Horned Winged Blessed

Blurb: Follow Joan on her adventure of discovery, as she learns the hard way that her post-apocalyptic utopia isn’t always full of rainbows and Merlot.

Yes, she lives on the nicer side of the settlement, as the daughter of the Mother Founder. But after a life-threatening attack on her home, she soon realises that many out there are against the Silver Party regime.

Horned Winged Blessed is the story of one girl fighting against a tyrannous government, elected to power amidst the unending chaos of World War III. Heavily enriched in their pagan values, the Silver Party are to thank for pulling Broken Britain up from the brink of a depression, but at what cost?

Will Joan decide to take down the Silver Party from the inside…

…or will she go on to fight alongside the rebel faction that allures her so intensely?

Excerpt:

“He said that you represent them… the enemy. There’s something about you, and I see it too.” She has no idea how right she is in this exact moment. It’s almost frightening.

“Maybe I don’t want all that though, did anyone ever consider that?”

“We don’t always get to choose what we stand for, Luna. I didn’t. I’m here, fighting this fight because I have to be.”

“You have to be?” I’m confused. What is she saying? “For Matthew?”

“No, not him. He means the world to me, that’s no secret. But no. Not him. Luna, look at me.” I submit and do as she says. We put our wine glasses to the side. “I didn’t go through what I did in the previous world to live as a stupid, suppressed ‘Blessed one’. No way. And neither did any of my other sisters. Do you understand me? I’m a woman. Not a trans woman. Not anything else. A woman. The minute I’m defined as a subcategory is the minute my identity stops being up to me. I haven’t fought to become who I am – and was always meant to be – just to have it dictated to me by a bunch of crazies.”

Suddenly she stands up, and walks over to my kitchen surface. One drawer after another, she searches for something. The wine is on the table, so it can’t be that. Then, she pauses when she finds whatever it is she’s looking for. A small dagger, given to me by a guy I could’ve fallen for, once upon a time. It stands for everything she stands for. For me, it’s a symbol of what could’ve been. A night’s warmth. A fleeting memory.

Amazon

About E L Croucher

E L Croucher is a young author, living in London. She started writing over two years, with her first novel The Butterfly on Fire, which she published on Amazon. Alongside her career as a writer, she works as a Japanese translator and interpreter for a well-known Japanese gaming company, after studying Japanese at university and living in Tokyo, Japan.
Her latest novel, Horned Winged Blessed is an ironic look into a world in which gender roles are swapped, and minorities are forced into labels that they did not choose. With a mix of feminist views and a pro-LGBTQ+ stance, E L Croucher writes to further her dream of a world free from prejudice, hate-crimes and bullying.

Follow her story on her website or find her on social media:

http://ELCroucher.com

@emi13230

 

 

Check out these new reviews on our pages:

97 Orchard – a 5 Sparkler review by Teresa under Non-Fiction

Blood of an Exile – a 4 Sparkler review by Teresa under Fantasy

Lost Souls – a 3 Sparkler review by Vicky under LGBTQ Teen

 

Forensic photographer, Dena Williams, has spent her life trained to see what others cannot. Vampire, Dimitri Kovac, has waited every Christmas for a miracle that does not come. In the Oregon wilderness, during a snowstorm, these two destined souls collide. Dena’s only hope of survival rests in a vampire with the heart of a poet. Dimitri only has five days to win a skeptical woman’s heart. As the Christmas tree lights burn brightly and the snow continues to fall, will Dena succumb to a vampire’s charms? With so little time, can Dimitri win her love?

Amazon

 

About Kristal Dawn Harris

First, let me say thanks to Vicky at Sparkling Reviews for allowing me to guest post her blog to honor the release of my sixth BJ Vinson mystery novel, The Voxlightner Scandal. So thanks, Vicky, and thanks to Dreamspinner Press for publishing the work.

The novel’s blurb probably gives you a pretty good preview of the book:

No good deed goes unpunished, as investigator B. J. Vinson is about to discover.

Writer John Pierce Belhaven was murdered before he could reveal the name of another killer—one connected to the biggest scandal to rock Albuquerque in years. Two of the city’s most prominent citizens—Barron Voxlightner and Dr. Walther Stabler—vanished in 2004, along with fifty million dollars looted from Voxlightner Precious Metals Recovery Corp. It only makes sense that poking into that disappearance cost Belhaven his life.

But BJ isn’t so sure.

He’s agreed to help novice detective Roy Guerra reopen the old case—which the wealthy and influential Voxlightner family doesn’t want dredged up. But Belhaven was part of their family, and that connection could’ve led to his murder. Or did the sixty-year-old author die because of a sordid sexual affair?

I’ve selected a passage in Chapter 3 of the book to excerpt here. Following the murder of a local author named John Pierce Belhaven, BJ (our protagonist) and his partner Paul Barton, together with Detective Roy Guerra of the Albuquerque Police Department, have just finished interviewing Sarah Thackerson, Belhaven’s secretary and mistress. Now they go to the backyard of the Belhaven house to interview Spenser Spears, his lawn boy and reputed “bimbob.” Let’s see how it goes.

*****

Belhaven’s secretary and researcher returned to her work as the three of us went outside to confront a hard-bodied young man with a small birthmark. Already handsome, the strawberry imperfection on his left cheek rendered him sensual as well. Here was the lawn boy, except Spencer Spears was no boy. He was a man in his midtwenties… and knew it. Masculine grace rippled across his shoulders as he cut the motor, ran a hand through thick hair as dark as roasted coffee beans, and regarded us warily.

“Spencer Spears?” I asked.

He nodded. “That’s me.”

“Yard and garden look great.”

“You the water police?” He referred to water restrictions imposed by the city fathers for the duration of the drought. I shook my head and smiled at his joke.

“What are your responsibilities here?” I asked.

He looked around the large backyard. “Everything outside the house is mine. I landscape, mow, mulch, fertilize, and trim. I also repair things inside the house. Electrical, mechanical, masonry, that kind of thing. I’m pretty handy.”

“Do you live on the premises?” Roy asked.

Spencer shook his head, setting dark curls to dancing. “Nope. Have my own pad. But there’s a room in a little building out back where I sometimes rest my head when something keeps me here late. My place is down by CNM. Just off Morris on Lagrima.”

“Is this your sole place of employment?” I asked.

“Mostly. I go to school there. Central New Mexico, that is. I’ve got the GI Bill, but Mr. B.’s gig—plus a few other customers—keep me solvent.”

“What branch were you in?”

“Army. Rangers,” Spence said.

“How long did you serve?”

“Enlisted right out of high school and saw service in Iraq and Afghanistan. Decided that was enough. Time to start working on my education.” A smile played at the corners of his broad mouth. “The kind I could talk about.”

Maybe a blunt question might shake him. “Where were you on the night Pierce Belhaven died?”

“Wednesday’s a school day. Like I said I usually work on Thursdays. Thursdays and Mondays unless Mr. B. called me in for some special job.”

“Happen often?” Roy asked.

“Enough. This neighborhood was built in the fifties and sixties, so the houses take some TLC. Anyway on that Wednesday, I had two classes, went to my place and did homework, wrote a theme… at least got it started. I went malling for a while until beer o’clock, then met some guys at the Hogshead Tavern up on Montgomery.”

“I’m not up on the local slang,” I said. “What time is beer o’clock?”

“Got there about eight. We closed the place down at two.”

“Witnesses, I assume,” Roy said.

“Yeah,” Spencer answered. “Sometimes two, sometimes three. They came and went.”

“But you stayed.”

“Same table all night… except for pit stops. The Hog has the best craft beer in the state.”

“What was your and Belhaven’s relationship,” I asked.

He didn’t even blink. “Employee… employer. Friends. Sometimes even companions when he let his hair down and acted human instead of like a Voxlightner. They’re in a world of their own, you know.”

Recognizing a ploy, I pressed on. “Define companions.”

“Buddies. We’d hoist a glass or two. I’d sit and listen to him go maudlin when he overdid it. Put him to bed once in a while. Next day we were employee-employer again.”

“So he left you two hundred fifty grand for putting him to bed a couple of times?”

Spencer regarded me through milk-chocolate eyes. “Okay. Far be it for me to sully a dead man’s reputation, but he asked a little more from time to time.”

“Define more.”

He looked down his frame and spread his hands. “All of me sometimes.”

“Just to be clear, are you saying you were his lover?” Roy asked, his voice rising.

Spencer’s charming grin appeared again. “Don’t have an aneurism, man. No big deal. I already told you about it. But just on Thursdays and Mondays.”

“For five years?” I asked.

Spencer nodded. “Yeah. He picked me up in a bar—the Hogshead, as a matter of fact—and we fit so well together he wanted to meet again. We did, and it became a permanent thing. Why not? His wife was dead by then, his son wouldn’t talk to him, and his daughter lived in Grants with a husband Pierce couldn’t stand. The guy was entitled to some companionship, wasn’t he?”

I could see Roy was bursting to introduce Sarah Thackerson into the conversation. I preferred he didn’t at this point, but he was in charge.

“What about Ms. Thackerson?” he asked, his cheeks somewhat flushed.

“What about her? Oh. I see what you mean. She was his beard, I think the term is.”

“Are you saying she didn’t go to bed with him?”

“Sure she did. But I was the one who meant something to Pierce. She was merely his thing on the side.” He frowned. “Of course, he left her $250,000 too, so….”

We waited, but he didn’t pursue the matter further, although I could see from his eyes he was reevaluating the situation. After a brief grimace he smiled. “If he was playing around with Sarah, that’s all it was, playing around. Ours was the relationship that counted. Might sound strange to some ears, but Pierce loved me.”

“And you? Did you love him?” I asked.

“I was fond of him, and he knew it. I never tried to smoke him, and he appreciated that. Think he liked having a straight guy respond to him. Lots of gays do, I guess.” Spencer frowned. “Didn’t have any idea he was about to get the cosmic dope slap. Bummer.”

Paul must have heard my mental caution because he kept his mouth shut, although I saw his lips twitch.

“Anyway,” Spencer went on, “we had a good relationship. It satisfied both our needs.”

Paul broke his silence. “His emotional and your financial, I gather.”

Spencer smiled pleasantly at him. “Aren’t most unions based on economics? Husband works and feeds the kids, wife takes care of husband and family.”

Paul’s look turned dark, so I stepped in to avoid a confrontation. “That might be the way it worked in the last century, but not so much anymore. It’s more of a partnership.”

Spencer spread his hands. “That’s what I’m saying. Our partnership took care of everybody’s needs. The fact he loved me and I was fond of him was a plus, right?”

Paul and I left Roy to collect Spencer’s alibi witnesses and returned to the office.

*****

My publisher insists I furnish bio information for these things. My life is so uninteresting, I’m using the bio from my prior blog: I’m an Okie born and raised who rambled around Germany while in the US Army and Denver and Albuquerque while in the business world. A tubercular child, I grew up in the library of my small hometown rather than on the sports fields. So what else should I do but write?  I was a paint artist for a while—oils and still life mostly—but that didn’t scratch my creative itch like writing did. I put away the brushes and took up the pen… well, the computer. Finding myself widowed in 2009, I flirted with moving back to Texas where most of my family has resettled, but the pull of New Mexico proved too strong. Here is where I choose to be and here… I will remain.

I welcome contact by my readers, and the following are some personal links:

Website: dontravis.com

Email: dontravis21@gmail.com

Facebook: facebook.com/donald.travis982

Here are buy links for The Voxlightner Scandal:

Dreamspinner: https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/the-voxlightner-scandal-by-don-travis-11285-b

DSP Publications: https://www.dsppublications.com/books/the-voxlightner-scandal-by-don-travis-537-b

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Voxlightner-Scandal-Vinson-Mystery-Book-ebook/dp/B07VL33P99

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-voxlightner-scandal-don-travis/1132632844?ean=9781640809260

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/the-voxlightner-scandal/id1473985039?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Google: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=H3ilDwAAQBAJ

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/the-voxlightner-scandal

Universal Link: https://books2read.com/u/4AxPDo

Let me close with another expression of gratitude to Vicky for hosting this guest post. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LOST SOULS

The Grim Life: Book Three

Teenage grim reapers Max and Kody are already dealing with being dead… and now they’re expected to save the world.

With the help of their guardian angel, Slade, and each other, Max and Kody have finally discovered the destiny God planned for them—help the lost souls languishing in purgatory back to heaven. But they’re still growing into their roles. Kody, the Healer, struggles to understand the power born of his empathy, and Max’s abilities as Protector suffer because of longing for his best friend… along with Slade’s dire prediction that Max will lose Kody. So many are depending on them, and they’ll have to summon all the love and faith inside them to face a mass school shooting and bring love and hope to those who need it most.

NOW AVAILABLE!

Amazon│ Harmony Ink│ Nook │ Dreamspinner │Google│ Kobo

Special offer for a limited time:

The Grim Life: FREE and The Wounded Heart: only $.99

Enjoy this sweet excerpt exclusive for Sparkling Reviews!

EXCERPT:

“I love you, Kody,” I whispered.

Laying my hand on his chest, I conjured the light over his heart. Once more that sparkling glow emanated from my fingers, creeping and crawling out across Kody’s chest like a warm, glowing blanket. The more I gave to him, the more I loved him, the easier it all became. The power within me was almost as effortless to use as it was to love Kody.

Under my hand, Kody stirred.

I kept giving him my light, wrapping his heart figuratively and literally in a safe cocoon, filling him with my love. I could feel his body absorbing it, siphoning it all inside him. And just like the last time, the more he took, the stronger I felt.

“Kody?” I questioned.

“Hmmm?”

My stomach leaped. “You okay?” I said excitedly.

Those brilliant blue eyes opened, his face alight with my aura glowing over his heart. “Max,” he said happily. “You’re here.”

I let out a trembling cry. “Yes, of course I’m here.”

There was clarity in his eyes, no sign of pain or weakness. Raising his head slightly, he looked down at my hand where the light illuminated his chest. “How are you doing that? It feels… different than before.”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly.

“That’s good,” he said, dropping his head back heavily. “We always let our heads get in the way, don’t we?”

Bursting with a sudden need to touch him, I threw my arms around him and kissed him for all I was worth.

He responded at once, kissing me back and pulling me close.

The light I had created didn’t need my hands. It swelled between our chests, bright and luminescent.

I pulled back, breathless, and gazed at Kody. The aura brightened his face, and he looked so peaceful. I’d never truly seen him look so beautiful. Sure, he let his guard down and looked all sleepy and content after we made love. That I had once believed was my favorite way to see him.

But this?

This was truly breathtaking.

I caressed his face. “Are you really okay?”

His face scrunched, and he shifted me until I was lying between his thighs and on top of him. He stroked my back and smiled at me. “Yeah, surprisingly I feel perfectly fine. Actually, I feel good.”

“You scared me,” I said in a tiny voice.

“I kinda scared myself,” he admitted.

I kissed him again. “You’re really okay? You’re not keeping anything from me?”

Chuckling, he shook his head. “No, I don’t wanna do that ever again, Max. Honestly, I feel great. Like I finally know exactly what we’re meant to do. And that we can do it.”

“Yeah, you were awesome,” I agreed. I still couldn’t wrap my head around how amazing and brave Kody had been today. “I’m so proud of you.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

We kissed again and the world slipped away.

THE LOST SOULS now available!

Amazon│ Harmony Ink│ Nook │ Dreamspinner │Google│ Kobo

Special offer for a limited time:

The Grim Life: FREE and The Wounded Heart: only $.99

K.D. Worth has always considered herself to have the heart of a teenager with an old soul. When not talking to the characters living in her head, she loves to hang out at her favorite townie bar, then go dancing and partying with her husband and friends. There is always music playing in her home, and if it’s too loud, you’re too old! On the flip side, K.D. enjoys spending time in her vegetable garden, canning the food she grows, and making homemade jams and jellies. She also is known to crochet washcloths and blankets for her closest friends and smiles when they tease her for her “grandmotherly” ways. These two different sides to her personality create a layered tapestry of life experience that brings depth and believability to the characters she writes. She loves to hear from her fans almost as much as she loves her cocker spaniels. You can find her on online here: Facebook │Twitter │Bookbub 

For Vicky’s review of Lost Souls, go here

 

Title: Heartward

Series: Standalone

Genre:  M/M Contemporary Romance/ Gay Romance/ LGTBQA

Publisher: Dreamspinner Press

Release Date: Nov 12 2019

Edition/Formats Available In: eBook & Print (1st Edition)

Blurb/Synopsis:

He doesn’t know that home is where his heart will be….

Firefighter Tyler Banik has seen his share of adventure while working disaster relief with the Red Cross. But now that he’s adopted Abey, he’s ready to leave the danger behind and put down roots. That means returning to his hometown—where the last thing he anticipates is falling for his high school nemesis.

Alan Pettaprin isn’t the boy he used to be.  As a business owner and council member, he’s working hard to improve life in Scottville for everyone. Nobody is more surprised than Alan when Tyler returns, but he’s glad. For him, it’s a chance to set things right. Little does he guess he and Tyler will find the missing pieces of themselves in each other. Old rivalries are left in the ashes, passion burns bright, and the possibility for a future together stretches in front of them….

But not everyone in town is glad to see Tyler return….

Book Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

DreamSpinner Press

Excerpt:

A soft poke on the shoulder woke him, followed by another. Then a giggle and footsteps on the floor. Tyler kept his eyes closed, listening for another giggle and waiting for a pounce. When it came, Tyler held Abey as he tugged him up onto the bed, to much laughter. It had taken months to hear that expression of joy, and it rang in Tyler’s ears as the most wonderful sound on earth.

“I heard you,” his mother said as she cracked the door open.

Abey immediately stilled, grew silent, and then buried his face in the covers.

“That’s your grandma. She’s really nice. I promise.” Tyler held Abey closer and waited for him to lift his face out of the blankets. “It’s okay.” He sat up and lifted Abey along with him. He went right to him, burying his face in Tyler’s neck.

“I’m making you something to eat,” his mom said quietly.

“Thanks. I’m going to get him cleaned up, and then we’ll be out.” He held Abey tightly and grabbed some of their stuff. He had gotten used to doing a lot of tasks one-handed, and once his mom had gone and closed the door, Abey let Tyler put him down. Tyler grabbed some fresh clothes and things, then headed to the bathroom with Abey.

Tyler got Abey washed up and helped him dress. Abey wanted to do it himself, which took three times as long, but Tyler could be patient and was relieved that Abey was acting a little more like a normal three-year-old. “Are you hungry?”

Abey nodded.

“Grandma is making us something to eat.” Tyler knelt down right in front of him. “Your grandma is very nice, and she is going to love you a lot. I promise.” God, he wished he knew if Abey understood him at all. Most of the time, he talked but thought all of it went right over Abey’s head. Not that he could blame him. This entire situation was difficult for both of them, but all the change for Abey had to be overwhelming his young mind.

Abey hugged him around the neck, and Tyler lifted him up. Few things in the world were as rewarding as those hugs. He carried Abey out of the bathroom and back to the bedroom, where Tyler changed quickly and took Abey into the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Andrew grew up in western Michigan with a father who loved to tell stories and a mother who loved to read them. Since then he has lived throughout the country and traveled throughout the world. He has a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and works in information systems for a large corporation.

Andrew’s hobbies include collecting antiques, gardening, and leaving his dirty dishes anywhere but in the sink (particularly when writing)  He considers himself blessed with an accepting family, fantastic friends, and the world’s most supportive and loving partner. Andrew currently lives in beautiful, historic Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

I spent some of my childhood in the country and I thought I would give you my top 5 reasons for loving horses

1) Power – there is something about the power encased in these animals that are also quite fragile.
2) Romance – There is something very special about riding a horse with someone you love.
3) Personality – Horses are unique. They act differently and they have personalities all their own
4) Intelligence – These animals seem to see everything and it gets reflected back at you in those huge brown eyes
5) Miracles – When I was a teenager, I get to witness the miracle that is the birth of a colt. It left a permanent impression on me.

Author Links

Amazon Author Page

Barnes and Noble Page

Dreamspinner Press

Facebook

Facebook Group All the Way with Andrew Grey

Goodreads

Twitter @andrewgreybooks

Website

For Other Works by Andrew Grey

(Please Be Sure To Stop by His Website to See All of His Works)

 

How long did it take to get published the first time and how did it happen?

Not knowing the first thing about getting published I queried for about six months until I found one publisher that (also) rejected me but suggested another publisher – which turned out to be the one.

What’s the first thing you did when you received word you’d sold a book?

I bought the best bottle of champagne I could find (in a small town). It was the driest brut I’ve ever tasted. My mouth puckered, and I had to add bitters, but that was my first taste of success.

What advice would you give an aspiring author?

Write every day. Besides instilling good habits, it keeps the storyline going in your imagination even when you’re not writing. Some of my best ideas come to me when I wake, which leads me to believe my mind has been working on the plot while I’ve slept.

How long have you been writing professionally?

Though I’ve been writing fiction since I was nine, I’ve been published since 1984.

What part of the book is the easiest and or hardest for you to write? Why?

Dialogue is the easiest part of writing for me. Apparently, I think in dialogue. Then I go back and add the action.

What hobby do you enjoy when not writing?

Traveling – I love to experience new sights, foods, and ideas. I find travel inspirational for writing.

What’s next for you?

The Wild Rose Press is releasing Wild Rose Pass in early 2020. It’s a frontier romance based on the true story of a friend’s great-grandfather, who was captured and raised by the Comanches. Of course, my imagination takes off where facts dwindle…

Tell us about your latest release/releases.

The Keys: Voice of the Turtle is all about moving on, moving past, getting on with life – or sometimes, the afterlife.

Tell us about this book.

The Keys: Voice of the Turtle Blurb:

Hours after arriving in the Florida Keys to help her cousin Keya create a turtle preserve, Ruth discovers a washed-up body and not one, but two apparitions—Maita, the angry victim’s spirit, and Bart, a swashbuckling ghost. Ruth’s curious ability to connect with the ghosts may help them move on, but how?

Keya is in a probate battle over her turtle-nesting beach. Land-hungry relatives want it bulldozed and developed. Like Ruth, she has a special gift—she can talk to animals. Between Ruth’s help and Keya’s unique ability, they work to save the property, but is it too late?

Can Keya save her beloved turtles? Can Ruth find Maita’s murderer or help Bart solve his 400-year-old mystery? There’s more than meets the eye to Keya’s land. Add in a dashing sailor who believes in her, and Keya may have more than she bargained for…

Excerpt:

Conveying this land to the turtles would be my way of leaving the world a better place.” She turned toward Ruth. “Does that make sense?”

Ruth nodded and gazed at Keya as if for the first time. Her cousin’s intentions were clear. “But legally, how can you will the property to the turtles?”

“Easy. I leave it to the Turtle Refuge.” Keya laughed inwardly as they meandered along the beach. “And this is where you come in. When you’re writing the brochure, add a few paragraphs about planned giving and charitable bequests…” Her words broke off as Keya stared as if in a trance.

Ruth looked at her. “What’s wrong?”

Her hand shaking, Keya pointed to a shady patch of beach half hidden by sand dunes. A lifeless hand lay tangled in seaweed, its fingernails broken and bloodied.

Racing behind the sandbanks to help, Ruth skidded to a halt, her heels digging into the sand. A woman’s bloated body lay staring at the sun, her eyes opaque and unseeing. “Do you recognize her?”

“No.” Keya shook her head as the cat gingerly approached, sniffing and meowing. But Earnestine said she smells familiar.”

“Knock, knock,” called a man’s voice.

Ruth flinched. “Who’s there?”

Buy Links:

Amazon eBook: https://amzn.to/2XV2wO1

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2yfSB7b

Barnes & Noble NOOK Book: https://bit.ly/2YFHWgQ

Barnes & Noble Paperback: https://bit.ly/2yuBEWO

The Wild Rose Press: https://bit.ly/2ZsH1lm

About the Author:

Author of the Sacred Emblem, Sacred Journey, and Sacred Messenger series, Karen is a best-selling author, motivational keynote speaker, wife, and all-around pilgrim of life. She writes multicultural, offbeat love stories steeped in the supernatural that lift the spirit. Born to rolling-stone parents who moved annually, Bartell found her earliest playmates as fictional friends in books. Paperbacks became her portable pals. Ghost stories kept her up at night—reading feverishly. The paranormal was her passion. Wanderlust inherent, Karen enjoyed traveling, although loathed changing schools. Novels offered an imaginative escape. An only child, she began writing her first novel at the age of nine, learning the joy of creating her own happy endings. Professor emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin, Karen resides in the Hill Country with her husband Peter and her “mews”—three rescued cats and a rescued *Cat*ahoula Leopard dog.

Connect with Karen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KarenHuleneBartell

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KarenHuleneBart

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/karenhulenebartell/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/611950.Karen_Hulene_Bartell

Website: http://www.KarenHuleneBartell.com/

Email: info@KarenHuleneBartell.com

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/karenhulenebartell

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karenhulenebartell/

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/karen-hulene-bartell

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karenhulenebartell/