April 30

Loving Whiskey

by Gracie Cooper

Tired of dating, Willow Lawson gives up on love and focuses on the expansion of Martini Girl Bar. She is officially on a man-strike – until she meets Colt. Colton Royce has his hands full raising his four-year-old niece and seventy-two-year-old grandmother. But when a chance encounter to play music again knocks on his door, he takes it. Lightning strikes when Willow and Colt are around, proving love enters when they least expect it.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509247677 ISBN: (print) 9781509247660

Available through these fine retailers…

April 29

Starry Starry Night

by Larry Farmer

Category: Romance / Clean & Wholesome

Ex-Marine Nathan, too restless for college and everyday life at home, craves the adventure of backpacking around the world. Michaela, daughter of a Holocaust survivor, shares his love of backpacking and moving on. As they leave a kibbutz in Israel, they join forces to explore Europe before returning to their studies. Is it a match made in heaven? Whether they will ever settle down, as the love they share demands, is the question. Could it be that the only adventure that really matters after all is the rest of their lives together?

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248278 ISBN: (print) 9781509248261

Available through these fine retailers…

April 28

Birthdays: Antonio Frasconi (1919), Harper Lee (1926), Lois Duncan (1934), Diane Johnson (1934), Alice Waters (1944), Kit Williams (1946), Christian Jacq (1947), Terry Pratchett (1948), Carolyn Forché (1950), Amy Hest (1950), Roberto Bolano (1953), Ian Rankin (1960)

Antonio Frasconi won Caldecott Honors for his artwork.

Harper Lee won the 1961 Pulitzer Prize for Literature for her book “To Kill a Mockingbird”.

Quote: “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” – Terry Pratchett

“People generally see what they look for, and hear what they listen for.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

Tip: If you’re writing a series, set up a consistency spreadsheet with character names, attributes, cars, house, etc., settings, anything that you might need to keep straight. Do this with your first book and all following ones so you know who’s who and what’s what.

Jumpstart: Today is your character’s birthday. What’s the best gift they’ve gotten? The worst? From whom? Why was it the best or worst?

April 27 New Books

Viscount in Hiding

by Caitlyn Callery

Category: Romance / Historical / Regency

Amelia Bell attends a gathering at Viscount Frantham’s nearby estate, on her best behavior to persuade her father she is worthy of a London Season. When she interrupts mysterious Josh Winter in the viscount’s library rifling through private papers, the temptation to help him evade capture is far too great. Intrigued, she joins him in pursuing leads. Josh Summersby has returned from India and finds an imposter in his place. Convinced there’s more to the plot than stolen identity, he takes an assumed name and investigates, determined to win back his name and discover the villains’ purpose. As Amelia and Josh draw closer to the truth, they realize stakes are higher than imagined. Failure to jinx the evil plan may cost not only their hearts but their very lives.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248797 ISBN: (print) 9781509248780

Available through these fine retailers…

Spotlight: Elaine Violette

Embracing Amelia

by Elaine Violette

Category: Romance / Historical / Regency

Lady Amelia Pierce has a forbidden dream: riding in equestrian competitions. When she loses a family ring in the stable, her brother finds her foraging for it in the hay with Lucas Grey, a duke’s bastard son. Amelia’s outraged father sends her to London to salvage her reputation and find a suitable match. Despite his ignoble birth and rakish reputation, Lucas is much admired for his management of Winston Equestrian Stables. He and Amelia are fascinated by each other. But the missing emerald ring and a viscount’s greed lead to disaster and imprisonment for Lucas. Will scandal and secrets keep him from Amelia forever?

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248933 ISBN: (print) 9781509248926

Available through these fine retailers…

Author Bio: Elaine Violette is the author of seven Historical Romances, praised for thought-provoking, complex characters and page-turning plots. Her writing career began in 2007, with her first Regency Romance, Regal Reward, a Golden Heart Finalist (NJRW). A veteran English teacher, Elaine presently teaches public speaking at a local community college. She resides on the Connecticut shoreline and delights in being a wife, mother, and grandmother. When she’s not writing, she loves snuggling with her sweet, Cavalier Spaniel pup, Emi, reading by the shoreline, and meeting with her book club friends, “Book Sisters on the Beach.” She loves to hear from readers and can be followed on Facebook, www.facebook.com/elaineviolette.author and on her website, www.elaineviolette.com.

my website, www.elaineviolette.com.

Twitter@ElaineViolette3

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1206106.Elaine_Violette

Facebook: www.facebook.com/elaineviolette.author

Amazon: https://a.co/d/8eLQmpY

April 26

When the Bough Breaks

by Allison Thorpe

Category: Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General

Series: The Family Tree Mysteries

A cryptic note from her dead mother.A nosy neighbor who becomes a suspect in a murder investigation.An attractive police inspector knocking at her door.Two mysterious men who seem to be following her.An unwanted African Grey Parrot.A town full of secrets.How much more drama can a calm, quiet genealogist handle?

ISBN: (digital) 9781509248407 ISBN: (print) 9781509248391

Available through these fine retailers…

Spotlight: Linda Griffin

Blurb:
Four couples, four stories: Darien Francis and Richard Li meet during a bank robbery, but she’s afraid to love again. Shane Kenniston and Beth Parker are reacquainted years after she had a crush on him, but she is a recent widow, and Shane’s life was upended by a false accusation. David Early and Kate Howard meet in the Laundromat, but her life is consumed by the needs of her disabled child, and David isn’t ready for the responsibility. Realtor Frank Ellison meets Kayla Barnes at an open house, but a mistaken first impression derails any chance of romance. Can they all overcome the obstacles to love?

Buy links:.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BW2FQXNW

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/reluctant-hearts-linda-griffin/1143041313
https://books.apple.com/us/book/reluctant-hearts/id6445743648

Author bio and links:
Linda Griffin is a native of San Diego and has a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. As soon as she learned to read, she knew she wanted to be a “bookmaker” and wrote her first story, “Judy and the Fairies” at the age of six. She retired as fiction librarian for the San Diego Public Library to spend more time on her writing, and her stories have been published in numerous journals. Reluctant Hearts is her sixth book from the Wild Rose Press.
https://www.lindagriffinauthor.com/
https://www.facebook.com/lindagriffin.author
https://www.instagram.com/lindagriffinauthor/
https://twitter.com/LindaGriffinA

April 23 Writing

Birthdays: William Shakespeare (1564 est.), Edwin Markham (1852), Ngaio Marsh (1895), Halldor Laxness (1902), Avram Davidson (1923), J.P. Donleavy (1926), Charles Johnson (1948), Pascal Quignard (1948), Michael Moore (1954), Carlos Maria Dominguez (1955), Arthur Phillips (1969)

Halldor Laxness is an Icelandic writer and the only one from there to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Quote: “It is often much harder to get rid of books than to acquire them. They stick to us in that pact of need and oblivion we make with them, witnesses to a moment in our lives we will never see again. While they are still there, it is part of us.” – Carlos Maria Dominguez

Tip: In dialogue, ellipses (…) are used to indicate a trailing off, hesitation, or that something is missing. An em dash (—) is used to indicate an abrupt interruption.

Jumpstart: If money was no object and you could go anywhere in the universe for a vacation, where would you go and why? What would you do? Who would you take with you? (Remember, I said “universe”. Don’t limit yourself to this world, or even this time!)

April 22

The Pepper Peach Murder

by Meg Benjamin

Category: Mystery & Detective / Cozy / General

Roxy Constantine is the jam queen of Shavano, Colorado. But her social life is a bust, and she’s still recovering from a bad experience as a line cook in Denver. Things improve when she meets tasty local chef Nate Robicheaux, but she’s also fending off the attentions of another local, Brett Holmes, who won’t take no for an answer. When Brett threatens to derail Roxy’s career, the two have a very public fight. A few days later, Brett is found murdered in his restaurant kitchen, and suddenly Roxy’s a prime suspect. Now Roxy must find the truth about Brett and his murderer before the town of Shavano decides her reign as jam queen is over for good.

ISBN: (digital) 9781509246939 ISBN: (print) 9781509246922

Available through these fine retailers…

April 21

Bewildered in Bath

by Cynthia Moore

Category: Romance / Historical / Regency

Series: Road To Romance

Miss Camille Collins thinks of Frederick, Lord Surd, as her champion and steadfast friend since he rescued her at fourteen. A few years later, learning of his intention to court her, she rebuffs him, but sentimental memories of happy, shared experiences make Camille question her hasty reaction. Anxious to understand the reason for her refusal, Frederick jumps at the chance to join Camille in Bath. Can Frederick and Camille recapture their promising relationship, or will false impressions spoil the prospect of everlasting love?