by Kathleen Stone

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Jude Hastings is one bad decision away from being forced into rehab until she meets four-year-old Shea Sullivan, a deaf child who saves her with a spiritual connection she cannot explain.

Hey Jude

by Kathleen Stone

Genre: Contemporary Romance 

2021 Indies Today Award finalist

“Nice to meet you…?”

“Jude.”

“Like Judith?”

“No.”

“Like Judas?” he teased.

“Like hey,” I finally said.

In 1985 eighteen-year-old Jude Hastings loses her deaf twin sister to a brain aneurysm. A year later her longtime boyfriend dumps her for taking too long to grieve. Jude’s relationship with her parents is more volatile than ever because she’s the child who lived. The next four years see Jude on a path of destruction, leaving a trail of alcohol-induced nights and a laundry list of nameless men in her wake. Love simply doesn’t exist in her world.

Until she meets Shea Sullivan, an unreachable four-year-old deaf boy who steals her heart when she is hired to be his full-time nanny, based solely on her sign language skills. Things on the surface are not as they seem, as Jude quickly learns that Shea is a very troubled little boy with a history of violent behavior, uncontrollable outbursts and a cold, overbearing and curmudgeonly father. There’s no denying the connection Jude shares with Shea, but is it enough to keep her working in his unbearable father’s home?

“Hey Jude” is the story of a young woman and a child who desperately need each other, with outside circumstances fighting against them at every turn. It’s a story that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you question everything you know about connections of the spirit.

**Celebrate the International Day of Sign Languages on 9/23 & World Day of the Deaf on 9/24!!**

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Kathleen has been a freelance writer since 1999 and now writes full-time. Her work has appeared in Doll World Magazine, Apolloslyre.com, The Lake County Journals, Trails.com; USA Today (travel), Livestrong.com (lifestyle), Essortment, eHow, Answerbag, Examiner.com, Suite101 and YahooVoices. She is the author of Heatherstone, the award-winning novels Hey Jude, Tell Me You Love Me and Whispers On A String, and the Head Case Rock Novel Series (Head Case, Whiplash and Haven). She also has short stories published in the Secrets: Fact or Fiction I & II anthologies.

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A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #2

by Laura Ball

Genre: Cozy Mystery 

Olivia Swann is at it again in the second book in the Whiskers & Tails Mysteries series.

In this whodunnit where nothing is what it seems,

Olivia faces challenges and twists and turns she can’t seem to figure out.

The Whiskered Witness

A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #2

by Laura Ball

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Olivia Swann is at it again in the second book in the Whiskers & Tails Mysteries series. Olivia loves to help people and her patients, but when a stranger asks for her help with a mystery, she can’t resist! With the help of local newspaper reporter Randy Seaver, Olivia delves into finding a mystery that is decades in the making and uncovers more than she bargained for. In this whodunnit where nothing is what it seems, Olivia faces challenges and twists and turns she can’t seem to figure out.

Tom Barnaby and her herd of animals are back to help Olivia and protect her from harm when she gets too close to the truth. Will Olivia be able to solve the stranger’s mystery? Will she uncover a possible killer during her search? Will she find love amongst the chaos and danger? Olivia is more determined than ever to uncover the truth no matter what. But will the cost of learning the truth be too high a price to pay in the end for her and her friends?

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Whiskers in Trouble

A Whiskers & Tails Mystery #1

Olivia Swann has returned to her hometown after college and realized her dream of opening an animal hospital – the Whiskers and Tails Vet and Boarding Hospital. When she hires a friend at her college reunion to join as partner at the hospital, things take a dangerous turn as suspicions of stolen cats begin to emerge. More than just her business is threatened when her new partner begins to ask questions about the wealthiest and most well-known family in the county. Are cats really being stolen from their owners and sold to other owners for a high profit? Olivia has a mystery on her hands while she deals with her loveable parents and a smitten love interest she doesn’t quite know how to handle. With the help of her friends–her two cats, Fiona and Wilson, an old Beagle named Barnabus and his owner Tom Barnaby–Olivia must try to solve a mystery that hits a little too close to home.

Olivia is a reluctant heroine in this whodunnit as she is determined to find her friend’s killer no matter the cost. How will she juggle work, crime solving and an admirer all at one time? Find out in this fun and fast-paced mystery from Laura Ball.

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Laura Ball is a life-long Ohio native who found her love for writing at a young age. Since she was a young child, she has enjoyed writing stories and has had several poems published over the years in poetry anthologies. She hopes to bring to life characters that are relatable and storylines that keep a reader’s attention and stay in their thoughts long after they’ve put the book down. She has a two-year old Cavapoo named Eddie who provides plenty of inspiration!

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by Richard Helm

Historical Mystery

Date Published: 10-23-2023

Publisher: Level Best Books’ Historia Imprint

“In a seamless blending of historical fact and narrative skill, Richard Helms reimagines the sensational case of Daniel M’Naghten, whose 1843 murder trial set a precedent that reverberates to this day. Helms has crafted a thoroughly gripping historical mystery that will leave readers eager to hear more of the “notorious thief-taker” Vicar Brekonridge.

—Daniel Stashower, Edgar Award Winning Author of American Demon

About the Author

A lifelong North Carolinian, Richard Helms retired from active practice as a forensic psychologist in 2005, after working in the field for over two decades. At one time, he was the only court psychologist covering four counties in NC. A court-recognized expert in sex crimes and the psychology of sex offenders, mystery writing was an easy transition and a logical next step after Helms left his professional career to become a college professor in Charlotte. He retired from teaching in the summer of 2016 to become a full time writer. Helms has twenty-two novels in print. 

Besides writing, Helms loves gourmet cooking, woodworking, traveling, simracing, amateur astronomy, playing with his grandsons, and rooting for the Carolina Tarheels and Carolina Panthers. For a peek at his non-writing life, check out his other website at http://www.rickhelms.com

The parents of two grown children, Richard Helms and his wife Elaine live in Charlotte, NC.

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by A. M. VERGARA

Historical Fantasy

Date Published: October 1, 2023

“I would advise you, young man, to take care around anyone with the surname Firefax. I know not if the rumors be true that they be king killers, but they are, without any doubt, a dangerous family.”

Legend tells of a city of gold on a phantom island. The wealth of that city could end the American Revolution. But the only person who knows the island’s location is the world’s deadliest assassin. And he’s not giving up that secret without a fight . . .

1781. New England.

The world’s oldest family of high-profile assassins, the Firefaxes, have been killing off dignitaries—and being well-compensated to do so—for centuries. The family is thrown into turmoil by their patriarch’s death and the return of their cunning, cruel prodigal, Murdoch. Murdoch is the only one left who knows where the Firefax wealth is, kept on a secret island. But Murdoch’s former protégé, now turned nemesis, Istäni, who is the leader of a British intelligence network, and Murdoch’s former colleagues from a Continental intelligence network are looking for that wealth. These spy networks are bent on tracking down the legendary treasure, whatever the cost, but may have met their match in this wily, dysfunctional family of killers.

About the Author

A.M. Vergara is a physician assistant and paramedic. When not writing, reading, or working in the hospital or on the ambulance, she can be found outside, hiking, camping, riding her mule, foraging for edible mushrooms, field-herping, or playing her banjo.

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by Chad Lehrmann

Horror/Thriller

Date Published: 10-23-2021 

Publisher: Didactic Cafe Press

Can you survive the night when a murderous competition arrives in a small East Texas town with one road in and no way out?

About the Author

Chad Lehrmann is the author of numerous novels and also finds time to teach AP History to high school students. The product of a small town in Texas, he knows all too well the secrets that live in those supposedly idyllic villages.

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by Thaddeus Yeiser & Conrad Bair

Genre: Dystopian War Fiction

Age of Rust is a tale of displaced youth, the struggle for life, and the peril of love in war-time.

Age of Rust

by Thaddeus Yeiser & Conrad Bair

Genre: Dystopian War Fiction

No records show how it happened, though everyone has their beliefs as to why the golden age of man fell seven hundred years ago. Since, humanity has managed to rebuild a modest civilization from the ruins. Now a medieval war begins to ravage the land once known as America. The lives of six young men become ensnared in the violence as they serve the Eastern army. Chief among them are Tavin, the son of a respected general and Seneca, a physician drafted away from his studies.

Loved ones left at home are threatened when Kayzitt, the zealot Western officer, leads his marauders behind enemy lines. His cruel methods devastate every community he encounters and the East seems doomed to fall under its own weight as he makes a name for himself in the legends of the militaristic West.

But the six heroes notice that something has changed inside themselves. Their minds are subtly connected in a way that cannot be explained but lends them increased prowess on the battlefield. Inevitably, their skills place them on a collision course with Kayzitt that will shape the future of the nation.

Age of Rust is a tale of displaced youth, the struggle for life, and the peril of love in war-time. It is an ode to masculine vainglory and the valor in conflict as it bridges with the feminine witness of human corruption and loss of innocence.

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Thaddeus Yeiser was born in Butler, Pennsylvania and later lived all over the Keystone state including Erie, York, Selinsgrove and Harrisburg. He studied broadcasting and film in college and helped run a sports radio station. He now works in Sales Management in Delaware. When he’s not writing, you can find him soaking up nature or following his favorite sports. He is a student of history and a lover of scotch.

Conrad Bair was born and raised in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. He studied biology and philosophy in college and has worked in Healthcare ever since. Primarily he enjoys hiking around the country, but visiting family in Pennsylvania is a close second. He lives in Arizona with his long-time partner and two spoiled house cats. He loves writing, painting and music.

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by Linda Luchtman

Children’s Book, Middle Grade

Date Published: September 30, 2023

Come along with Sitou on a magical journey of emotional discovery!

Are you ready for a magical trip through a beautiful autumn forest, where you’ll learn lessons on joy, sadness, anger and fear and meet some wonderful friends? We’re excited to tell you about “Sitou’s Journey into the World of Emotions,” a captivating children’s book that takes kids over seven and older on a trip of emotional discovery that changes them.

The Journey Starts with the main character Sitou, a young and sensitive girl. Sitou makes friends with a scared, talking hedgehog. As they go on a journey together, Sitou learns that even the smallest animals have their own emotions and feelings. Sitou wants to learn more about fear, sadness, joy and anger and she does.  Sitou learns to recognize and understand her own feelings and those of others as she meets different animals. The book shows in a beautiful way how important understanding and emotional intelligence are, giving young readers the tools they need to deal with their own feelings with confidence and kindness.

Interesting is that the story isn’t the end of the trip! The second part of the book is a workbook “Discover for Yourself the Essence of Joy, Sadness, Anger, and Fear”. The workbook has a set of interactive tasks that encourage readers to use the lessons Sitou learned on her trip in their own lives. The assignments help kids understand and deal with their feelings, which is important for their mental health.

The author really wants to make a difference in the mental and emotional health of young readers. If this book can make a child smile or help someone who is having a hard time with their feelings and emotion, it will make the author very happy and proud. Parents, guardians, teachers, and therapists are encouraged to talk to their kids,  students and clients about what’s in the book. This can lead to fun and important conversations.

Why read:  “Sitou’s Journey into the World of Emotions”?

·         A heartwarming and interesting story for kids 7-12 years of age.

·         Shows youngsters how important emotional intelligence and kindness can be.

·         Interactive tasks reinforce what you’ve learned and help you grow as a person.

·         A helpful resource for parents, guardians, teachers, and therapists who want to help children’s mental health and intelligence.

·         Beautiful illustrations made by an award-winning illustrator

Get a copy right away! Don’t miss the chance to join Sitou and her friend the hedgehog on this touching trip. You can now buy the book “Sitou’s Journey into the World of Emotions, at AMAZON eBOOK      

Let your child’s heart be touched by the magic of emotions as they discover the beauty of the autumn forest and the depth of their own feelings.

About the Author

Linda Luchtman is a debut author from the Netherlands. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, which was a hard time for many people emotionally and mentally, the story of Sitou was born, but the author put it aside to write “The Bum Biter,” a sweet little book for toddlers that was only released in her private circle in the Netherlands but will be available on Amazon later this year.

It wasn’t until her daughter, Lara, struggled with anxiety in 2023 that the author revisited the story of Sitou. She knew it was the perfect way to help her daughter, and it did just that. Now, Linda is on a mission to share the story to help kids and adolescents with their emotional well-being. Next to this, she has made several assignments to go along with Sitou’s story to help readers connect Sitou’s journey to their lives. This makes it a more interactive and meaningful experience.

Linda is not only an expert in writing. She is also an expert in instructional design and using neuroscience to create effective classrooms. She has a Master’s degree in this field and has helped many teachers and trainers in universities, vocational training, and businesses. She is a certified coach and is currently seeing her first coaching clients.

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A Novel of the Human Spirit

by Jodi Lea Stewart

Genre: Historical Fiction

Seething with old prejudices, wealth, poverty, voodoo, and young hot blood, TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit will take you through the Louisiana swamps, New Orleans, the Texas prairies, and into the bustling but racially troubled city of St. Louis in the mid-twentieth century . . . and lead you to a place where people are accepted because of character and heart—nothing more, nothing less.

Triumph

A Novel of the Human Spirit

by Jodi Lea Stewart

Genre: Historical Fiction

At a time when the world needs more warmth and acceptance, two little girls – Mercy and Annie, take us on a journey where color doesn’t matter, and character and heart are the only things that do!

Deep in the Louisiana swamps, 1903, five-year-old Willy is kidnapped by a Vodou Priestess. One day, he will fight bloody battles in France and come face-to-face with the horrors of Vodou.

In bustling New Orleans, 1903, bachelor Jack—a former Texas Ranger—has an encounter with a young beauty hiding in his hotel room. What she wants and needs will change his life forever.

1958 St. Louis, two girls of different races, Mercy and Annie, meet in the fifth grade. Together, they secretly explore St. Louis via bus and streetcar, encountering cultural prejudices at every turn— including from within one girl’s own family. The turbulent times and the Civil Rights Movement will test the girls’ loyalty and affect their choices on

In a saga spanning from 1903 to 1968, compelling characters navigate the stormy paths of life in New Orleans, St. Louis, and Texas until they all collide in a startling and dramatic way.

Editorial Reviews

Review

*5-star rating by K.C. Finn, Reviewer with “Reader’s Favorite”*

“Author Jodi Lea Stewart has crafted a mighty tale that packs a huge emotional punch, and you can feel its impact on every page of this excellent novel. The central protagonists, Mercy and Annie, could not be more different on the page, and the dialogue and descriptive work put into this distinction are effective and highly imaginative. It is the twisting events of the intriguing and unusual plot line that brings out their similarities and the true human spirit, which is a wonderful thing to become more and more invested in as the story continues. The historical atmosphere of the piece was also vividly portrayed. I really adored St. Louis in a time of such progress, yet so much tension. Overall, I would definitely recommend TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit to readers who enjoy historical sagas that deliver on friendship, hope, and heart.

Written for an adult readership, the work does contain graphic scenes and some disturbing imagery that is relevant to the present danger of the plot.”


* Five Stars for Jodi Lea Stewart’s latest literary treasure*
“In her new book, TRIUMPH, prolific author, Jodi Lea Stewart, brilliantly tackles a lineup of some of the toughest literary challenges a writer can face. Writing in the present tense. Telling a dual time frame story. Dealing with dialect. Writing from a young protagonist’s perspective. And, the most challenging of all–shedding a light of hope and encouragement on the most incendiary social concern of our nation–racism. Ordinarily, in the hands of a less skilled writer, any one of these could be the kiss of death of a novel. That’s not the case with Stewart. The characters are compelling and believable. The settings are powerful and rendered with a touch of uncanny realism. The literary magic spell Stewart casts over this story is so effective, you do not realize the commanding lesson it teaches until you close the cover and replay all the clever and endearing elements that make it so thought-provoking.

I have read Stewart’s other books, and I am always pleasantly surprised at her ability to deliver her deep universally themed messages wrapped in disarmingly simple premises.”
~ DB Jackson, Author, Screenwriter, Winner of the WesternHeritage Award

*5-star Review by Cyrus Webb – Media Personality, Author, and Top-Amazon Reviewer*
“In TRIUMPH, author Jodi Lea Stewart shows that time and place have nothing to do with the power of the human spirit. The reader will see themselves in characters that might not look like them but carry their desire to rise and thrive–and therein lies its power and a lesson…”


Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite
Review Rating: 5 Stars – Congratulations on your 5-star review!

A beautiful story that is deftly told, Triumph is set over long years and has the reader drifting through different timelines and across different cities. The author writes about three storylines in the novel and combines different narrative voices, including an irresistible first-person narrative voice that stays with the reader throughout. The lyrical writing, coupled with the apt use of the local accent, enriches the story and augments the realism that permeates it. The reader can picture the characters and know about their background from how they speak. The author handles themes that are as relevant and sensitive to contemporary readers as these were to characters since 1903. This is one of those novels that compel readers to think about one of the pressing problems of America: the color line. And it also asks serious questions about identity. Triumph: A Novel of the Human Spirit is a powerful testimony that we can outgrow the pettiness that defines people by their color and see a human spirit behind the shade of skin.

From the Author

TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit is extra special to me for many reasons, not the least of which is because it exemplifies my personal feelings about ethics and the differences in human beings as something to be celebrated, not feared or hated. The keys are always respect and acceptance regardless of race or creed or whatever the world wants to call “imperfect” or “different.”

Other sub-reasons for writing this novel were to highlight life in St. Louis and beyond in the 1950s and early 1960s. I wanted to expose some of the dangers (okay, the horrors) lurking in old New Orleans, honor the Texas Rangers, and express my respect for people who learn how to overlook the color barriers that separate and dishonor us as people.

TRIUMPH, a Novel of the Human Spirit is for readers who enjoy high-concept books written with a literary pen, and those who wish to see justice fulfilled and old prejudices shattered.

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Jodi Lea Stewart is a fiction author who believes in and writes about the triumph of the human spirit through overcoming adversity via grit, humor, and stubborn tenacity. Her writing reflects her life beginning in Texas, Missouri, and Oklahoma, later moving as a youngster to an Arizona cattle ranch next door to the Navajo Nation, and, as a young adult, resuming in her native Texas. Growing up, she climbed petroglyph-etched boulders, bounced two feet in the air in the backend of pickups wrestling through washed-out terracotta roads, and rode horseback on the winds of her imagination through the arroyos and mountains of the Arizona high country. Her lifetime friendship with all nationalities, cowpunchers, and the southern gentry allows Jodi to write comfortably about anything in the Southwest, the South, and far BEYOND.

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A Kids’ Court Whodunit #6

Middle-Grade / Mystery

Date Published: 09-29-2023

A missing ladder. A relentless bully. Can the junior lawyer uncover the truth before chaos erupts?

Luana Porcello has discovered a new love: volunteering at the community dog pound. Still, as much as she enjoys working with animals, law remains her true passion. So, when the local bully accuses his neighbor of theft, she happily resumes her attorney role, confident of her client’s innocence.

But as Luana gets to work, a formidable wall of evidence stands against her client, from physical proof linking him to the alleged crime scene to an eyewitness who insists he saw the accused commit the deed. Undeterred by the odds stacked against her, Luana is relentless in her quest to vindicate her client. Will her determination be enough to tip the scales of justice in their favor?

About the Author

Caron Pescatore was born in the United Kingdom. She spent most of her childhood in Jamaica before migrating to the United States. After practicing as a registered nurse for many years, Caron decided to enter law school, obtaining her J.D. in 2001. She worked as an attorney for several years before leaving the profession to become a stay-at-home mom—her most challenging career to date. She recently resumed working as an attorney at Legal Aid, representing people from marginalized communities. Ms. Pescatore is passionate about justice and fairness for all, a sentiment that led, in part, to her decision to write the Kids’ Court Whodunit series. Her favorite pastimes are reading, writing, and watching true-crime shows. She also recently discovered a love of painting using stencils. At present, Ms. Pescatore lives in Florida with her husband and two children.

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by Renée DeVincent 

A Rhyming Backyard Adventure

Children’s Book

Date Published: September 2023

Meet Twiggy! He loves to explore with his family finding treasures to store before winter. Fall is ending, and Twiggy finds a soft and fuzzy treasure to keep him warm during colder days. Unknown to him, it belongs to a girl searching for her favorite lost sock. Find out what happens when Twiggy and the girl come face to face. How will they cope with their complex emotions about the situation and each other?

About the Author

Renée DeVincent was born on an Army Base in Savannah GA. Her passion for reading and creativity developed at a young age. Growing up in a military family and moving frequently, books and art became a source of comfort and escape. Later in life, she embarked on her writing career, grant and technical writing, shortly after receiving her M.Ed. in Counseling. At the same time, she continued to develop her passion for fictional short stories, literature, and art, leading her to get an AAS degree in Graphic Design.

Reading books to her daughters inspired her to write and illustrate her first Children’s Book, Twiggy and the Lost Socks. Renée believes reading and storytelling are powerful ways to connect with others and foster a love of learning. Using a lighthearted rhyming style, inspired by nature, Renée uses her colorful illustrations and writing to encourage self-awareness, responsibility, positive relationships, and a solid character.

Currently, Renée resides in the heart of Kansas with her two children and supportive husband of 30 years. When not writing or creating art, Renée loves to spend time with her garden, nature, the outdoors, and her many fur babies. Hazel the Doberman and Milo the Ragdoll cat, provide many hours of writing inspiration.

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