
Blog: http://nomadauthors.com/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/DeeSKnight
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeeSKnight2018
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/265222.Dee_S_Knight
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B079BGZNDN
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/dee-s-knight-0500749
Sweet ‘n Sassy Divas: http://bit.ly/1ChWN3K
Author: Megan Slayer
Cover Art: Bryan Keller
BIN: 011659-03798
Genres: Action Adventure, Dark Fantasy, New Releases, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy
Themes: Magic, Sorcery, and Witchcraft, Shapeshifters
Series: Taken (#11)
Book Length: Novel
Page Count: 114
She’s never been taken seriously. He’s seen as a geek. Together, they could be unstoppable.
Skylar Graves is a synth -- she can shift into anything. She’s also known all around the world as a billionaire playgirl fool. Parties? She’s had them. Money? Bucketloads. Brains… Well, there’s the rub. No one’s ever believed she had the brains to make the money. No one’s ever believed in her at all.
Enter Brody and a reason to use those brains.
Brody isn’t the best sorcerer. He knows his spells and how to create them, but he’s still learning to control his magic. When he finds his perfect mate, he’ll be set. But is she out there? The trouble is, he’s been tasked with helping other paras find Eerie and he can’t do that alone.
The mome he meets Skylar, he knows he’s found his match, but the problem lies in convincing her she’s more than she ever believed.
Not impossible… right?
Buy now!!
https://www.changelingpress.com/taken-by-the-sorcerer-taken-11-b-3798
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FPDJ2DW8
On and off I’ve done journaling for my mental health. It was recommended by a therapist years ago, I have found it really helpful, especially when I’m dealing with a big decision or a difficult situation.
Something about the action of physically writing my thoughts on real paper allows me to think more clearly (at least for me, it has to be real pen and paper for it to work, I don’t know why but I’m sure there’s a psychological reason). I find writing down my concerns, my questions, or my fears forces my brain to think different than just ruminating or even talking a decision through does. Something about sitting alone with a journal and my thoughts, no one else’s judgements or concerns to consider, allows my mind a freedom and exploration I can’t find another way.
Even though I’ve found journaling therapeutic and helpful for making decisions over the years, I never considered applying the same process to my writing. The idea just never crossed my mind. Not until I was watching a YouTube video by Sarra Canon where she mentioned she used journaling for her plotting process.
At first I was a little confused how journaling could help my writing. Sure, I could sit down and write about my story, and the magic of the pen and paper was bound to do something, but what exactly was I going to write about in this journal. How would it be different than just sitting down at my desk and putting my fingers on the keyboard.
But when I got stuck on my current story, I was a little desperate to find a solution.
Just like almost every story I’ve started for the last several years, I began writing this new story propelled by the excitement of a great idea, until I hit an impenetrable brick wall at about twenty thousand words.
As a writer my process is a little different than most. I’ve heard it described as inspiration writer, or stitching writer. I don’t write starting at the beginning and work my way to the end. I write whatever scene I am currently excited about. That could be the first, last, or any in between. I start with what I know, no matter where it falls in the story, and let the characters take me from there. Usually while I’m writing what I already know, the next part of the story will just unfold for me. The characters will show me more of who they are. And the next steps in the journey become clear.
But lately that hasn’t been happening. Instead, once I get to the end of what I can see of the story, all that’s beyond it is murky darkness. So out of desperation to get some clarity on my next steps with this story, I decided to give journaling a try.
I sat down with my pen and paper and wrote down all the questions I had about my current work in process. I listed all the holes that I needed filled in, and hoped that by writing them down, my mind might see these road blocks a different way. That it might find a solution I hadn’t considered yet.
Amazingly it worked. When I wrote down the concerns I had, the problems I’d found, the inconsistencies I needed to fix, ideas started to come to me. Solutions I had never considered before but that added fantastic complexity to my plot, twists that deepened my character’s goals and motivations. Giving me another way to access my story and to explore this new world I was so enamored with.
Unfortunately, these new discoveries have led to a lot of rewriting. But it’s more than worth it for the new twists and turns the story has taken. And the character depth I’m adding. For the first time in years, I have written more than 50,000 words on my latest work in process, the furthest I’ve been able to write on one story in more than two years. And there’s a lot of territory to still explore in this world.
After giving journaling on my writing a try, I’m a convert. I will definitely be doing it again. I’ve even designated a new journal just for tinkering with ideas, to find new twists and turns to add even more excitement to my story, and delve deeper into my characters. If you’re struggling with your writing, or looking for a way to delve deeper into your characters and your plot, consider pulling out a journal and writing down your concerns and questions, and seeing where your mind travels. Who knows what you might discover in the pages of your journal? It just might be the addition you’ve always been looking for.
Go to https://fictionatlas.com/romancefair/ and
enter for your chance to win a Kindle Fire, a One More Chapter mug, and a
one-month Audible gift card. Discover lots of wonderful authors and exciting
books in several romance genres, including contemporary, romantasy, paranormal,
historical, and more! The book fair is open from September 14 through November
3rd, 2025.
What I’m working on now:
I’ve been busy writing steamy, paranormal romance, Hawk’s
Heart. This will be Jordan and Luke’s story, and the very last book in my
Stranger Creatures series. I’ve also been working on a couple of romantasy
novellas featuring women in their forties navigating unexpected new paths in
life, as well as writing more poetry and learning how to write flash fiction.
If you’d like to follow me on social media for my latest
book information and excerpts, poems, contest info, book recommendations, and
other fun stuff, you can find me at:
Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/Christina-Lynn-Lambert/e/B01MCYK0K7
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/christina-lynn-lambert
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christinalynnlambert
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15900423.Christina_Lynn_Lambert
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christinalynnlambert
Wordpress: https://christinalynnlambertwordpress.com
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cllambauthor.bsky.social
I recently had the pleasure of being a featured author in the September issue of a very nice glossy magazine called Ignitiveify, published by my Texas author friend Savannah McCann. Part of the feature was a short interview that posed some probing questions. Since I don't open up very often on here, I thought I'd share it for your amusement. The feature was centered around my latest release, "One Way Out." Happy reading!
What was the inspiration behind your book?
When I wrote
the previous entry in this series (“Out of the Shadows”), I intentionally left
a couple of unanswered questions at the end, just to have fun with the readers.
I hadn’t planned on writing a sequel until people began asking me for one. I reviewed
the last few chapters and decided to see how far I could go with it. The loose
threads I’d left hanging were based on real events that are still in the news. After
reading the archived stories, I realized there actually was more material to
work with.
What
themes or messages do you hope readers will take away from your book?
I’m not big on messages, but the theme is always the good guys beat the bad guys, then the hero and heroine sail off together into the sunset. I try to write entertaining mystery/thrillers with humor, realistic atmosphere, and a playful romance between the main characters. People read to be entertained, and like I tell aspiring writers, “If you want to send a message, use e-mail.” If you read one of my books, hopefully you’ll come away feeling as though you just watched a good movie.
Can you
share a moment from your personal life that inspired a scene or character in
the book?
There are
many of those moments in all of my books because the hero, Nick Seven, is my
alter ego, the guy who gets to do all the things I wish I could. In this book
there was one personal touch I couldn’t resist, when I named a shady character
after a Doctor I was acquainted with. He has a very unique name and personality
that lent itself to the character I created. I don’t know if he’s read it yet,
but I’m prepared if his attorney calls me.
What
was the most surprising thing you learned while writing your book?
How easy
it was to come up with a continuation of the previous story. I thought I had used
up all of the good ideas, but once I began writing the characters and the
Florida Keys locations, the plot twists and the story seemed to write
themselves. It was like slipping back into my comfort zone, and I was pleasantly
surprised with the results.
How has
your writing evolved since you first began publishing?
It’s
gotten better, thankfully. I’ve published 30 books over the past 23 years and
when I re-read my earliest ones, I’m embarrassed. There’s a reason the first 3
are out of print! I wrote those before I connected with a great editor, who worked
with me to improve my writing. Not long ago, a friend said she’d bought one of
my books online, and asked if I’d sign it for her. Imagine my shock when she
presented a copy of my very first novel that I thought I buried 15 years ago!
What
challenges or obstacles did you face while writing this book, and how did you
overcome them?
One of the
challenges was keeping the story fast-paced and interesting while maintaining
the lighthearted mood and sexy give-and-take between the two leading
characters. There’s plenty of action and drama in this one, but it’s always
challenging to offset the violence with humor. When I felt I wasn’t achieving that
balance, I read a few passages from previous books in the series to get back in
the groove.
What
research did you conduct for this book, and did you uncover anything surprising
or fascinating?
Since this
story was inspired by real events, my research took me behind the headlines to
get some details that weren’t emphasized by the mainstream media. I found a lot
of these lesser-known things interesting and included them, along with other
current topics. My research also involved finding an island in the Caribbean
where some of the action takes place, and getting the atmosphere right.
Is
there anything readers might not know about your book just from reading it?
This is
book number nine in the Nick Seven series, but the books don’t need to be read
in order. I constructed each story as a stand-alone adventure, with the main
characters and a few supporting players being featured in each one. I hope everyone
has as much fun reading this book as I had writing it.
Tim Smith is an award-winning bestselling author of romantic mystery/thrillers and contemporary hot romance. His author page is Tim Smith--AllAuthor.com. "One Way Out" is available in Kindle and print at Amazon "One Way Out"
