Writing Books About Bands by William Campbell Powell – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. William Campbell Powell will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Writing Books About Bands

Books about bands – is that even a thing? I mean, isn’t it all about music, and how can you even do music in a book?

So let’s hit that first point. Yes, it’s definitely a thing, and it goes back quite a way. Importantly, it’s still happening now. Here’s a short list:

• The Commitments (Roddy Doyle, 1987)
• Espedair Street (Iain Banks, 1987)
• Knife Edge (Malorie Blackman, 2004)
• The Haters (Jesse Andrews, 2016)
• Daisy Jones & The Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid, 2019)
• The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Dawnie Walton, 2021)

Two of those have been turned into films / TV series (The Commitments, Daisy Jones) and Espedair Street was adapted for radio.

So those three, at least, have had music written, whether at the time of publication or subsequently. The other three, I’ve not been able to find their songs on the web.

Before I continue, let me say I’ve been in bands, playing a variety of instruments, and writing songs since I was 15. So I think I’ve acquired some relevant skills (else I wouldn’t be writing this post).

So, why do we write about bands?

First of all, because music, singing and playing together, is an integral part of being human. It’s probable that song is older than human speech. Song is transcendent – it touches our soul in ways that few other human activities approach.

Secondly, because bands have become a global phenomenon, reaching across cultures. The emergence of ‘pop’ music in the 1950s, supported by radio and the new medium of TV – and the availability of affordable mass-produced instruments, brought music creation back into the reach of ordinary people.

Since then musical talent has emerged from everywhere, from the street corners of Detroit, to a chance meeting at a fete in the suburbs of Liverpool.

We love stories of journeys from humble origins to stardom (and the reverse).

From the writer’s perspective, bands are almost purpose-made for conflict.

• Bands are pressure cookers, hothouses. The band members are forced into proximity, whether they’re in a studio, recording, on stage, performing, or in a vehicle, touring. They can’t escape from each other. Even the smallest irritations are magnified.
• So we get conflicts over ego, over fame, over money, over sex. (And drugs, and rock’n’roll)
• We see jealousy, infidelity, rivalry, addiction, overdoses. Age and infirmity. Death.

Journalists, too, love bands for all the above reasons – they sell.

So bands give writers the ingredients for great stories. The only problem is, how do you convey music in a book? There’s no audio. It’s a book.

The obvious solution is to use songs everyone knows. The drawback is that most popular songs are under copyright, and fair use doesn’t apply in many legal jurisdictions.

When I wrote my first novel – Expiration Day – I went through the process of enquiring about using song lyrics (and poetry). Generally the copyright agent asks you how many copies you think you might print. They then think up an eyewatering number. You try to bargain, but the agent holds all the cards.

So authors end up writing their own.

Unfortunately, it’s a different skill from writing prose. (It’s also a different skill from writing poetry.) It can take years to acquire. Which is why, I guess, there aren’t that many books with songs.

Why and where do you insert a song?

So let’s turn to my new book, Teardown, and look at some of the songs, in context.

‘The Hall of Fallen Angels’ was written as a proxy for ‘Dark End of the Street’, which is a song about adultery: two lovers, meeting in secret, deceiving their spouses. In Teardown, Dom proposes it to get Kai duetting with her. She’s playing with Kai, raising Eros, to see if Kai reacts. Then she does the same with Neale, but it’s still Kai she wants to react. And it’s in the hothouse of rehearsal, and performance. Kai can’t escape.

‘Cross/Don’t Cross’ is similar – but part of Dom’s performance to the audience, and again it seeks a reaction from the audience. It is deliberately provocative and seductive, and Kai knows exactly what is at the heart of it – Dom manoeuvred Kai into co-writing it.

‘I Come From the Blues’ justifies its place on very different grounds. It’s there as a clue to the whole mystery of Dom. How does such a powerful, sexy singer come to choose Kai’s very ordinary blues band? I won’t say more (spoilers!).

‘Drinking Song’ is there to help break down barriers between the band and the audience at the pivotal gig of the tour. It’s the so that, when the next day the guests decide to go off together for something a little more social, it’s more natural that the band gets invited along too.

‘I’ve Got the Blues, I Ain’t Worried’ – I have to admit is just there for colour. It doesn’t really advance the plot or develop the characters. So there goes my thesis. But it’s just two verses.

There is a sixth song – a significantly modified version of ‘Whiskey in the Jar’, for duet singing. It does play a minor part in the plot, acting as a trigger for Kai to go and write ‘Drinking Song’. But the original tune and words go back to an old folk song, well out of copyright. Those songs are fine (and free).

So there we have it. Most times the band plays blues standards, referenced simply by their titles. But when you need something more substantial, it’s time to dig deep and write original material.

But, you say, I can’t hear them. It’s just poetry.

But you can hear them. Because I’ve recorded the five songs, to a reasonable demo standard and I’ve put them on my website at https://bit.ly/TeardownMusic. You don’t need any subscription to listen to them – though they are copyright. If you’re in a band, or a solo singer, there are chords, and you can pick out the melody from the mp3.

Have a listen. Have a sing.

Growing up in a dead-end, Thames Valley town like Marden Combe, Kai knows there’s no escape without a lot of talent, hard work—and luck.

Two weeks before the Clayton Paul Blues Band plans to set out on tour to Germany, their singer quits, and drummer Kai takes matters in hand. With bandmates Jake and Jamie, they recruit a talented new singer—the enigmatic Dominique—as the new face of the band and set out on the road to Berlin in a rickety white van.

Dogged by mishaps and under-rehearsed, the band stumbles through their first shows, zig-zagging between chaos and brilliance. But as the first gig in Berlin draws near, the band begins to gel. They’re clicking with their audience, and even the stone-hearted Kai starts to crumble under the spell, first of Dom and then…of Lars.

As the end of the tour approaches, Kai must make hard choices. Dom? But she’s keeping a dark secret. Lars? Not after the acrimony of their last parting. The band? Or will that dream crumble too?

Enjoy an Excerpt

The bus stank of commuters. It wasn’t like a night bus, granted, but the mix of sweat and cheap scent—and the pungency of diesel—was another reminder of how much I hated Marden Combe.

A Thames Valley town like every other Thames Valley town, Marden Combe had a posh, blingy bit, where the bankers, footballers, and celebrity chefs lived. The rest ran the spectrum from dilapidated through demolished to barely affordable modern rabbit hutches. The old town centre was closing down, and the new shopping centre was gridlock hell.

The bus lurched and swung left, past a school named for a long-dead parliamentarian. Or possibly a royalist. I ought to know; it had been my old school till I’d turned sixteen. But it had all seemed irrelevant to the more immediate problem of not getting picked on for being different. There were a dozen ways and more to be different, whether it was for being too ugly, too geeky, too slow on the uptake, too shy, too dark, not dark enough, having a funny accent, or a fundy religion, or being neurodivergent, being too posh, being too poor, liking the wrong music, or football team, or playing oddball sports, or using last year’s tech; not liking girls, not liking boys, not liking either, liking both. Plus others, plus combinations. By more than one marker, I was weird, and I hadn’t always kept my head down. But there’d definitely been no bullying at Sir Long-Dead-Parliamentarian School. Or Royalist, as the case may be. Oh no.

That didn’t come close to summing up the suffocating, hope-crushing, soul-sucking, shit-brown hole that is Marden Combe. I needed to escape.

If I had a plan, it was that music would save me…

About the Author: William lives in a small Buckinghamshire village in England. By night he writes speculative, historical, crime and other fiction. His debut novel, EXPIRATION DAY, was published by Tor Teen in 2014 and won the 2015 Hal Clement Award for better than half-decent science in a YA novel—the citation actually says “Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction Literature”.

William’s latest novel – TEARDOWN – was published 10th December 2024, by NineStar Press in the US; it is an LGBT+ romance/road-trip.

His short fiction has appeared in DreamForge, Metastellar, Abyss & Apex and other outlets.
By day he writes software for a living and in the twilight he sings tenor, plays guitar and writes songs.

Author Website | Book Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bluesky

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My comps for the book:

The novel combines elements of LGBTQIA+ romance with Road Trip fiction, and – with its focus on music – might sit alongside Taylor Jenkins Reid’s ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ (2016) or Dawnie Walton’s ‘The Final Revival of Opal & Nev’ (2022), or – with its focus on (Kai’s) gender-ambiguity and relationships – near Camille Perry’s ‘When Katie Met Cassidy’ (2018) or Beth O’Leary’s ‘The Road Trip’ (2022).

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The Measure of Enough by Deonna Kay – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Deonna Kay will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn host. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Thirty-four-year old social worker, Kacee Robinson, runs a non-profit agency helping women and children move away from bad situations. Kacee moved away from her own bad situation years ago and pledged never to return to her hometown of Glendale, Texas, or to the mother who abandoned her right smack in the middle of her hateful pre-adolescent years—just when she needed her most.

Now it is Kacee’s mother who needs something from her. With the entire town rallying behind the cry, Kacee has a decision to make. She can put aside everything she thought she ever knew about this woman who made a feeble attempt at raising her, return to the town, and conduct the necessary business like the grown-up professional she knows she is. Or she can stand her ground, continuing to struggle with the nagging questions and residual scars of her childhood.

Before she can make a decision, Kacee fears her life may be in danger and a rapid turn of events prompts resolutions that cannot be undone, setting into motion a slide of events as slick as the oil-engendered family from which Kacee was born.

The echoes of the past reach out to her while in Glendale, grabbing on and not letting go as they wind her down a country road through pages of her mother’s journals and twisting her into an unexpected new fate from which she will never be the same.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Nobody ever expects to get the one phone call that will change their life. They expect it less to come from a crotchety old biddy regarded as the town gossip. Yet, sitting at my desk at TrueU, the non-profit agency I own, on a perfectly good November day in the perfectly good town of Glendale, Texas, my perfectly good life (okay that part is a lie), but my reasonably mundane life was disrupted by none other than the infamous Edna McIntyre.

Having already dealt with a domestic violence situation and spoken with child protective services over a custody battle—all prior to ten a.m.—I slumped behind my large mahogany desk in exhaustion, head buried in my hands and noted those same fingers to be in desperate need of a manicure. The southern drawl of my assistant Dottie broke through the intercom like the shattering of glass, tearing me out of concentration.

About the Author: Deonna Kay is a native Texan, the proud mom of a young adult daughter, an over-sized dog, and the fuzziest cat you’ve ever seen. Her passion of writing began as a child and has carried over into her adult life. She is a business owner and loves to travel, particularly to Disney World. If you enjoyed THE MEASURE OF ENOUGH, please visit the author on her website to follow her future endeavors and updates

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Cowboy Watch by Petie McCarty – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Petie McCarty 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.

The Watchers Series—Fallen angels cast out of heaven by the archangel Michael for coercing with Satan to gain control. Some of these conspirators—duped late in the game by Satan’s lies—doubled back to seek redemption for their unwitting betrayal. Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.
One last chance.
These are their stories . . .

Cowboy Watch:

Someone—or something—wants Kellen out of town . . .

Kellen Brand’s inheritance comes as a monumental shock—a rundown farm she doesn’t want and one paroled Watcher all her own. Kellen’s eccentric mother believed Watchers to be fallen angels seeking penance by guarding individuals who had lost their way. Seriously? A Watcher? Only her mother . . .

Since Kellen vows no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she’s on a mission to dump the old farm fast and to the first buyer who comes along. Unfortunately for her, the only buyer is a resort developer, spurned by a townful of objectors and one handsome cowboy—her neighbor, Luke Thornton. Luke must block Kellen’s farm sale or risk exposure of his own family’s secrets. He can ill afford his immediate and compelling attraction to his new neighbor.

Someone is watching Kellen, but not who she thinks. Someone deadly and intent on scaring her out of town. Or worse. Luke has a hellish choice to make—step in and rescue Kellen from her threats, or to protect his family, stand by and watch . . .

Enjoy an Excerpt

“And you are on my front porch because?” he barked, while holding the skittish stallion in place. Windsor had had his head, and he wanted it again.

Kellen’s eyes went wide with guilt. “I was just—”

“Snooping?” Windsor sidestepped to the right, forcing Luke to twist around in his saddle to hold eye contact.

She stiffened and her brilliant green eyes flashed with temper. “I was not! You-You—” She stamped her foot.

“Owner?” he said, unwilling to let her off the hook for an instant. Not when he had her good and cornered. Thank God, Windsor kept him so busy he didn’t ogle her like a schoolboy.

“No, I was going to say—”

The horse reared and pawed the air, effectively cutting her off. Of course, Luke’s little heel nudge and rein tug instigated the ostentatious display. He swiftly turned the horse back around so he could face her.

“So, why are you here? On my front porch. Peeking in my windows.”

She gave him a glare fit for the devil. “I was not peeking. I was trying to see if anyone was home.”

He waited.

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want anything.” She hesitated. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Well, if you didn’t want anything and you weren’t doing anything . . .” He eased the powerful horse right up next to her though she stood her ground on the bottom step. “. . .then you must need a ride home.”

He snatched her off the step before she could answer and counted on the little spitfire having the presence of mind to swing her leg over the horse when Windsor took off. She didn’t disappoint him. The stallion streaked for the break in the tree line, and she clung to him like a tick on a coon dog.

About the Author: Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—”The Most Magical Place on Earth”—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her “day” job to write her stories full-time.
These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.
Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

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What Kind of Writer am I? by Eliza Hampstead – Guest Post and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Eliza Hampstead will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Thank you for having me! Today, I want to reflect on a deceptively simple question: What kind of writer am I?

My stories usually start with a scene I can’t shake. Often, it’s a spicy one—the first time two characters finally give in to the pull between them. That’s the heartbeat. Then comes the question: Why couldn’t they be together before this? What has kept them apart? And from there, the entire world and narrative begin to unfold.

I don’t plot everything in advance—I map out the key arcs, the emotional milestones, and then I let the characters surprise me. Sometimes they refuse to follow my plans. Sometimes they break my heart. But that’s part of the magic.

As a full-time scientist in my day job, I bring a lot of curiosity and structure to my writing process. I love research. I can disappear down rabbit holes about medieval architecture, ancient weaponry, or the roles of women for days. But I’m also aware that at some point, you have to stop researching and write. Fiction, after all, isn’t about getting every fact right—it’s about getting the feeling right.

I’m also deeply invested in my characters. My heroines are strong, not because they’re perfect, but because they’re messy and real. They cry, they rage, they fall, they get back up. And my heroes? Morally grey. Always. They carry secrets, guilt, and usually some kind of burden that makes their love story feel dangerous—but irresistible.

And yes, my stories come with spice. Because passion is part of being human. Because I want my readers to feel everything—lust, longing, grief, joy, betrayal, redemption. I want to leave them breathless, aching, and full of hope.

So, what kind of writer am I?
I’m the kind who builds worlds with swords and secrets, who writes love stories that burn, and who believes that the most powerful journey we can take—fictional or not—is the one where we find ourselves.

Outlander meets Black Mirror in this sizzling dark time travel romance.

She thought it was real. She was wrong.

When Sophia wakes up in 15th-century England, she expects hardship—but nothing prepares her for this brutal, unforgiving world. Lost, alone, and desperate to return to her husband and son, she vows to find a way home. But as the days turn into months, Sophia begins to build a new life, finding unexpected kinship and purpose in this strange land.

After a violent attack, she takes fate into her own hands, disguising herself as a man to train under Henry, the castle’s enigmatic master-at-arms. As steel clashes and their connection deepens, forbidden desire ignites.

Yet Henry is not who he claims to be. His real name is Ethan, and this is the least of the lies he tells her. Falling for Sophia was never part of the plan—but the closer they become, the more he realises how wrong it is to keep her in the dark.

As danger closes in and the lines between reality and deception blur, Sophia must uncover the truth about Henry—and herself—before she runs out of time.

*Warning: strong language, steamy scenes, and graphic violence inside. Mention/Description of, but not limited to, abduction, blood, death, amputation, childbirth, death, sexual assault, suicide, violence against children, rape, and torture.*

The book is the first in a duology and ends with a cliffhanger.

Enjoy an Excerpt

I had the strangest dream. Nothing unusual for me, but this one lingered in vivid detail, as if I’d truly been there—in a medieval castle, smoke and burning wood perfuming the air, stone walls looming around me. Azure blue eyes. I smiled at the memory, then made the mistake of swallowing and winced at the sharp, scratchy sensation in my throat. I reached for my phone on the nightstand, seeking comfort in the familiar routine of checking the time, but my hand met only empty space.

Confused, I squinted into the darkness. My surroundings looked much as it had last night: thick red bed curtains drawn nearly shut, letting in only a small beam. I shifted under the heavy covers, my feet touching the icy stone floor and sending shivers up my legs as I sat up in my underdress. A faint shaft of light crept in from a small window, softly hinting at dawn. It might have been around six.

Breathing out a small cloud, I rubbed my arms to coax some warmth back into them and took in the room’s strangeness, feeling how truly alien this place was.

“Good mornin’, my lady! How be ye feelin’ today?” she chirped, her voice motherly and comforting in my panic. Her plain brown dress rustled as she moved about the room, efficient and unfazed.

“Toilet?” I croaked, my voice strained and hoarse from my sore throat.

Polly looked at me in confusion, observing me standing there with legs crossed.

“Ah, a privy ye seek.” She nodded thoughtfully, then produced a chamber pot from under the bed, holding it out to me.

I reached for it, mortified. What was I supposed to do now?

About the Author: Award-winning author Eliza Hampstead, a scientist by training, lives with her family in the UK. When she’s not writing, she spends her time as a geek. Playing all sorts of games (board games, video games, RPGs) and being a big fan of medieval history are only a few of the many hobbies she has. Passionate about fantasy, she’s always planning her next adventure.

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How to Handle Negative Criticism by Naomi Laeuchli – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

How to Handle Negative Criticism

First off: it’s okay to be upset. Your first reaction is fine. Your emotion is always valid. It’s how we deal with those emotions that are important. So, if someone is giving you the negative criticism to your face or even online: don’t lash out. Sometimes we are so determined to not be the ‘sensitive writer’ that we can feel guilty for being angry at criticism. But it’s okay to be angry inside. However it’s also possible to go the other way: to accept right off the bat everything you’re told and feel like a failure who should chuck their notebooks right out the window.

Whatever you feel…feel it. And then step away.

Come back to the negative criticism later, when you can hopefully have a clearer head, and consider it more clearly. If you’re lucky, the criticism came from a good friend with whom you can discuss it. Sometimes a little clarification on both sides…author’s intent, reader’s perception…can go a long way in explaining where that criticism is coming from. But it should go without saying, if the criticism is from a stranger on the internet, tread very carefully on that approach!

At the end of the day not all criticism is right. It can be all right, it can be all wrong, it can be half right, it can even be right but lead to a book you have no interest in writing. That’s okay. Flaws can be left in works, even after you see them, if you leave them in knowingly. Some of the greatest books ever written have flaws. I would even say there’s probably not a single book out there without at least one flaw, no matter how small (except maybe Goodnight Moon. Now there’s a classic for you!). And in fact, when I think about some of my favorite books…the flaws are at times part of what I love about them. And on the same track: it’s okay if you see you have a massive flaw that needs to be fixed. That doesn’t invalidate everything you have done and everything you will continue to do with your work.

Finally, I once heard a very good piece of advice from an author (I wish I remembered which author!) who said something along the lines of: ‘if one person gives a piece of criticism, you can probably ignore it, if lots of people keeping pointing out the same thing independently, maybe you should take a look at it’.

Deep in debt and desperate for a solution, Julius Claydon knows that marrying a wealthy woman is his only hope. When he meets the beautiful and rich Clara Haughton in Bath, he believes she could be his salvation, but there’s one obstacle in his path: Lydia Cray, Clara’s sharp-witted and penniless companion.

When Lydia quickly sees through his fortune-hunting motives, Julius proposes an alliance. He will help secure her future if she helps him secure Clara’s heart.

But Lydia is not all she appears to be, and she has a plan of her own: to teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget. But her scheming soon leads to unforeseen consequences for them both.

Can love spring from deception?

Enjoy an Excerpt

“You seem to have taken a dislike to me,” he remarked.

“I have.” It came back promptly.

“Is my dancing really that bad?”

“No. You seem quite a capable dancer,” she said as if forced to be fair against her inclination.

“Then I’m afraid I don’t know what I’ve done to offend.”

“I’m sure you don’t.”

They crossed the room once more and came back together. Her hand was stiff in his own, and there was something unyielding in the way she moved through the steps. “Are you going to explain it to me?”

She shrugged. “I know you for what you are.”

“And what exactly is that?”

“A fortune hunter.”

It was stated so flatly, so calmly, and so completely correctly, that he couldn’t help himself: he threw back his head and laughed. She looked surprised. Perhaps he should have tried to disassemble, but there was a sharpness and confidence in her tone that made it impossible. However she knew, she did indeed know, and her forthrightness amused him.

“I’m sorry, Miss Cray. How did you guess?” He did not bother to hide from his voice that he was impressed.

“Well, I at least give you credit for not trying to hide it now,” she said a little dryly.

“How could I? When you have shot the target so exactly in the bull’s-eye. Credit where credit is due.” He gave a little mock bow.

“You seem an unusual specimen of your species.”

“There are always a few outliers. Have you met so many of us?”

“You must realize I’m quite used to dealing with your kind.”

“Are you? How very humbling you are. And here I thought myself clever.”

About the Author: Born in Taipei, Taiwan, Naomi Laeuchli has lived overseas in nine different countries on three different continents where her family was posted with the American Foreign Service. In November 2012 she moved from the Democratic Republic of the Congo back to the states and currently lives in Arizona with five horses. She works as a freelance writer and part time at the local library. She has written several interactive stories for Choice of Games, Tales, and Dorian.

Website

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Everything You’ve Ever Wanted by Jess Ames – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Jess Ames will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Jenna Mitchell has spent her adult life under the control of her husband, her dreams of owning her own bakery pushed aside. But at twenty-eight, she’s finally ready to reclaim her life and pursue her passion. Well… almost.

With the unwavering support of the Sensational Six—her close-knit group of friends—Jenna can finally envision a day where she is in charge of her own destiny, a big step forward for her. As she works at her friend’s café, Jenna begins to discover the strength and courage she needs to break free from her past and begin focusing on her future.

But can she quiet the echoes that keep finding their way back to her? Will the doubts they’ve created make it impossible for her to see—and trust—the path forward before her chance at a better life slips through her flour-dusted fingers?

Fans of Rachel Hanna will enjoy this warm and uplifting story about self-discovery, finding the courage to start anew, and the unbreakable bonds of chosen family.

Enjoy an Excerpt

I was sifting powdered sugar over a just-cooled apple strudel when my husband called from county jail. Leaning over the tiny kitchen table in my tiny new apartment above the café where I worked, I was imagining myself with my apron-covered hip propped against a gleaming stainless steel table, putting the finishing touches on a last-minute order that had come in through my bakery’s website. Back and forth with the sifter… downy, white flakes danced around each other as they floated and settled into their resting places.

B-r-r-r-r-r-t

The rumble of the phone against the white laminate broke me from my time-worn daydream. I reached up to adjust the white baker’s cap that existed only in my mind, pressed pause on my dream, and shook my head to clear it. When I read the caller ID, my stomach folded in on itself.

‘Collect call’

Craig.

I took a deep breath that settled in my chest and refused to return. I set the sifter down on a nearby dish and picked up my phone. For a moment, just a moment, I held it in my hand and considered letting him go to voicemail. But a lifetime of experience told me that ignoring a man who will not be ignored would only delay the inevitable.

“Hello?” I said, forcing the air from my lungs.

My husband’s out-of-touch politician’s voice poured through the phone. “Jenna, sweetheart. Are you busy?” Without waiting for me to answer, he continued. “I need you to do me a favor, baby. Can you please come down here and bail me out? I can’t sit here for one more day.”

I shifted the phone to my other ear and wrapped my free arm around my waist as I paced the twenty steps it took to reach the other end of my apartment and back. He wasn’t going to like my reply. “Craig, I just don’t think I can do that. I don’t have the money for it right now. I’m sorry.”

This was apparently not the answer he was expecting, because, as expected, his demeanor slipped from the fake, sticky sweetness of corn syrup to hot, burning rage faster than a falling soufflé. “You’re sorry? You’re sorry? Be sorry that you haven’t already come down here to get me. I’m your husband, Jenna. Remember the vows you took? Love, honor, and obey?”

Recognizing the opening line to the endless refrain of our marriage, I pulled a chair away from my kitchen table and willed my shaky legs to deposit me safely into it.

“Yes, I do remember, Craig. But I still can’t afford to come and bail you out right now. I have expenses I need to think about.”

The sound of what I could only assume was the phone bashing against a hard surface assaulted my eardrum. “You have expenses because you decided to leave our home and go live above that — that woman’s café.”

“That woman is my boss, and my friend,” I reminded him, “and she’s been nice enough to let me stay here.”

“You don’t need to stay there,” Craig argued back. “What you need to do is come and get me so we can go home together where we belong.”

About the Author: Jess Ames is knocking on the door of fifty, but has the sense of humor of a twelve year old and the body of a fifty-four-year-old (according to her fitness app).

She is “mama” to nine, “mimi” to four, “friend” to all, an adequate wife, and living the dream of the little girl who wanted to be a writer when she grew up.

They are both still waiting for that moment, so she’s writing in the meantime.

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A Murder of Convenience by Kathleen Buckley – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Kathleen Buckley will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Ellen Cuthbert’s husband, Randolph, is now the Earl of Keswick’s heir. Their marriage is a sham, and Randolph’s mistress, Lydia, is present at the house party. When she is found murdered in a locked room, all the evidence seems to point to Ellen. And how could the murderer have escaped the locked room except by witchcraft? Sir Hugh accompanies his cousin, a magistrate, to the scene of the murder. They investigate, appalled to find their childhood friend Ellen appears to be the chief suspect. Hugh’s lack of prospects years ago prevented their marriage. Now if he cannot find the real murderer, there may be only one final service he can perform for Ellen to spare her a slow death at the end of the hangman’s rope.

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Keswick strode to the door and spoke sharply to the footman who hurried away to return in a matter of minutes with two candlesticks holding tapers.

“Hold the candle for me, Hugh.”

Wallace knelt by the heap, which had been a woman. She lay on her left side, swathed in a night rail, its white linen embellished around its low neck and cuffs with white silk embroidery. The cushioned stool lay on its side at her feet. She must have been sitting there, ready to retire, when someone struck at least one hard blow. That much was obvious from the blood matting the side of her head, horribly visible against hair as pale as flax.

“You see the problem, Seaton.”

“Apart from the murder?” his cousin asked.

The earl gave an irritable grunt. “The scandal, man. No one in attendance at this affair is titled but myself, and all but she”—he jerked his chin at the corpse—“and a family of Cits are related to me in some degree. I can control them. The servants are another matter. Threaten as I may, keeping this quiet may be impossible. The best solution I can hope for is that the inquest finds she fainted or had drunk to excess and hit her head on the table.”

This was clearly a suggestion that Seaton should endorse one of these explanations. Hugh managed not to reveal his opinion of such fiddling with facts and legal procedure.

About the Author One day after coming home from first grade, Kathleen Buckley set about writing her own dictionary but quickly realized it would take too much time, so she read a book instead. Possibly Space Cat.

After a career which included customer service, light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a stint as a security officer, she began to write as a second career, rather than as a hobby. Her first historical romance was written after re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency romances for the tenth or twelfth time and wondering if she could do something like that. Apparently, she could, as her eleventh will be released on 3/24/2025. As a change of pace, it’s a murder mystery, but still set in the mid-1700s (but still with some romance).

Warning: no bodices are ripped in her romances, which might be described as “powder & patch & peril” rather than “Jane Austen drawing room”. They contain no explicit sex, but do contain the occasional den of vice and mild bad language, as the situations in which her characters find themselves sometimes call for an oath a little stronger than “Zounds!”

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Shooting Stars Above by Patricia Leavy – FREE Book

Patricia Leavy is giving away copies of SHOOTING STARS ABOVE, her upcoming romance from She Writes Press. How to get yours? It’s easy… just complete the Rafflecopter below and you’ll receive one from the author!


So, what’s the book about? Here’s the info:

 

 

For fans of Colleen Hoover comes an emotionally charged contemporary romance about a internationally best-selling novelist and a federal agent fighting to heal past wounds.

Tess Lee is a world-famous novelist. Her inspirational books explore people’s innermost struggles and the human need to believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel—but despite her extraordinary success, she’s been unable to find personal happiness. Jack Miller is a federal agent working in counterterrorism. After spending decades immersed in a violent world, a residue remains. He’s dedicated everything to his job, leaving nothing for himself.

The night Tess and Jack meet, their connection is palpable. She examines the scars on his body and says, “I’ve never seen anyone whose outsides match my insides.” The two embark on an epic love story, but old traumas soon rise to the surface as Jack struggles with the death of a loved one and Tess is forced to confront her childhood abuse. Can unconditional love help heal their invisible wounds? Together, will they be able to move from darkness to light?


Praise for the book

Featured on Ms. Career Girl “A Book for Every Type of Reader to Kick off 2025.”

Featured on She Knows “22 Incredible New Books That You’ll Want to Get Your Hands on in 2025.”

 

“Patricia Leavy crafts a riveting narrative that shows the healing power of love and how it helps wounded souls become whole once again.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review

 

“For readers seeking a story that restores faith in humanity and shines a light on the beauty of connection, this novel is a must-read.”—Literary Titan

 

“For so many of us, perhaps all of us, life is challenging as we learn to live through and with trauma, grief, and loss. Shooting Stars Above shows us how to thrive through unconditional love. Read this book—it will crack your heart wide open.” —Laurel Richardson, author of Lone Twin

 

“Leavy has done what she does best: write a story that you won’t be able to put down until you finish the final sentence. Shooting Stars Above is a love story about friendship and real romance, but most importantly, it is a story about learning to love ourselves, the most difficult love of all.” —Sandra L. Faulkner, author of Poetic Inquiry: Craft, Method, and Practice

For a free copy of the book, please fill out the Rafflecopter below
(this giveaway is limited to US residents only and to the first 10,000 copies)
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Behind-the-Scenes Writing After the Red Carpet by Patricia Leavy – Guest Blog and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Patricia Leavy will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Behind-the-Scenes Writing After the Red Carpet
After the Red Carpet is the second book to follow Finn Forrester and Ella Sinclair. Finn is a Hollywood movie star and Ella is a free-spirited philosopher. In the first book, The Location Shoot, the two meet on a film set in Sweden and fall madly in love. I don’t want to give too much away for people who haven’t read it yet, but it ends with Finn proposing to Ella on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival. After the Red Carpet is about what happens next. Now it’s time to build a life together. Ella moves into Finn’s Beverly Hills mansion and must adjust to his Hollywood world. Can Ella retain her own identity and still love Finn with all her heart? It’s a really cozy and sweet love story about what happens after we say, “I do.” It’s about partnership, unconditional love, and what happens to “me” in a “we.” I would describe it as a romantic comfort read.

I wrote The Location Shoot during the pandemic. This is back when we were all locked in our houses double fisting potato chips (maybe that was just me). Ella and Finn were a lifeline. During a time when I was depressed and afraid, as many of us were, this little love story brought me enormous comfort, escape, joy. I looked forward to getting up in the mornings (in the same sweatpants I had worn for months) and entering their love-filled world. When it came time to write After the Red Carpet, the lockdown was long over so I decided to set a few scenes in London and travel there to do research. In one scene the characters attend an awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall. It had to be there because it’s a real awards ceremony and that is where it’s held. I decided to take a group tour. My intention at the time was simply to take notes about what it looked like inside—an in-person experience is always so much more helpful than what you can find online. I thought I’d glean a little tidbit or detail that I’d be able to throw in. Little did I know, the history of the hall actually tied in perfectly to the major theme in my novel. The chapter became so much better and more important than I could have imagined. You’ll have to read the book to see what I mean!

For fans of Tessa Bailey and Hannah Grace, After the Red Carpet is a feel-good, contemporary celebrity romance about what happens after the fairy-tale beginning as two lovers work toward their own true meaning of “happily ever after.”

After legendary Hollywood star Finn Forrester proposed to philosopher Ella Sinclair on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the couple captivated the press and public with their real-life fairy tale. Now they vow to prioritize their romance and live an adventure of their own making. Ella moves into Finn’s Beverly Hills mansion and must adjust to his world. Finn, secretly afraid of losing Ella, is determined to make everything perfect for his betrothed. Meanwhile, Ella wants nothing more than to retain her own identity as they build their new life together. All the while, she is writing a philosophical treatise on love, exploring the question: when we love so deeply, where do we end and where does the other begin?

In this highly anticipated follow-up to The Location Shoot, will Ella and Finn finally live the life they’ve dreamed of? See how their epic romance unfolds, after the red carpet.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Finn took her hand and led her upstairs. As they approached the closed double doors, he said, “This is the room I had in mind for your office. It’s empty now, but my decorator is coming by tomorrow afternoon so you two can plan and scheme. When you see it, just remember we’ll redo it from top to bottom, flooring to light fixtures.”

“Oh my God,” she gasped as he opened the doors to a massive room featuring sky-high ceilings and windows to match. “It’s big enough to be a ballroom!”

He smiled. “You spend your life writing about the big topics, the big questions, and I hoped this big space might be inspiring.” She silently let her eyes follow the crown molding around the entire ceiling as she tried to catch her breath. He took her hand and continued showing her around. “There’s a full bathroom over here, and in this corner, there’s a walk-in closet. We could install some built-in cabinets and shelves. But just wait—I think you’ll really love this bit,” he said, leading her to a pair of doors. They stepped outside onto a large, furnished veranda with an outdoor fireplace, overlooking the entire back of the property. He rubbed her fingers and asked, “Do you think this will work for your office, sweetheart?”

“Do I think this will work?” she whispered incredulously, her voice shaking. She turned to him with tears in her eyes. “Finn, this is the nicest room in the house.”

“I think so too,” he said.

“No, I mean . . .”

“What, baby?”

“It’s just lovely beyond words that you would save this for me.”

He kissed her softly. “I’ve been picturing you here for so long, waiting to see how you would make this space your own.”

About the Author: Patricia Leavy, PhD, is an award-winning, best-selling author. She was formerly Associate Professor of Sociology, Chairperson of Sociology & Criminology, and Founding Director of Gender Studies at Stonehill College. She has published more than forty books; her work has been translated into many languages, and she has received more than one hundred book honors. Her last novel, The Location Shoot, was featured on Ms. Career Girl‘s “10 Perfect Books to Get Your Fall Reading List Started” and was the 2023 Firebird Book Awards 1st Place Winner in 4 categories: Contemporary Novel, Pop Culture Fiction, Romance and Summer Beach Read. Patricia has also received career awards from the New England Sociological Association, the American Creativity Association, the American Educational Research Association, the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, and the National Art Education Association. In 2018, she was honored by the National Women’s Hall of Fame and SUNY-New Paltz established the “Patricia Leavy Award for Art and Social Justice.” Patricia lives in Maine. In addition to writing, she enjoys art, reading, and travel.

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Finding His Wyoming Sweetheart by Virginia McCullough – Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Virginia McCullough will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When it comes to his seven-year-old son, new lodge owner Mack Fisher has a lot to make up for. Fortunately, the small Wyoming town of Adelaide Creek provides the perfect fresh start—that is, if he can avoid the distraction of Erin Hunnicutt’s warm brown eyes. The free-spirited musician has a way of bringing out the best in everyone—especially Mack. When they’re thrown together unexpectedly to help their town, sparks fly and a dangerous secret is uncovered. But searching for the answers only leads them to fall deeper for one another…and starts Mack wondering if there’s room for one more in his new family.

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Mack grinned at Erin. “Admittedly, an awkward introduction. But you’ll have to overlook it.” He put his hand to the side of his head. “I can barely think straight.”

Erin frowned. What did that mean?

“I’m awestruck,” he explained, his grin widening. “It’s not every day I come face to face with a woman who’s a talented musician and also a restoration expert who brings battered and charred wood back to life.”

Without thinking, Erin returned the smile. “Now you’re making me blush.” It was true what he said. She’d built her work life around wood restoration, but making music was her favorite hobby. Although those things weren’t making her cheeks heat up. That had more to do with Mack’s deep, smooth voice and how her stomach fluttered looking into those amused blue eyes. She’d always had a soft spot for a neat—but not too neat—beard.

“As I recall, Mack, you don’t live in Adelaide Creek, but here you are, celebrating the grand opening of the restored town hall with the rest of us. And on Valentine’s Day, too.”

“We do too live here.” Liam stood up a little straighter and lifted his chin a notch. “In a bunkhouse. Real cowboys lived there a long, long time ago.”

“That’s right, kiddo.” Mack spoke to Liam with a laugh in his voice before turning to Erin.

About the Author: Award winning author, Virginia McCullough writes romance for the Harlequin Heartwarming line, and FINDING HIS WYOMING SWEETHEART is Book 4 of her Adelaide Creek series. She also writes women’s fiction and nonfiction on a variety of topics. Virginia’s characters could be your family, friends, or neighbors, and all her stories offer hope, healing, and plenty of second chances. Drawn to water, she almost always sets her stories on a body of water, from oceans, lakes, rivers, and the winding Adelaide Creek.

A ghostwriter, book doctor/editor, coach, and experienced workshop presenter, Virginia is a wanderer, but currently lives in Northeastern Wisconsin. When she’s not writing, she’s walking on trails near her home or in some faraway place. She reads, streams series, hangs out with other writers, and daydreams about her next adventure.

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