Day: October 22, 2024

Ashes on the Wind:

Published on by mariacatalinaegan2 Comments

The Love Story Behind the Crime of the Century

by Brandy Purdy

Genre: Dark Historical LGBTQ Romantic Suspense, True Crime

 


The love story behind the Crime of the Century


Nathan “Babe” Leopold was a socially awkward genius who used arrogance as a shield. He cultivated a philosophy of absolute selfishness cherry-picked from his reading of Nietzsche and indulged himself with vivid sexual fantasies about kings and slaves.

Richard “Dickie” Loeb was the brightest of the bright young things, a social butterfly as fragile as glass inside, hiding his insecurities behind a dazzling smile and a mouthful of lies. He found escape in thrilling tales and fantasies of crime.

They were two brilliant and privileged boys, each harboring secrets it would have been social suicide to reveal in their 1920s world.

When Babe met Dickie, it was like his favorite fantasy had stepped out of his dreams into real life.

When Dickie met Babe, he thought he had found the accomplice who would help make his criminal dreams come true.

Dickie was willing to give Babe what he wanted, if Babe would give him what he wanted. Quid pro quo. Until Dickie wanted something more, leaving Babe desperate and willing to do anything to hold onto his dream. Even if it led down a dark path to the Crime of the Century and infamy as the thrill killers Leopold and Loeb.

  

I have read all but one of Brandy Purdy’s novels, since 2010 and I have enjoyed them all including Ashes on the Wind. Brandy spends extensive time doing research and has the knack for telling a great story.

  

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Brandy Purdy is the author of several historical novels including The Ripper’s Wife, The Secrets of Lizzie Borden, The Boleyn Wife, and The Tudor Throne.

  

Website * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads


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The Spiderboys of Aranae

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by Glenn Thomas

 
























Volume 1

 

Science Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2024

 

 

To the people of Earth, it is generally agreed that there is no sight more extraordinary than that of their human cousins on the distant colony of Aranae jumping onto the backs of giant spiders and riding off as if going to a picnic.

To the people of Aranae, it means freedom.  But for The Provenance, their Earth rulers, one of their colonies entertaining thoughts of liberty makes them uncomfortable.

In the first three Spiderboy adventures comprising Volume 1, we follow the sixteen-year-old runaway, Haley as she discovers for herself the meaning of freedom.

 

1.  Haley’s First Spider Bite.

Billionaire’s daughter Haley Morgan joins forces with an unlikely ally in an escaped convict on a quest to track down and apprehend a dangerous outlaw while at the same time dodge the spiderboy search party sent to catch Haley and return her home.  And as in all young-woman-joins-up-with-escaped-prisoner stories, things are bound to get out of hand.

 

2.  Malady in Savoy.

Continuing her quest, Haley takes a job as a showgirl in the city of Savoy where she becomes the object of mistaken identity, gets caught up in interstellar intrigue and falls for a roguish fugitive agent from Earth.  Shape-shifting does have its drawbacks.

 

3.  Along Came a Spider.

Haley endures a marathon battle of survival with a monstrous Trap Door spider that is determined to pin the girl on its venom-laced fangs.

 

About the Author

Glenn Thomas’s life path has been a meandering one, setting new life goals at various points along the way, gaining knowledge in art, photography, filmmaking, driving commercial vehicles, and ultimately, writing both screenplays and prose.  As a self-described “high-functioning daydreamer,” Glenn often finds contentment in self-imposed isolation, in conversations with an eclectic array of characters and personalities in universes of his creation.  Once in a while, he writes their stories into scripts and novels to share with the world.

From a young age, those who spent time with Glenn quickly recognized his remarkable gift of daydreaming.  According to his first-grade report card, his teacher, Mrs. Haslett, wrote, “Glenn is on cloud nine.”  With that ringing endorsement from one of his earliest admirers, Glenn has made his circuitous path to this time and place to make some practical use of this often-misunderstood gift.  With a nostalgic smile to his past, Glenn created his film production company, Cloud 9 Filmworks, shortly after completing film school in 2005, which has now expanded in 2024 to Cloud 9 Press to oversee his books.

Glenn lives in the Los Angeles area, and when he’s not writing, he works as a driver for a major motion picture studio where the real money’s at.  His first self-published work was a series of short science fiction stories called The Spiderboys of Aranae, released in 2015 and revised in 2024.  Also, in 2024, the first book in a science fiction series titled The Stars Rain Down debuted.  Set in the same universe as Spiderboys, SRD has strong connections with the earlier work, and fans of one book will enjoy the other.


Contact Link

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What We Wished For

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by Lisa Crawford Watson

 

 An Adoption Story

Memoir

Date Published: October 22, 2024

Publisher: Double Entendre Ink





























 

A twin herself, Lisa Crawford Watson believes she has the insight needed to mother twins. Mounting obstacles impede the adoption process, and she examines whether such setbacks are signs that she shouldn’t adopt. But when identical twin infant sisters in need of a permanent, stable home come into her life, she falls in love with them and knows what she must do.

Adopting premature twin girls who were born drug- and alcohol-addicted, and jostled, separately, from foster home to foster home, creates one hardship after another. Lisa quickly learns that raising children is a feat of sacrifice and unpredictability, and caring for children born into trauma may be more difficult than she ever could have imagined. Over the years, the twins wreak havoc on every relationship within the family and on Lisa’s heart. Has adopting the girls caused more harm than good?

What We Wished For: An Adoption Story shares a woman’s quest to build a loving family. It is a tale of courage, perseverance, and what remains when things don’t go as imagined. This memoir speaks to anyone who has ever struggled with a life-altering decision, one from which there is no turning back.


About the Author



A fifth-generation Northern Californian, Lisa Crawford Watson has published seven books and thousands of articles in local and national newspapers and magazines. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociolinguistics from the University of California, Davis, and a master’s degree in education administration from California State University, Sacramento. She currently teaches communications, writing, and journalism at California State University, Monterey Bay.

Lisa lives with her husband in Carmel on the legendary Monterey Peninsula, where she focuses on fitness, family, and philanthropy. As a resident of the “Canine Capital of the Country,” Lisa has a devoted following for her weekly dog column, for which she has profiled more than seven-hundred furry friends.


Contact Links

Website: lisacrawfordwatson.com

Facebook: Lcwcarmel

Instagram: @lisacrawfordwatson

Substack: Lisa Crawford Watson


Purchase Link

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