Where Do Ideas Come From? by Margaret Izard – Guest Blog and Giveaway

January 12, 2026 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Margaret Izard will be awarding a Stone of Faith Book Swag box (a $100 value) to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Where do ideas come from?

Writers are often asked: Where do your ideas come from? For me, the answer is everywhere—but it always starts with a spark that refuses to let me go.

Sometimes that spark is history. While reading about Scotland, I learned how the Coronation Stone—the Stone of Destiny—once traveled from the sacred Isle of Iona through Dunstaffnage Castle, the seat of the MacDougall clan. For those who don’t know, the coronation stone is what the king/queen of England sits on when crowned. That single thread of fact rooted itself in my imagination. I asked myself: What if that stone was magical? And what if there were many stones hidden across time, each with its own power and legacy? That was the moment the Stones of Iona series was born.

From there, mythology layered itself over history. Tales of selkies, sirens, firebirds, and cursed dragon shifters gave me characters who could inhabit these magical stones’ world. For Stone of Faith, the ocean itself became the stage. Because the stone had been lost at sea in Stone of Lust, I turned to legends of Lorelei and selkie folklore for inspiration. The Kópakonan statue in the Faroe Islands—depicting a selkie shedding her seal skin—captured the essence of a woman caught between two worlds, and it became the visual spark for Lorelei’s character.

Ideas also come when I least expect them—a song lyric, a castle ruin, a piece of art. Sometimes even being “stuck” sends me back into research, where a single artifact or legend offers the key to the next scene.
So where do ideas come from? From the places where history and myth overlap, where real people once lived and loved, and where imagination asks what if. My stories grow in that space—where love, sacrifice, and magic can endure across generations.

The heart’s most extraordinary battle is the one fought for love.

Haunted by a family legacy that threads magic through the ages, Captain Ewan MacDougall and his ghostly crew sail between worlds—freeing enslaved people. A worthy goal, yet he longs for what eludes him—true love. When he crosses paths with a legendary siren of the sea, bound to a cruel, power-hungry madman, Ewan finds the woman destined to claim his heart.

Trapped and forced to use her voice to lure ships into the clutches of evil, the spark in Ewan’s eyes awakens hope in Lorelei’s soul—a chance to break free and protect her Fae family. Yet, the wicked monster holding her captive will stop at nothing to kill the human who touches and loves her as no one has ever done before.

Will the fated connection they share break the chains of dark magic or claim two more victims in a quest to find the Stone of Faith?

Enjoy an Excerpt

The cannons drowned out Low’s response as Ewan spied the woman again, standing on the bow alone—the same as she had every time he’d robbed Low. No one else seemed to see her, and the battle raged on without hitting her her once.

As the wind tossed her bright red hair, the mane spread around her head. That scent—fresh seaweed and sun-warmed air—washed over him, just as it did every time he saw her. Her cream-colored skin glowed. When their eyes connected, a blush rose on her cheeks. She possessed Fae eyes, a brilliant white-blue that shone on their own. A siren she was, a woman from his dreams. Someone, no one else saw but Ewan. She took his breath away each time, touching his soul and making his heart beat harder. Butterflies erupted in his belly.

He whispered, “Tha thu bòidheach.” You’re beautiful.

Doug shifted in front of him, breaking the spell. The sounds of the battle rushed back like a freight train.

His friend yelled, “Ewan, ye must shift us before the ship breaks up! We’ve taken the plunder and already freed the slaves. It’s time for Blackbeard’s ghost to disappear.”

Cannon fire broke apart pieces of his prized ship. Doug was right. It was past time to disappear.
Ewan gathered energy, concentrating on the Chapel in the Woods at Dunstaffnage Castle in the future. He thrust his hand out, opening the portal, and sent a ball of energy through. He called the ship, and all within forward in time.

The world swirled, and the ship tilted as Doug’s cheer rang in Ewan’s ears, drowning out all sound when the vessel flew through space and time, popping out of the chapel door and landing in the loch beyond Dunstaffnage Caste, rocking a bit from the force. He and Doug tumbled on the chapel floor, coming to rest, lying on their backs. The crew Ewan knew faded—spirits brought back to serve him who dissipated with his spell. Ewan lay there for a moment, allowing his body and mind to rest. Doug did too, their breaths echoing in the empty nave.

Boot steps sounded, and before Ewan could rise, his da’s angry face appeared over him, upside down. “About damn time ye returned! I’ve waited half a day for ye to get yer pirate ass home!”
His da strode away, calling out when he neared the chapel door, “Both ye sorry mongrels get yer asses into the study! And, Ewan, make that scraggly beard disappear!”

Ewan sat up, waving at his chin, the long hair fading as Doug stood. “Mr. Mac, it’s just a bit of fun, that’s all!”

Colin Roderick MacDougall stopped, straightened his back, and turned slowly.

His angry countenance was one Ewan rarely witnessed. “Just a bit of fun, Douglas MacArthur? Just a bit of fun?”

His da fisted his hands. “Yer pirate games have gone too far!” He slashed his hand to the side. “The study, now!” The last he bellowed, echoing beyond the chapel.

Ewan stood, knowing his da’s wrath did not easily rise to the surface. Even when disciplining his children, except when… “Wait, Da, what has happened?” He and his sister Evie had gotten away with so much as kids and on into adulthood. Most of the time, his da had grunted while applauding their Fae skills. But when a Fae Fable showed and a magic Iona stone needing hunting for the Fae…
His sire pointed a finger at him. “A Fae fable has appeared. That’s what’s happened!” He strode to Ewan and aimed the finger, hitting Ewan’s broad chest, jabbing when he yelled, “The Stone of Faith!”

Ewan blinked. The Stone of Faith fable had two stories they knew of—both including the Stone of Lust.

Ewan tilted his head. “Ainslie’s story or the other one of the island and treasure?”

His da folded his arms, then growled his answer. “The island of treasure.” He leaned forward till their noses nearly touched. “And the tale is not about yer ma. The fable’s one of its own, and the damn thing has an ending!” He turned and strode out of the chapel.

Ewan blinked. “The Stone of Faith has a fable?”

About the Author: Margaret Izard is a multi-award-winning author of historical fantasy and paranormal romance novels. She spent her early years through college to adulthood dedicated to dance, theater, and performing. Over the years, she developed a love for great storytelling in different mediums. She does not waste a good story, be it movement, the spoken, or the written word. She discovered historical romance novels in middle school, which combined her passion for romance, drama, and fantasy. She writes exciting plot lines, steamy love scenes and always falls for a strong male with a soft heart. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and adult triplets and loves to hear from readers.

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The Stone of Doubt Book Swag Box

Inside the box
Teardrop Lab Sapphire Necklace
Signed copy of the book.
Large Stone of Doubt book bag
Small Stone of Doubt book bag
Insulated wine glass with Stone of Doubt logo
Dublin shot glass with etched Stone of Doubt logo
Stone of Doubt bookmark
Stone of Doubt recipe card
Wild Rose Press (publisher) 2025 calendar (While supplies last)

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A Return to French Foreign Legion Adventure Fiction by Edward Parr – Guest Post and Giveaway

January 6, 2026 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $25 Amazon/BN.com gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

A Return to French Foreign Legion Adventure Fiction

A few years ago I began looking at novels written in the early 1900’s thinking to compliment the First World War trilogy I had previously written and I found and read many of the terrific action-adventure stories written about the French Foreign Legion set in the tumultuous northern Africa of that time period. While I was drawn to the format, I did not want to write anything pro-colonialist or anti-Muslim – biases which are deeply embedded in some (but not all) of the stories written in that time period. But I also did not want to dismiss the honor and fortitude of the men who served in the French Foreign Legion, what they brought to that brotherhood, and what they sacrificed in the sands of the Sahara.

I ended up writing a broader novel with four main protagonists, one of whom is a French Foreign Legionnaire. The novel is entitled Tamanrasset: Crossroads of the Nomad, a work of historical fiction, set in the Maghreb in the early 1900s, which traces multiple intersecting storylines: French Foreign Legionnaires engaged in desert campaigns, Moroccan tribal resistance, a Swedish widow living in Fez, and an American archaeologist searching for lost treasure. While many French Foreign Legion memoirs depict the lives of new recruits to La Legion, one of my four main characters is an older, long-time Foreign Legion NCO, Sergent Jacques Demoreau, who has made a home for himself in the fortresses of the Sahara. Fact-based episodes in the story include the Doui-Menia attack near Igli in 1900, the battle at Taghit in 1903, and the French bombardment of Casablanca in 1907. Through these narratives, the book depicts military actions, cross-cultural encounters, and the challenges of survival in the Sahara, at a time when the old Maghreb was rapidly being changed by French colonialism. But I also want to convey something of the camaraderie of the Legionnaires and their sense of honor and tradition.

Certainly in researching the novel, I read many adventure stories from the old pulp fiction magazines, but these mostly helped me with writing an adventurous narrative. For hard facts, I mostly used memoirs of actual Legionnaires of that time period (and memoir-based fiction) like these: A Soldier of the Legion by George Mannington (1907); In the Foreign Legion by Erwin Rosen (1911); Life in the Legion: From a Soldier’s Point of View by Frederic Martyn (1911); The Wages of Virtue by P.C. Wren (1914); A Soldier of the Legion by C. N. Williamson and A. M. Williamson (1914); and The French Foreign Legion by Douglas Porch (2010).

I hope it’s a novel that anyone interested in the French Foreign Legion would enjoy and appreciate.

TAMANRASSET is historical fiction set on the edge of the Sahara as the ancient world begins to fade and great empires collide. Four strangers—a mature Foreign Legionnaire, a Sharif’s wrathful son, an ambitious American archaeologist, and an abandoned Swedish widow—become adrift and isolated, but when their paths intersect, the fragile connections between them tell a story of survival and fate on the edge of the abyss. Blending the sweep of classic adventure with the horror of a great historical calamities, Edward Parr’s TAMANRASSET is a saga about the crossroads where nomads meet.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The Sun had not yet risen above the ruins of the Mechouar Palace, but at the mosque nearby many Muslim people of the city of Tlemcen were already at their morning prayer. It was a great privilege to be admitted to one of the oldest mosques in Algeria, over eight hundred years old, and an even greater privilege to be allowed to pray before the mihrab there among the great white columns that lined the enormous hall. As the prayers ended, there was a gentle rustling of movement as the faithful rose and exited to the open and airy marble-tiled courtyard of the mosque, still quiet in the twilight of dawn. Isabel retrieved her leather boots and exited a side door beneath the shadow of the towering brick minaret. Covered by her tightly drawn dark brown burnouse, khaki pants, white shirt, and a black hijab, Isabel walked along the great stone wall to the main gate of the palace. The few buildings in the complex that were still usable had been made into offices for the French army, but the pool and gardens of the central courtyard were peaceful and shadowy. She passed an alcove that featured Islamic calligraphy carved into the stucco, and Isabel stopped to read it: “Allah is God, there is no god but He: the King.”

A quiet voice behind her asked: “Madame Pedersen?”

She turned to find a short, elegantly dressed French officer approaching her. His flat-topped white hair was soldierly, but his crisp, tailored uniform, polished boots, and wide waxed mustache displayed a carefully composed appearance.

“Peace be with you,” she said, casting her eyes downward and crossing her arm over her chest as she nodded.

“Peace be with you, Madame. I apologize if I disturbed you; will you come inside?”

“As you wish.”

She followed the French colonel to a charming wood-paneled room overlooking an orchard of citrus trees bearing large green fruit. The colonel sat on a bare wood chair beside a wide wooden table, crossed his legs, and twirled the end of his wide mustache. Isabel stood silently before him in a respectful posture.

“I have the greatest respect for your beliefs, my dear, but it would be helpful to me if you would sit and speak to me informally. Would you be so kind?”

“Of course,” she said and she sat on the chair beside his. Her demeanor now expressed more of her experience and self-assurance, her hijab more a symbol of her confidence than of her humility. The colonel raised an eyebrow in appreciation of her serene face and brilliant blue eyes.

© 2025 by Edward Parr and Edwardian Press (New Orleans, Louisiana)

About the Author: Edward (“Ted”) Parr studied playwriting at New York University in the 1980’s, worked with artists Robert Wilson, Anne Bogart, and the Bread and Puppet Theater, and staged his own plays Off-Off-Broadway, including Trask, Mythographia, Jason and Medea, Rising and an original translation of Oedipus Rex before pursuing a lengthy career in the law and public service. He published his Kingdoms Fall trilogy of World War One espionage adventure novels which were collectively awarded Best First Novel and Best Historical Fiction Novel by Literary Classics in 2016. He has always had a strong interest in expanding narrative forms, and in his novel writing, he explores older genres of fiction (like the pulp fiction French Foreign Legion adventures or early espionage fiction) as inspiration to examine historical periods of transformation. His main writing inspirations are Charles Dickens, George Eliot, Bernard Cornwell, Georges Surdez, and Patrick O’Brien.

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Voices Beyond the Creek by Curt Richards – Spotlight and Giveaway

January 2, 2026 By 1 Comment

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Curt Richards will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Set in the foothills of the Appalachians, fourteen-year-old Caleb Austin and his friend Marlee (Mary Lee) Patterson face poverty and prejudice in their small rural town. Confronted with the “creek people” who live in the hollow and the wild child Annabelle Pruitt, their lives take an exciting turn.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Smoky’s coal-black eyes stared out of their sunken sockets, making Caleb slide to a halt on the gravel parking lot at Fletcher First Baptist Church. He stood frozen with fear as the old battered truck ground into gear and rattled down Cane Creek Road toward the hollow. Just the sight of Smoky Pruitt’s stony stare shot waves of terror through Caleb.

As with most small Southern towns in the early 1960s, everyone seemed to know everybody’s business. But some folks—like Smoky Pruitt—managed to slip past even the most prying eyes. For Caleb and his friends, Smoky’s life in the North Carolina mountains remained a mystery that spawned myths told deep in the night around campfires.

For most of Caleb Austin’s fourteen years, he had heard gruesome stories about how Smoky Pruitt hung live animals by their feet in his smokehouses. Tales told about Christmas hams actually being dogs, cured slowly in the rickety old shacks down in the hollow, sent chill bumps dancing across Caleb’s skin.

About the Author: Curt Richards is a retired public school teacher from Upstate South Carolina. He has taught various science courses for forty years, from middle school to college. He believes there is no higher calling than guiding young people and adults through their education. In his free time, Richards enjoys studying nature, gardening, hiking, reading, socializing with family and friends, and writing in multiple genres.

Books by Curt Richards:

Voices Beyond the Creek (2025, Young Adult Fiction)
Circle the Stones (scheduled for release in 2026, YA fiction)
Misguided Passions and the Lord’s Prayer (2024 Non-fiction)
30 Insights for New Teachers to Thrive (2023 Non-fiction)

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Winter Blogfest: Jall Barret

December 26, 2025 By 5 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an ePub copy of Death in Transit and New Names, Old Crimes. 

Winter Nostalgia 

Every year growing up, my siblings and I would get a big gift package from my Grandma Sue. There were candies, cookies, books, and candy storybooks. I confirmed candy storybooks existed and still exist today. The part I remember the most were the books.

The passing of the holiday meant it was time to break open the books. They were a mix of Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and classic novels from Twain, the Brontë sisters, Louisa May Alcott, Robert Louis Stevenson, and many others. Many of those were adventure stories of in a way. Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew were mysteries that felt like an extension of Scooby Doo. Both series predated Scooby Do. Just like the Mystery Inc. folks, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew had a degree of autonomy and were out to solve mysteries generally caused by adults. They were on adventures. Tom Sawyer got up to adventures that were largely precipitated by his own pranks and schemes.

I wonder how those stories would read to me today, in my 40s. I’ve revisited a lot of movies and TV shows in the last year that I was fond of as a child. Looking back at those, I still feel a sense of identification with the kid characters but I also see the adult perspective.

I haven’t gone back to re-read the adventure stories of my youth. Some are likely timeless. Others would have issues that would be hard for me to ignore in 2025. Researching this piece, I found that the versions of the Nancy Drew novels I read had likely already been updated for a more modern audience by the time I read them.

Not every story needs to be revisited. Maybe it’s the accidental tradition that needs to be revisited.

As the holidays wind up, why not sit down with a new adventure story?

Five strangers searching for new lives experience an adventure beset by mechanical issues, space pirates, a poorly trained police force, and a business opportunity!

I write science fiction, fantasy, bizarro, and other genres. I’m a cat person. By which I mean “I like cats.” But I could be a person who is also a cat. Who knows?

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Winter Blogfest: Diane Billas

December 26, 2025 By 6 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of my queer YA superhero book Superficial. No shipping restrictions. 

Tis the Season to…Read?

I never used to be a seasonal reader. I didn’t even consider matching my reading to what season it was. I’d request books at the library and would just read whatever came in for me, but this year I can’t get enough of reading seasonal books. It first started at Halloween; I was devouring all of the spooky and horror books, but I didn’t think this seasonal reading habit would translate into holiday reads because I’ve never been a big Christmas book person. I would maybe read one for the entire season and call it a day. And if I was lucky, I’d watch one holiday movie.

But this year, I don’t know what it is, I want all of the holiday books with all the feels. I’m on my third holiday book of the season and loving it. It also might be because now there are so many more queer holiday books, the kind of books that I like to read, and write. The last one I read is a YA sapphic romance book called I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm by Mariama J. Lockington and it was absolutely adorable, but it wasn’t as cheesy as I remember holiday books being. The characters had backstories that were a bit tragic but believable and I enjoyed that it was in a dual perspective, one written in prose and one written in verse.

Now that I have found these amazing queer holiday books, I can see many more in my future. I already have a whole lineup of holiday reads for the rest of December. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll write my own queer holiday novel.

 

Embark on a thrilling adventure with Lea and Jake as they navigate the unexpected twists and turns at the biggest superhero fan convention of the year. When Lea finds herself trapped in an elevator during the event with superstar Jake, also known as The Amazing Boy, they realize something sinister is afoot. With everyone at the convention frozen, including Lea’s friends, Lea and Jake must team up to unravel the mystery behind the villainous acts plaguing Philadelphia. As they race against time, Lea grapples with whom to trust, while Jake uncovers startling truths about his own identity. A pulse-pounding journey filled with friendship, betrayal, and the ultimate quest for justice, will Lea and Jake save the day, or will supervillains prevail? Dive into this gripping tale that will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

 

Diane Billas is an award-winning author of the YA sapphic contemporary romance novel DOES LOVE ALWAYS WIN?, featured in Parents Magazine, and the YA superhero novel SUPERFICIAL, both with Creative James Media. Her sapphic short stories are featured in Wild Ink Publishing’s PROM PERFECT anthology and Of the Publishing Persuasion’s JINGLE THESE BELLS spicy holiday anthology.

Diane Billas lives in Philadelphia with her husband and son. When she’s not writing she can be found reading multiple books at once, performing the French horn and piano, or dreaming of the next country she’s going to visit. Diane can be found on Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @dianebillas, on Instagram/Threads @dianebillaswrites, and at dianebillas.com.

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Winter Blogfest: Megan Slayer

December 26, 2025 By 2 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a necklace made by the author. 

Holiday Music and Writing

I like to have noise when I write. I can’t be in a quiet room and make the characters talk. It just doesn’t happen. It doesn’t. So I need music. But this is the holiday season and of course there should be holiday music playing. Okay, maybe not everyone would have Christmas music playing, but I do.

The thing is, I’m particular about my tunes. I like to listen to my XM channels and prefer the instrumental ones, the oldies songs and of all things, the rocking Christmas channel. I wouldn’t have thought some bands could really do Christmas songs well, but I’ve been happily shocked.

For example, I think of Judas Priest, and I think rocking tunes and leather. But Rob Halford, the lead singer, has an album of Christmas music that has tinges of the band’s sound while staying fairly true to the hymns. I know! I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t heard it.

I can’t listen to Santa Claus is Coming to Town without at least having the Bruce Springsteen version playing at least once. I love that version. It really puts me in the mood for the season. Plus, Springsteen isn’t too hard on the eyes, either.

I love the Gary Allan version of Please Come Home for Christmas. It’s, in my opinion, better than the Eagles version, and I like that one, too.

I have a soft spot for hymns played without the words. Orchestral stuff gets to me. I like Canon in D quite a lot. It’s pretty and haunting.

That’s just a sampling of my playlist. There’s a lot more. What about you? What do you like to listen to at this time of year? Are you pro-holiday music? Against it? Or are you the type who plays it all year long? I’d love to know.

 

Christmas is the time to come together. What if it’s also the time to come clean and find lasting love?

Perry Felder knows how to play music. He wows audiences with his renditions of standards and knows how to work a room. He’s not only the son of wealth, but he’s created his own way in the music business. He’s at the top of his game in his career, but there’s something wrong and this Christmas, he’s determined to make his life right. But that involves more than snowflakes, stockings and Santa.

He’ll have to come clean about his sexuality. He’ll also have to let his overbearing socialite of a mother know he’s breaking out on his own.

He’s kept his true self under wraps, except to his assistant and best friend, Michael Hartsgrove. Michael knows the truth and if it takes everything he’s got, he’ll make the holiday season one to remember. He’ll show Perry that being his own man in every way will set him free. It’ll make his Christmas the best.

Can these two men, who seem to have little in common, make love last beyond the holidays? Only time will tell.

 

Megan Slayer, aka Wendi Zwaduk, is a multi-published, award-winning author of more than one-hundred short stories and novels. She’s been writing since 2008 and published since 2009. Her stories range from the contemporary and paranormal to LGBTQ and BDSM themes. No matter what the length, her works are always hot, but with a lot of heart. She enjoys giving her characters a second chance at love, no matter what the form. She’s been the runner up in the Kink Category at Love Romances Café as well as nominated at the LRC for best author, best contemporary, best ménage and best anthology. Her books have made it to the bestseller lists on Amazon.com.

When she’s not writing, Megan spends time with her partner and son as well as three dogs and three cats. She enjoys art, music and racing, but football is her sport of choice.

Find out more about Megan on her website, and sign up for the newsletter here. You can also check out her Blog, Amazon Author Page, Bookbub and Instagram.

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Winter Blogfest: Michael DeStefano

December 25, 2025 By 5 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble.

The Roadside Oasis

    The sign would have read “The Snowshoe” but for a burned-out bulb. Inside, a kindly woman greets a traveler. Her tag says Regina. Regina’s tone possesses all the tranquility a weary traveler could hope for. He sags as one might when submitting to another worthy of trust.

    “A bit road-weary?” Regina intones. The traveler suffers a lapse in deportment. The consequence is laughter, contrary to humor. “Begging your pardon; did I say something humorous?” Regina maintains her graciousness, though an arched brow betrays what she thought of the traveler’s laughter.

    “My apologies,” the traveler cries. “I passed road-weary days ago.”

    Regina boasts, “We’ve got a stew certain to revive anyone.”

    “Sounds like a bowl of Heaven,” the traveler croons.

    Regina’s smile reveals a bizarre irony that unsettles the traveler. Before Regina makes for the kitchen, she asks, as a passing curiosity, “What’s your destination?” The traveler replies, “It’s indeterminate.”

    “Destinations can be tricky,” Regina warns.

    Scanning the room, something strikes the traveler: The paradoxical look that came over Regina when he idiomatically called her dinner recommendation a bowl of Heaven was apparent on everyone’s face. Next, a man, abandoning a hand of solitaire, rises from his seat and marches toward the kitchen. As he approaches, he wavers, sighs, then disappears beyond the swinging doors.    

    “Who was that man?” the traveler asks Regina.

    “George. He’s been here for years. Had a friend with whom he played chess, but the friend moved on. Lately, George has resigned himself to solitaire.”

    “George is permitted in the kitchen?”

    “No one is unless summoned by the cook,” Regina explains.

    “I didn’t hear George’s name called.”

    Assuagingly, Regina warns the traveler, “You weren’t listening.”

    The farcicality of The Snowshoe as a waiting room where souls gather before being granted passage into Heaven unsettles the traveler, as does the existential catastrophe of his having failed to survive his journey.

    Familiarity lilts in chorus. Was death a shared experience? Some seem too reconciled for their demises to have been recent affairs; they view death as a humorous irony, an escape from a fraught world, while others regard the swinging doors with misgiving. The traveler dispels what he resolves are illusory thoughts and settles on The Snowshoe as a stopover for travelers in need of revival.

    Regina reappears with a bowl of stew. The traveler asks, “Why am I the only one eating?”

    Regina explains, “You’re the only one who requires sustenance.”

    Before the traveler’s twisted expression elicited an explanation, someone rose, tossed aside a newspaper for which they were grateful to no longer feign interest, and marched toward the kitchen.

    “Was he summoned by the cook?”

     Regina nods.

    “Will the cook summon me?” the traveler warily peeps.

    “What’s your name?” Regina asks.

    “Melcior,” the traveler replies. “I’ve searched for whatever sanguinity a forbidding world affords. I’m following a star.”

    “Two came before you,” said Regina. “Caspar and Belthazaar. They, too, are following a star. You’ll meet in Bethlehem. There, you’ll kneel before He who was foretold. Make haste, Melcior, for the day of rejoicing is upon us.”

 

Screenshot

As America pivots from embittered passions over her Vietnam initiative to Cold War anxiety, the stars align for three teens seeking independence, encountering the unimaginable.

Set in Philadelphia in the mid-1970s, American Odyssey chronicles the coming-of-age journey of Addison Caldwell, Cillian James, and Joey Brosco. In their quest for independence, the trio encounters the recently widowed Leila Bennett, a former prostitute turned farm owner. For Leila, a sultry summer blossoms into an odyssey of hope and healing; for the boys, work and awakening. Leila—a girl discarded and rescued—teaches the threesome that virtue does not lie in the struggle for independence or what one must sacrifice for its behalf, but in love that reinforces enduring friendship.

 

Michael DeStefano runs a hairstyling salon, where he has spent the past four decades beautifying the super of Philadelphia. His past titles include the historical family saga “The Gunslinger Companion,” the comedy/tragedy “Waiting for Grandfather,” and “The Bohemian.” You can find these novels and the short stories, “Eternity’s Corridor”, “A Requiem for Oliver Clinch,” and other writing at https://michaelscorner.blog

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Winter Blogfest: Jae El Foster

December 25, 2025 By 3 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win an autographed print copy of “Winter’s Embrace” signed by Jae El Foster. 

It’s Not About Santa but About Believing in Something

Everyone knows the holidays are for family, friends, feasts, and festivities, and one Christmas tradition is Santa Claus. While Jolly Ole Saint Nick is a staple for the season, popping up in malls and stores, online, and with call-in numbers to hear his voice, sometimes as kids age, his magic begins to fade.

When I was nine, I was playing hide-and-seek at home with my siblings, and I was going to hide in my parents’ closet. When I opened the closet door, I found a ton of toys meant for boys my age. I didn’t want Mom and Dad to know I’d discovered their secret stash of holiday gifts, so I closed the closet and went about the game. A few days later, Christmas came, and Santa had filled the space beneath the tree with wrapped presents for my siblings and me. When I started opening my presents from Santa, I noticed something extraordinary. They were the same presents that were in my parents’ closet.

I didn’t say anything. I understood the secret of Santa then, but I didn’t want to ruin their fun – and I still wanted extra presents at Christmastime. So, for the next few Christmases, I continued to go along with the Santa tradition, feigning excitement when we’d visit him at the mall and acting as surprised as I could through each unwrapping of every gift during Christmas.

Then, when I turned fourteen, and I was the only kid left living at home, Santa paid his last visit to us. I knew it would be the end of the tradition. Santa brought me socks, underwear, and a new backpack. Those definitely were not Santa-type presents.

The following summer, I began to work at the restaurant my dad ran. I earned money and saved it, not really needing anything because my parents provided whatever I needed. The followingChristmas came around, and Mom dropped me off at the mall to do my Christmas shopping. While there, I took the annual photo with Santa Claus, and then I shopped. I didn’t shop for gifts for myself, though. I had fallen in love with the tradition of Santa over the years, and so I shopped for presents from Santa for my parents and for myself.

I wrapped them in secret using different wrapping paper than we had at home, and on Christmas Eve, when my parents were asleep, I slipped the presents under the tree. The next morning, my parents were in shock, and I pretended to be too. They asked if I knew who brought the presents, and I told them Santa, acting ignorant. They let it go, but I didn’t let go of the tradition. Every year following, Santa left gifts under my parents’ tree, even after I had moved out of the house and gone off to live my life.

Even though my parents are no longer with us, Santa still comes, and he still leaves presents under the tree for my husband and me – a tradition I started at fifteen and have carried on for nearly thirty-five years. Surely, my husband knows it’s me placing the gifts by now, but like my parents, he never acknowledges it and lets me have the fantasy and tradition that I’ve known since childhood. I think he understands, just as my parents must have, that it isn’t about the gifts. It’s about the magic of the tradition.

It’s up to us to keep our family traditions alive, and whatever your Christmas tradition is this year, I hope it is celebrated with the magic of the holidays and the true spirit of the Christmas season. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Embrace the joy of Christmas and some yuletide cheer in this collection of five sweet holiday romances from four of today’s most entertaining authors! Featuring brand new stories from Pamela Ackerson, Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe, Cindy Lewis Smith, and Jae El Foster, this anthology will help you hold the spirit of Christmas and the magic of true love in your heart the whole year round.

Meant to Be by Pamela Ackerson: Single and starting over in tiny Lorman, Mississippi, teacher Faith Anjos dives into home renovations with tools in hand and a boat from her late dad’s fishing Sundays. Realtor Gabriel White becomes her unexpected ally, sharing lunches, family barbecues, and stolen kisses under patriotic park lights. But when a sassy ex-roommate stirs trouble and life’s curveballs hit hard, Faith learns that true love thrives not just in perfect houses, but in the messy magic of Christmas cheer and forever promises.

Window Shopping by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe: Single and sentimental, Whitney dives into downtown’s dazzling displays—animatronic toys, frosted windows, violin carols—chasing Christmas cheer alone after helping coworker Chad remotely. Fate intervenes with a literal bump into charming Chad, leading to diner laughs, Santa’s lap shenanigans, and hand-holding revelations. As they embrace kid-at-heart traditions amid bustling streets and Santa’s sly matchmaking, a parade invite blossoms into dinner-and-movie dreams. Proving the season’s sparkle uncovers love when least expected.

Mr. Hollister’s Christmas by Cindy Lewis Smith: Thirty-three and resigned to spinsterhood in Goldfield, Josie channels her Georgia Christmas memories into a perfect Eve nuptial for Rose and Hank, footed by taciturn rancher Clint Hollister. Their prickly partnership blooms amid pine boughs, fiddle waltzes, and whispered regrets from a saloon-fueled mail-order mishap. When a wheel-wrecked ride home unveils Clint’s hidden role in her arrival—and his lingering loneliness—snowy revelations ignite a romance as timeless as the stars above the Llano River.

What the Snow Blew In by Jae El Foster: Snowbound in Deerborne, Connecticut, during a record-breaking blizzard, editor Carina Whitaker hunkers down with wine, her cat Tom Boy, and cherished Christmas ornaments—until a shivering mailman named Jerry delivers a package and seeks refuge from the storm. As power flickers out and drifts bury her home, candlelit evenings spark unlikely conversations, shared meals, and cozy traditions that warm more than the gas fireplace. Amid reading aloud by firelight and piano carols, holiday magic proves that what the snow blows in might just be the love she’s been waiting for.

The Magic of Mistletoe by Jennifer Patricia O’Keeffe: Sarah’s winter break turns into survival mode: dodging doll-throwing dollops, sweeping glass shards, and sacrificing her office sanctuary for peace between battling children. Amid cold coffee confessions and contract close-calls with hubby Thomas, festive fumbles—from runaway pillows to reluctant photos—test their bond. Yet as grilled cheeses soothe tears and starry-eyed surprises arrive post-midnight, mistletoe weaves its spell, transforming holiday havoc into heartfelt harmony and impossible dreams come true.

When the muses speak, Jae El Foster writes, and he has been doing so for nearly twenty years, tackling some of the most intriguing genres out there. Delivering fresh, incomparable tales of horror, science fiction, and romance – sweet or spicy – he pens with seasoned skill the tales that his muses deliver to him.

 

Buy the book at Amazon.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Horror, Romance Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Victoria Weisfeld

December 25, 2025 By 3 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a pdf copy of three of my award-winning short mystery/crime stories: a woman trying to escape her violent husband, a hurricane that masks a nursing home murder, and sheriff’s deputy’s trap for animal abusers. 

My Best Christmas Present

If you’re a writer, your desk is probably loaded with coffee mugs and collections of pens, pencils, notepads and paperclips, while grammar guides, marketing manifestos and the like spill from your bookshelf. That’s certainly how my “work area” looks.

Bucking the tendency to default to such perennial gifts, my grandchildren surprised me a few years ago with what may be my favorite Christmas present, well, ever. I write crime and mystery fiction (two novels, the second, She Knew Too Much, coming early in 2026), and have some 45 published short stories in that genre. In 2019, when my grandkids were 11, 10, and 8, they made a video version of my story “The West Texas Rookie,” published that year in Mystery Weekly Magazine.

This was the first of four published stories about young, tiny, and fearless Japanese American reporter Brianna Yamato making her mark in the macho newsroom of the Sweetwater, Texas, Register. Assigned to write a wrap-up story about a four-victim homicide that even the police believe needs no further investigation, Brianna proves there’s always more to find out.

The kids took this story, turned it into a play, created props and (minimal) costumes, and acted it out, making strategic adaptations. At one point in the story, Brianna climbs into her car and a kid bikes up to the driver’s window to deliver a key piece of neighborhood gossip. In their version, my younger grandson rolls up on his skateboard—easier to keep in frame that way. Locations around the house were adapted to serve as newsroom, Brianna’s apartment, and the crime scene. They enlisted their mom to play the nosy neighbor. My older grandson served as principal videographer, using his mom’s cell phone, and my granddaughter (the middle child) played the intrepid Brianna. Somehow, they even created a main title and closing credits.

In their hands, the story was funny and entertaining, it still worked, and it was one of the best gifts I’ve ever received!

In She Knew Too Much, American travel writer Genie Clarke is in Rome on assignment and overhears planning for a major crime. When the gangsters realize what’s happened, they go on the attack. What she’s learned is just the first hint of a deadly criminal conspiracy that must be stopped.

More than 45 of Victoria Weisfeld’s short stories have appeared in leading mystery magazines and anthologies, including Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen MM, Black Cat MM, Sherlock Holmes MM, Alfred Hitchcock MM, and Soul Scream, with awards from the Short Mystery Fiction Society and Public Safety Writers Association. Her first mystery-thriller, Architect of Courage, was published June 2022.

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Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Mystery/Suspense Tagged With: , ,

Winter Blogfest: Anne Kane

December 24, 2025 By 5 Comments

This post is part of Long and Short Reviews’ Winter Blogfest. Leave a comment for a chance to win a digital copy of Ace (Riptide MC1). 

Christmas Eve

Well, it’s Christmas Eve again and most of the hustle and bustle is over. The presents have been bought and wrapped. The baking is done and the tree is up, sparkling with its lights and decorations. I even have special treats ready to pop in the oven for the pups. After all, they deserve special Christmas meals too. I have my fingers crossed that I didn’t forget anything. A brand-new blanket of white snow on the ground outside gives the world that Christmassy feeling.

Christmas is different these days than when I had a young family at home. The kids have long since grown up and moved out, but we still all get together for this one day. I am blessed with 6 grandchildren living close enough that I can walk to their house and watch them open their gifts. It’s chaos, but a happy chaos with lots of love and laughter.

My youngest lives an hour or so away and as long as the roads are passable, he will be here in time for dinner.  He always manages to make it home for Christmas. My daughter-in-law is cooking the feast this year. She says it’s easier than trying to corral all the kids and get them to leave their new treasures. I promised to bring the stuffing, my Dad’s recipe from my childhood. There will be turkey and a ham. Mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts with hollandaise sauce, gravy, cranberries, fresh buns, squash, pickles and cheese. We’ll all eat more than we should before we collapse in the living room to reminisce about Christmases past and catch up on all the news since we last got together.

Christmas, for me, is a time for family and friends. I wish you all the best of the season, and hope the New Year will bring you joy and happiness!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Someone took a shot at my Emma – and signed his own death warrant. No one hurts my woman and lives.

Emma:

After witnessing a cold-blooded killing, I run to the only person I can think of who can protect me. Ace is my high school fantasy turned big bad biker. Did I mention sizzling, sexy, and hot? He’s everything I know I should stay away from, but his touch makes me melt and when his lips devour mine, I forget why I shouldn’t let him near me. But he’s more than just a one-night stand. He makes me feel safe. Loved. Wanted. All the things I’ve never had — and that’s addictive as hell. Ace makes it clear he wants to claim me, make me part of his biker family, and keep me by his side. And I want him. Forever.

Ace:

I’ve always had a thing for Emma, but back in high school, she dated my little brother. So I moved on. Joined the Navy SEALs. Re-upped a few times, but when that last mission went south, I knew it was time to bail. Feeling lost and adrift, I came home. And patched into the Riptide MC. Finally felt like I had a home and a family. I didn’t think life could get any better. A knock on my door in the middle of the night changed everything. Emma fell into my arms, terrified and wounded. Some asshole shot my Emma. He may not know it yet, but he just signed his own death warrant. Once I’ve taken care of her, I’m going to convince Emma to stay with me. Forever.

WARNING: contains violence, coarse language, and adult situations. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after. Enjoy!

 

Anne Kane lives in the beautiful Okanagan Valley with a bouncy little rescue dog whose breed defies description and an Aussie Shepherd who’s too smart for her own good. Anne likes to write spicy stories with sassy heroines and protective, sexy male heroes who love those women. Her stories all have one thing in common: a happily ever after ending.

Her hobbies, when she’s not playing with the characters in her head, include kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing guitar and spoiling the grandkids.

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Buy the book at Changeling Press.

Filed Under: Guest Blogs, Romance Tagged With: , ,
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