Showing posts with label Book Teasers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Teasers. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 8, 2026

Adventure Romance Teaser: Cressida's Circle by Mikala Ash

Cressida Troy is returning to Earth carrying considerably more than the responsibilities of an empress. She is human, she rules the Lunarians who conquered her species, she is grieving her husband, and she is about to face Queen Victoria while trying to build an alliance against an approaching Martian war. Cressida’s Circle, the ninth book in Mikala Ash’s Empire of the Sky series, places that divided loyalty at the center of a story where witchcraft, Victorian politics, extraterrestrial power, and complicated desire are already pulling in different directions. Lady Neva’s plan to seize both the crown and control beyond Earth raises the political stakes, but Cressida’s search for redemption gives this steampunk conflict its particularly personal edge.

Steampunk Adventure Romance

Series: Empire of the Sky, Book 9

Date Published: September 11, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press LLC

༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻

 

In a world overthrown by witchcraft, a giant love has been lost. Can Cressida be saved?

 

Mourning the loss of her husband, Cressida Troy is on her way to Earth. Her mission; to meet the Queen of England and cement relations between the Lunarians and humans to present a united front in the approaching war with the Martians. For Cressida, the mission has a much deeper and personal meaning. Being human, as well as the Lunarian Empress, Cressida is plagued by doubt and guilt and seeks redemption for what is seen by many as the betrayal of her species. Matters are complicated when she is kidnapped by the pernicious witch, Lady Neva, who is hell-bent on revenge against Queen Victoria. Armed with unlimited magical power, Lady Neva is planning to usurp the crown and rule both Earth and space. 

 

Meanwhile Jacob McLeary, Cressida’s former fiancé, is under the watchful and lascivious eye of Lavinia Branscombe, a Lunarian agent. Knowledge of the dark secret at the heart of the Lunarian society fuels Jacob’s loathing of the aliens, but with so much at stake, can love overcome the barrier of hate? Will Cressida find redemption?

༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻

 

The most intriguing tension in Cressida’s Circle comes from Cressida occupying two identities that cannot easily be reconciled: she is both human and Lunarian Empress. Her diplomatic return to Earth therefore carries the weight of a homecoming, a political negotiation, and an encounter with people who may regard her as responsible for their conquest. Mikala Ash complicates that conflict further by setting it against an alternate Victorian world where Queen Victoria, lunar society, Martian warfare, witchcraft, and spacecraft all belong to the same political landscape. The result is a story concerned not simply with who holds power, but with what loyalty, love, and redemption mean when allegiance to one world can look like betrayal to another.

༺ WHO WILL LOVE IT ༻

 

Readers who have followed the Empire of the Sky series will find Cressida facing consequences that reach across both her private life and her rule, while newcomers drawn to elaborate alternate histories may be intrigued by the collision of Victorian monarchy, lunar conquest, Martian conflict, and powerful witchcraft. The book also has a strong fit for those who like their steampunk unapologetically adult and their romance tangled into questions of political allegiance. Cressida’s need for redemption, Jacob’s hostility toward the Lunarians, and Lady Neva’s designs on Queen Victoria make personal relationships part of the same struggle that could determine who controls Earth and space. 

༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻

 

Aussie Mikala Ash used to be a mild-mannered training & development consultant by day, and a wild sci-fi and paranormal adventure writer by night. Now she is a brazen full-time writer and nature photographer who is concentrating on having among other things, “… bags, and bags of fun!” Mikala can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ༻

Author on Facebook

Author on Twitter

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok:
@changelingpress

༺ BUY THE BOOK ༻

Pre-Order Today

Catch up on the full Empire of the Sky series 

༺ LAST WORD ༻

 

Cressida’s Circle gives its heroine an unusually difficult homecoming: Earth is the world she belongs to by birth, but she returns as empress of the society that conquered it. That contradiction makes her meeting with Queen Victoria, the threat from Lady Neva, and the coming Martian conflict more than separate pieces of an adventure plot. Each one presses on the same question of where Cressida belongs and what redemption would actually require. Add Jacob’s resentment of Lunarian society and the series’ mixture of spacecraft, magic, Victorian power struggles, and adult romance, and this ninth Empire of the Sky story has several worlds circling the same deeply personal conflict.

༺ JOIN THE CONVERSATION ༻

 

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Wednesday, August 26, 2026

Political Fiction Teaser: The Vote by David Swanson

Power in The Vote: A Story of Political Peril is measured in more than elections. David Swanson builds his political thriller around the constitutional amendment process itself, following wealthy conspirators, political operatives, and emerging candidates whose ambitions converge on control of state legislatures and Congress. That focus gives the novel an unsettling point of tension: the people threatening the system are not necessarily trying to operate outside it. They understand its machinery well enough to make it part of their plan.



A Story of Political Peril

Fiction

Date Published: 09-10-2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press


The Vote on Goodreads


༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻

A cautionary political tale that shines a light on the danger to our country when the wrong people have too much money and power. 
 

The Vote is a political thriller built around a conspiracy among powerful political actors, billionaires, and party operatives who seek to manipulate the constitutional amendment process in order to permanently reshape the structure of American government. The mechanics of American politics, particularly the Article V constitutional amendment process, is the framework that informs the central premise of the novel. The current political landscape of the country lends credibility to the story and gives the narrative an interesting and timely foundation. 

 

The manuscript opens with a series of interconnected storylines involving political figures, wealthy conspirators, and emerging state-level candidates. These threads gradually reveal a coordinated effort to gain control of state legislatures and Congress as part of a broader plan to fundamentally alter the country’s political system. The concept itself is ambitious and grounded in recognizable political realities.

 

༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻

The premise of The Vote depends on a part of American government that political fiction does not often place at center stage: the Article V constitutional amendment process. Swanson uses that framework to make legislative control itself consequential, connecting state-level campaigns and congressional power to a plan designed to alter the structure of government rather than simply determine who occupies an office. 

 

The conspiracy also brings together people whose wealth and influence do not make them natural allies. The excerpt’s confrontation between Rudolph Conover and Aldon Powers introduces a world where status, intimidation, access, and ego matter alongside political strategy. That combination gives the story two overlapping contests for power—one being played through American institutions and another among the people attempting to control them.

 

༺ read an EXCERPT ༻

Rudolph Conover fumed as the jet he’d sent to convey Aldon Powers to the Conover compound in Southern Illinois sat idling somewhere in Texas. No sign of Powers. No explanation. No apology. The plane should have left hours ago. 

 

For Conover, meetings such as today’s were a carefully choreographed dance, designed to shape an opponent’s mental disposition and ultimately their amenability to whatever it was he wanted from them. Everyone was an opponent in Conover’s world and everything was meant to intimidate, from the jet’s amenities to the obsessive focus on secrecy to the quirkiness of his compound. When dealing with men like Powers, it was his way of reminding them of his preeminence in the hierarchy of billionaires. On rare occasions when someone dared to play by their own rules, he did not take it well. Today was one of those occasions. 

 

Conover’s wife, Marcia, slipped into the war room where he sat. The meeting was scheduled to begin shortly. “Any communication from Powers?” he asked, irritated. 

 

She shook her head.

 

“How can he be so disrespectful?”

 

She put her hand on his shoulder, “You have every right to be upset. I’ll go see if there is any news.” 

 

Conover knew Powers was difficult and unpredictable but it was impossible not to respect him. A modern-day Edison, he was a daring visionary and the most technologically disruptive man in a century. His companies had mastered space, the Earth’s outer crust, and the ocean’s depths. The man had become so indispensable that some feared him as a veritable government unto himself, unfettered by borders and the normal rules of behavior. Everybody needed something from him that only he could give. Conover wanted to be a warlord. Powers wanted to be God.

 

༺ WHO WILL LOVE IT ༻

The Vote is a strong match for readers who prefer political thrillers that pay attention to how government actually functions. The emphasis on Article V, state legislatures, Congress, and coordinated political strategy gives the conspiracy a procedural dimension that should appeal to those interested in the machinery behind political power rather than campaign drama alone. 

 

It should also interest readers drawn to stories about billionaires whose influence rivals that of institutions. Conover and Powers are introduced through a contest of dominance before the larger scheme has fully unfolded, suggesting that the personalities behind the conspiracy may be every bit as volatile as the plan itself. Anyone who enjoys interconnected political storylines, competing power brokers, and threats that develop through calculated institutional maneuvering should find the premise especially intriguing.

 

༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻



David Swanson was raised on a dairy farm in central Michigan. He received a degree in political science from the University of Puget Sound and an advanced degree in foreign trade from the Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management. Between degrees, he served a stint in the United States Navy. 
 

In 1981, he founded Daavlin, a medical technology company that eventually grew into a prominent player in the field of dermatology. As part of his career, he stepped foot on every continent and dipped his toes in every ocean on earth. Reading, writing, traveling, acting, and directing live theater are his favored pastimes. 

 

He’s also a lifetime political junkie. As this book goes to press, Swanson is a candidate for the Ohio House of Representatives.

 

༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ༻


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༺ BUY THE BOOK ༻


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༺ LAST WORD ༻

 

The most provocative element of The Vote is not simply that powerful people want to reshape the country; it is the possibility that they might pursue that goal through the very procedures designed to govern constitutional change. Swanson pairs that institutional threat with characters accustomed to using wealth, intimidation, and influence as extensions of personal power, making the struggle as much about who controls the conspirators as what the conspiracy hopes to accomplish. 

 

With its focus on Article V and the strategic importance of state legislatures and Congress, this is political suspense built around more than an election-night outcome. The danger lies in understanding the rules, gathering enough leverage, and deciding what those rules can be made to do.

 



༺ JOIN THE CONVERSATION ༻

 

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Monday, August 17, 2026

LIterary Eco-Fiction Teaser: Crows Calling by Bruce McConnell

A ten-year-old girl, a council of animals beneath California redwoods, and a crow determined to make humanity listen give Crows Calling an unusual way into the climate conversation. Bruce McConnell places young Luz between the human and nonhuman worlds, where bears, coyotes, trees, chickens, and other “planimals” have their own memories, grievances, and ideas about what should happen next. By combining a coming-of-age story with a cross-species debate over environmental responsibility, the novel approaches ecological questions through characters who quite literally have different stakes in the future of the planet.


An Inspiring Journey into our Better Natures

Literary/Eco-Fiction

Date Published: 10-01-2025

Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press


Crows Calling on Goodreads

༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻

 

Earth’s animals are fed up with humanity’s mindless damage to our common home. Will a young girl and her family heed their call? 
 

Ten-year-old Luz sets out on an overnight camping trip, accompanied by her spiritual mentor. Peering through a canopy of California redwoods, Luz witnesses a council of animals confronting the menace of climate change. Led by a lustrous—and talkative—American Crow named Koro, the animals weigh their options. Some, like Koro, want to collaborate with humans. Others doubt humanity’s good intentions. The conversation compels young Luz, innately in tune with the natural world, to fight passionately in its defense. 

 

At once a work of fact-based activism and a moving coming-of-age, Crows Calling immerses the reader in a richly-drawn family and community who, despite their differences, decide to dedicate their lives to the care of Grandmother Earth. They are not alone. Rather, they are accompanied by a colorful cast of savvy planimals—bears, coyotes, trees, and even chickens—with long memories and ancient ways of healing. However, some damage cannot be undone. Natural disasters, public apathy, and greed threaten everything that Luz and her friends are working for. Can the cross-species alliance find unity and resolve the climate crisis?

 

༺ read an excerpt ༻

 

 
Chapter 1
 

Before we go any further, I really should introduce myself. I am Koro—a lustrous female American Crow. Surely, when strolling in woods or along an urban lane, you have admired my family’s elegant, iridescent plumage and thrilled to our melodious song. You know of our prodigious memory, of our cleverness spearing hapless grubs from sodden logs with a favored twig. 

 

The glint you see in my ebony eye is a tear shining for my grandmother—the earthly incarnation of generosity, whose bounteous lands and waters make room for every new arrival. Of late, however, one family—relative newcomers—has been pushing her limits, leaving their garbage everywhere and abusing the other guests. They run their noisy engines at all hours. Noxious smoke belches from their cooking fires. Every day, more and more of them come, crowding into other families’ spaces, destroying the homes of many of my friends. 

 

Recognizing our Crow persistence, Grandmother Earth called us to help her get those inconsiderate tenants to clean up their act. Peering into the chasm of the coming Meltdown, I am proud to be on precious Grandmother’s team. My cawcus is responsible for majestic Northern California. The land we cover is a patchwork sprawl of asphalt and forest, garlic and strawberries, oranges and avocados, cattle and sheep raised sustainably and otherwise, bears guttering in their occult tongue, sweet jasmine brandishing her shameless perfume, and sixteen million busy humans. 

 

Through wildfires, drought, floods, extreme heat, even earthquakes, Grandmother is pleading directly with humans. Some hear her message. Take Makah Andrews, professor of International Environmental Policy at Monterey University. Makah’s one of the good ones, trying to use the system to turn itself around. That’s the aim of “Team Grandmother”—a successful turnaround. 

 

What’s that I hear? Ah, please allow me to introduce my most trusted teammate, Ursula, a beautiful California Black Bear who lives around here. Ursula, tell the folks what we’ve been hearing from other nonhuman parts of the natural world, from other planimals, as we call ourselves. Our fellow creatures are getting nervous. Some are angry. That’s why we’re organizing a Congress. …

 

༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻

 

Crows Calling does more than give animals human voices; it gives them positions within an argument. Koro favors cooperation with humanity while other creatures are less convinced that people can—or will—change, creating disagreement inside the natural world rather than presenting it as a single harmonious chorus. Luz then becomes more than an observer. Her encounter with that council asks what a child who recognizes the urgency of environmental damage can do when the adults and institutions around her have their own competing priorities.

 

McConnell also builds his environmental themes into family and community life rather than confining them to an abstract crisis. The supplied description identifies natural disasters, public apathy, and greed as obstacles facing Luz and her allies, while the opening chapter immediately establishes Koro as a narrator with wit, frustration, memory, and a distinctly crow-centered view of human behavior. That combination of activism, coming-of-age, and nonhuman perspective gives the novel a structure designed to make ecological questions personal.

 

༺ WHO WILL LOVE IT ༻

 

This is a strong match for readers interested in eco-fiction that places environmental questions inside a character-driven story. The talking animals and trees may also appeal to those who enjoy fiction that crosses the boundary between the everyday and the allegorical, while Luz's role gives the larger ecological conflict a coming-of-age dimension. Readers intrigued by stories in which the natural world has agency—and is allowed to challenge human assumptions directly—will find plenty to consider in Koro's proposed alliance between species.

 

༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻

 

 

Bruce McConnell is an agile and accomplished shapeshifter, having flourished as a poet, roofer, artist-blacksmith, mechanical engineer, tenor, business consultant, national security official, non-profit executive, and peacemaker. A collection of his poems, Living from Here, was published by Anvil Press (US). He recently moved to Ashland Oregon to feel closer to his relatives in the natural world. Crows Calling is his first novel. He is working on a second novel set in Southern Oregon. 
 

A leading player on global peace and security issues at the intersection of governments, business and civil society for over thirty years, McConnell is the former President and CEO of the EastWest Institute. He serves on the board of The Stimson Center, in support of peace, security, justice, and prosperity for all living beings. 

 

From 2009 to 2013, McConnell served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, where he was Deputy Under Secretary for Cybersecurity. He was a member of the Obama-Biden Presidential Transition Team. From 2000-2008, he created, built and sold two consultancies that provided strategic advice to clients in the technology, business and government sectors. In 1999-2000, McConnell led the International Y2K Cooperation Center, which was sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank.

McConnell holds a Master of Public Administration from the Evans School for Public Policy at the University of Washington and a Bachelor of Sciences from Stanford University. He serves as a business advisor to various technology companies.

 

༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ༻

 

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༺ BUY THE BOOK ༻

 

Purchase Crows Calling

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༺ LAST WORD ༻

 

Koro's opening narration makes the premise of Crows Calling clear: humans are not the only ones entitled to an opinion about what happens to the planet. By allowing a crow, a bear, a child, and an expanding community of “planimals” to participate in the same environmental conversation, the novel shifts climate change away from statistics alone and toward questions of responsibility, cooperation, and who gets heard. Luz's challenge is not simply recognizing that something is wrong; it is deciding what to do after the natural world has asked her directly to become part of the solution.

 

 

༺ JOIN THE CONVERSATION ༻

 

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Monday, August 10, 2026

Historical Romance Teaser: The Duke's Runaway Omega by Autumn Montague

A forced handfasting, a friendship complicated by a fated-mate bond, and an escape that creates more danger than it solves give The Duke’s Runaway Omega a particularly tangled starting point. Autumn Montague sets that conflict against an alternate Regency society where alpha and omega dynamics shape inheritance, marriage, and personal freedom. Phillip’s decision to run is not simply an attempt to avoid an unwanted match; it becomes a struggle to determine how much of his future will be dictated by family expectations, biology, and the people pursuing him. With Everett searching London and another alpha closing in for reasons of his own, romance and suspense are already tightly intertwined before Phillip discovers the complication he believed was impossible.


The Duke’s Runaway Omega
Author: Autumn Montague
Series: Fated Mates #1
Genre: LGBTQ+ Historical Romance, MPreg, Mystery & Suspense
Date Published: August 14, 2026
Publisher: Changeling Press



༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻


Phillip’s on the run, with not just one but two alphas on his trail.

 

Raised as an alpha, Phillip’s unexpected manifestation as an omega turns his life upside down. His father demands a handfasting, insisting Phillip be mated to whichever alpha wins the day with their pheromones. But when the triumphant alpha turns out to be his school friend Everett, Phillip realizes they are fated mates. However, as a diminished omega, his chances of bearing Ev’s children are slim. Heartbroken, Phillip flees to London. 

 

Everett never expected to be Duke of Harriford. His title brings a slew of distasteful marriage and handfasting offers. The latest invitation for his old friend Phillip shocks Ev into accepting. Phillip is everything he remembers and more, and Ev soon finds himself responding to the potent scent of Phillip’s pheromones. When his mate runs, Ev questions whether their feelings are true, or merely the bond of alpha and omega. Despite his fears, he’s determined to find Phillip and bring him home. 

 

As Ev searches London, Phillip questions the wisdom of his choices. His plans have begun to unravel rather spectacularly. To start with, he’s pregnant, the one thing he thought he’d never be. Worse, there’s an alpha hunting him -- and it’s not Ev.


༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻


Phillip’s predicament gives the familiar Regency marriage market a striking Omegaverse complication: the question is not merely whom he will marry, but whether he will be allowed meaningful control over the bond at all. His apparently weak omega manifestation also matters to the plot in more than one direction, affecting his father’s treatment of him, his assumptions about having children, and ultimately the reason his flight to London becomes even more complicated. 

 

Everett adds a second uncertainty because being fated mates does not automatically answer the emotional question between them. He has to consider whether what he feels for Phillip belongs to their longstanding connection or to the alpha-omega bond itself. Add the unidentified alpha pursuing Phillip, and the book has a suspense thread running alongside the romance rather than leaving the central conflict entirely in the ballroom.


༺ WHO WILL LOVE IT ༻


This one is especially suited to readers who like Regency settings reshaped by speculative social rules rather than reproduced as conventional historical romance. The alpha/omega hierarchy directly affects inheritance, family authority, courtship, and Phillip’s ability to choose his own future, while the fated-mates element is treated as a complication that Everett himself questions rather than an instant solution. Readers who also want danger beyond the central relationship have the mystery of the second pursuing alpha to follow, and the MPreg storyline overturns one of Phillip’s most painful assumptions about himself.


༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻


Autumn grew up loving history, mythology, and all things Japanese, not necessarily in that order. This eclectic love affair has bled over into her writing, and her stories are always well spiced with the taste of Japan, strange mythological beasties, or the lords and ladies of the ton. Sometimes all three, leading to dark desires and forbidden loves. 

 

And after all, dangerous passions should lead to uninhibited love.


༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ༻


Author’s Website

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Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress


༺ BUY THE BOOK ༻


Pre-Order Today


༺ LAST WORD ༻


Phillip begins the story preparing to escape a ceremony designed to decide his future for him, but London does not offer the clean break he expects. His pregnancy, Everett’s pursuit, and the presence of another alpha turn that act of defiance into a much larger question about choice and attachment. What makes The Duke’s Runaway Omega especially intriguing is that the fated bond itself is not treated as sufficient proof of love; both Phillip and Everett have reasons to question what biology is telling them. That tension, paired with the threat following Phillip through London, gives the romance room for both emotional uncertainty and genuine danger.



༺ JOIN THE CONVERSATION ༻


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Friday, August 7, 2026

Crime Thriller Teaser: Turtle Lake by Robert Milne

A model railroad sits inside Jim Peters's cabin at Turtle Lake, complete with buildings, roads, bridges, cars, and trucks. It looks like a hobby. It is actually a model of a crime scene that has not happened yet. That detail establishes the peculiar machinery behind Bob Milne's Turtle Lake: a crime thriller in which careful observation, ordinary objects, and lessons drawn from predators in the natural world become part of an elaborate plan.

Peters is not plotting for money alone. As comptroller at Ramsey Motors, he has uncovered a scheme involving the company and its insurer, U.S. Underwriters, that threatens employees' retirement and insurance benefits before operations move overseas. His response is an extortion plot designed to expose the corruption and protect those employees—a plan ambitious enough to eventually make national headlines. With its September 7, 2026 publication approaching, today's teaser offers an early look at how that scheme begins to take shape.



Crime Thriller / Suspense

Date Published: September 7, 2026

Publisher: Mission Point Press




༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻

Turtle Lake is a gripping tale of revenge, survival, and the intricate interplay between human nature and the natural world. The story follows Jim Peters, the comptroller at Ramsey Motors, who uncovers a corrupt scheme by the company and its insurer, U.S. Underwriters, to defraud employees of their retirement and insurance benefits before moving operations overseas. Infuriated, he devises an elaborate extortion plan to expose their corruption and protect the employees through a spectacular plot that ends up achieving national headlines. To accomplish his plan, Peters uses simple, everyday methods and lessons learned from alpha predators in the natural world.


༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻

The premise of Turtle Lake turns corporate wrongdoing into a problem its protagonist intends to solve through strategy rather than conventional heroics. Jim Peters is a comptroller, and the materials supplied for the book emphasize that his plan depends on simple, everyday methods. The intriguing complication is where he finds part of his tactical inspiration: the behavior of alpha predators.

 

That relationship between human calculation and animal instinct gives the thriller its distinctive angle. The opening excerpt moves deliberately through carnivores, prey, birds, frogs, insects, and humans before revealing Peters studying a miniature representation of the crime scene he intends to create. Nature is not merely scenery surrounding Turtle Lake; observation of it appears woven into the way Peters understands behavior and prepares his scheme.

 

There is also an uncomfortable moral tension built into the premise. Peters is responding to a plan that would harm employees, yet his answer is extortion and a carefully engineered crime of his own. That collision between motive and method gives readers more to consider than whether his elaborate plan will succeed.



༺ read an EXCERPT ༻

Life is a dangerous place to be. The woods, skies, lakes, and oceans are filled with creatures bent on killing and eating each other. Nothing in nature dies of old age, as the adage goes.

 

Prey animals are taken down by predators. It’s as if prey animals are made to be food.

 

Carnivore predators possess razor-sharp canine-like teeth. Carnivores are the watchers from the shadows. All of them, such as lions, tigers, bobcats, and wolves, are wired the same way. They don’t eat lettuce for lunch. To a carnivore, you simply look like another rabbit in the grass.

 

There’s another carnivore that is often overlooked – humans. Humans have canine teeth. They are born wired with the same instincts as the alpha predators.

 

We’re taught to control it. Supposedly.

 

Birds will tell you when the sun is going to come up. At the faintest glimmer of dawn's early light, they begin to converse with each other, presumably to find out where the bugs are that day. Usually, we don't hear them in their earliness. Our day starts later. Usually.

 

Frogs and insects do the same during the pre-dawn moments, buzzing and croaking in the woods, fields, and swamps. Presumably they do this to find out where the predators are. It's been said that frogs might be telling each other where the rattlesnakes and blue herons are at any given time. We don't usually hear them croaking away in the early hours of the day. Usually.

 

Today, however, as the woods came to life with this early morning serenade, Jim Peters could hear them very clearly. It was August of 1990. He was in his cabin in mid-Michigan, situated on the edge of a quiet, deep-woods nature refuge known as Turtle Lake. Peters was lying in bed backwards, that is, with his feet at the head of the bed and his head at the foot of the bed, chin resting on his wrists as he looked at a model train set.

 

The train set, an ancient Lionel from the 1940s, included buildings, roads, bridges, cars, trucks, a shopping center, and a train running through it. The set looked ordinary enough to the casual passerby or rare visitor to the cabin. But in fact, it was window dressing, a model of the crime scene that was to come. The train had nothing to do with it.

 

In a short while, when the birds, frogs, and bugs had quieted down, Peters would push a button and Mozart's opera The Magic Flute would float from the speakers connected to his compact disc machine. Peters liked Mozart. The music was pure and uncluttered. It flowed from one section into another so smoothly that it was hard to tell a transition had taken place. The complexities of its composition flowed as smoothly as pouring oil.

 

As smoothly as the diabolical scam he was planning.



༺ WHO WILL LOVE IT ༻

Turtle Lake should interest crime and suspense readers who enjoy watching a complicated scheme develop piece by piece, particularly when the person orchestrating it occupies morally uncertain ground. Jim Peters's background as a comptroller also makes this a different sort of setup from a thriller driven by a detective, professional criminal, or action hero.

 

Readers fascinated by animal behavior and the parallels people draw between human conduct and the natural world have another reason to take notice. Peters treats predator behavior as useful information, while the excerpt establishes Turtle Lake's woods and wildlife as part of the story's thinking about instinct, danger, and survival. The 1990 Michigan setting, corporate corruption plot, and meticulously planned extortion scheme round out a combination suited to readers who prefer suspense built around observation and strategy.



༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻


Bob Milne has been hailed throughout his 60-year career as one of the best ragtime/boogie-woogie piano players of all time. A solo concert performer, he traveled all over the world playing for dignitaries and celebrities as well as small town audiences. He was given the title of National Treasure by the Library of Congress and deemed an Ambassador of Music by the U.S. Department of State.

 

Bob’s extraordinary musical abilities were the subject of numerous brain studies, which have inspired a popular RadioLab podcast.

 

Little did they know that Bob was also a talented writer.

 

For years he wrote articles about his saloon-playing days for music publications. Many of these stories were compiled into a book called The Journeyman Piano Player: Adventures in Gracious Dining. Bob has written reams of poetry, some of which became lyrics to songs that he composed. The longest piece of poetry he ever wrote was the lyric book for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, a grand opera he composed and orchestrated.

 

Mr. Milne has been fascinated by nature his entire life. At a young age he realized that instincts are present in all species of birds, mammals (including humans), and literally every living thing in nature. He has used this information countless times over his lifetime to predict what the human species will do in future situations.

 

Bob is now retired from the long piano tours and is enjoying his woodland home. Today he spends his time studying nature in the woods. Signed copies of his book may be purchased through his website.



༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ༻

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༺ BUY THE BOOK ༻

Turtle Lake

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༺ LAST WORD ༻

A comptroller studying a model railroad while the Michigan woods wake around him is an unexpectedly quiet starting point for a scheme destined for national attention. Yet that contrast appears central to Turtle Lake. Jim Peters is watching, arranging, and anticipating—behaviors that echo the author's recurring interest in how creatures, including humans, respond to their surroundings.

 

The larger question is what happens when Peters applies those observations to people who have power, money, and their own reasons to protect themselves. His goal may be to defend employees from a corrupt scheme, but the method he chooses puts him firmly inside dangerous territory. For suspense readers, that makes the approaching September release worth watching: the outcome depends not simply on executing a plan, but on whether Peters understands human predators as well as he thinks he does.




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Tuesday, July 28, 2026

Teaser Tuesday Spotlight: Uprising by J.E. Rizzo

Uprising places a young woman between the privileges of her birth and the people suffering under her father’s policies. Set against the unrest of England in 1381, J.E. Rizzo’s novel follows Blanche Fitzjohn as an arranged marriage, an approaching revolt, and heightened senses she cannot fully explain force her to decide where her loyalties belong.


Uprising

J.E. Rizzo

Book One of the Fitzjohn Duology

Genre: Historical Fiction with Speculative and Romantic Elements

Date Published: September 1, 2026

Publisher: Literary Wanderlust



༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻

 

England, 1381 AD: Blanche Fitzjohn is an outcast in her small coastal village. Not only is she the illegitimate daughter of John of Gaunt, the man responsible for her neighbors’ over-taxation, but she possesses strange abilities: hearing sound from miles away and smelling people’s emotions.

 

She takes solace in her studies with the local wisewoman and in her friendship with Geoff, a groom at the local manor. Until the day Henry of Lancaster, Blanche’s half-brother, brings her news of an arranged marriage to Sir Thomas Prescott, Constable of the Tower of London. Although she smells cruelty on him, Blanche agrees to marry Thomas in the hopes that her influence may help better the lives of Geoff and all England’s villeins.

 

But soon, the peasants’ discontent turns to revolt. Though her heart is of the people, Blanche’s nobility makes her an enemy to the rebels. To save herself and Henry from the executioner’s ax, Blanche must use every power at her disposal, even those she once considered a curse.


༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻

 

Blanche’s position gives the political conflict an unusually personal shape. She is connected by blood to John of Gaunt and Henry of Lancaster, yet her friendships, sympathies, and daily life bind her to the villeins burdened by noble rule. The coming revolt therefore threatens her from both directions: the ruling class can use her as a political asset, while the rebels may judge her by the family name she cannot escape.

 

Her heightened hearing and ability to detect emotions through scent add a speculative dimension without removing the story from its medieval setting. Those senses expose cruelty that others can conceal, but they also overwhelm Blanche and mark her as different. Combined with an arranged marriage to a man she already distrusts, they turn questions of consent, duty, and self-preservation into central parts of the historical struggle.


༺ WHO WILL LOVE IT ༻

 

Uprising is well matched to readers who enjoy historical fiction shaped by class conflict, contested loyalties, and women attempting to exercise agency within rigid social systems. The 1381 setting and Blanche’s connection to both the nobility and the villeins will particularly interest those drawn to stories that examine major political events through an intimate, character-centered perspective.

 

The novel should also appeal to readers comfortable with speculative abilities woven into a recognizable historical world. Blanche’s sensory gifts influence how she understands danger, attraction, and deception, while her relationship with Geoff introduces a romantic conflict divided by rank as sharply as the country itself.


༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻

J.E. Rizzo is a life-long history fanatic and writer of historical fiction, and her work can be found in Vanity Fair, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, The Tudor Times, Tudor Life Magazine, Scary Mommy, and Ultrarunning Magazine. Rizzo won Manuscript Academy’s Agent Choice Award in 2024, and her article Past and Precedence: Abortion Law in the Middle Ages and Its Use to Overturn Roe v. Wade won History Inquiry’s Medieval History Writing Challenge.

 

By day, Rizzo works in Human Resources—a field offering more than ample opportunity to observe the follies and fancies of humankind. Before her career in HR, Rizzo worked as an opera singer, a professional baker, and a dog walker. These days, when not writing she can be found running ultramarathons through the forests and mountains of New England, knitting, reading, sewing, baking, or performing any number of (what some might call) old-lady hobbies. She also keeps busing caring for her two children and forty-seven houseplants, making her husband carry heavy things and cook her gourmet meals, and rehabilitating her rescue dog and semi-feral ginger cat.


༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR ༻

Website

Facebook

Blog

Goodreads

Instagram

BlueSky


༺ BUY THE BOOK ༻

Preorder Today

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༺ LAST WORD ༻

 

Blanche’s greatest danger may not be choosing the wrong side, but discovering that neither side fully accepts her. Noble blood makes her suspect among the rebels, while illegitimacy and unusual abilities leave her vulnerable within the world of privilege. Her proposed marriage turns that divided identity into a binding political decision just as England’s social order begins to fracture.

 

The chapter excerpt sharpens that conflict by showing what duty would cost Blanche personally. Her closeness with Geoff, her desire for her father’s approval, and her awareness that consent is still hers to give pull her in incompatible directions. With the Peasants’ Revolt approaching and the first half of the Fitzjohn Duology opening on September 1, Uprising promises a story in which private choices carry consequences far beyond one household.



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Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Motorcycle Club Romance Teaser: Rogue by Harley Wylde

Harley Wylde returns to the Reckless Kings MC series with Rogue, an upcoming motorcycle club romance that pairs danger, devotion, and a heroine determined to take control of her own future. Centered on a runaway bride and the biker who refuses to let her face her enemies alone, this latest installment promises the blend of suspense, emotional depth, and protective romance that has become a hallmark of the series. If MC romance is your favorite escape, this is a release you'll want to keep on your radar.

 


(Reckless Kings MC 10)


MC Romance

Date Published: July 24, 2026

Publisher: Changeling Press




༺ ABOUT THE BOOK ༻


She ran from a monster. I became her shield -- and everyone else’s nightmare.
 

Lennox -- I was supposed to marry a man chosen by my family. Smile for the cameras. Say the vows. Do what I was told. The wedding wasn’t about love. It was a business deal, and I was the price being paid. 

 

So I ran. Terrified. Still wearing my wedding dress. I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have anywhere to go. Then a biker named Rogue stopped beside the road and changed everything. 

 

Rogue -- I’ve spent years handling problems for the Reckless Kings MC. Quietly. Permanently. Picking up a runaway bride wasn’t part of the plan. Neither was getting married. One look at the bruises she tried to hide and the fear she couldn’t quite mask, and I knew one thing for certain. She wasn’t going back. 

 

Now her wealthy family, powerful ex-fiancé, and anyone else stupid enough to come after her will have to deal with me first. The longer Lennox stays under my protection, the harder it becomes to remember this started as a way to keep her safe. She deserves freedom, a future, and the chance to choose her own path. What she doesn’t realize is that I’ve already made my choice. She’s mine. And nobody is taking her away.

 

༺ WHY READ THIS BOOK ༻

 

Freedom, trust, and second chances drive the emotional heart of Rogue. Harley Wylde pairs the gritty world of the Reckless Kings MC with a romance that grows out of protection, loyalty, and the determination to leave the past behind. As danger closes in on Lennox, Rogue's unwavering commitment to keeping her safe raises the stakes and deepens their connection, making this a fast-paced story filled with suspense, chemistry, and plenty of emotional payoff. 

 

༺ WHO WILL LOVE THIS? ༻

 

༺ ABOUT THE AUTHOR ༻

Harley Wylde is an accomplished author known for her captivating MC Romances. With an unwavering commitment to sensual storytelling, Wylde immerses her readers in an exciting world of fierce men and irresistible women. Her works exude passion, danger, and gritty realism, while still managing to end on a satisfying note each time. 

 

When not crafting her tales, Wylde spends her time brainstorming new plotlines, indulging in a hot cup of Starbucks, or delving into a good book. She has a particular affinity for supernatural horror literature and movies. Visit Wylde's website to learn more about her works and upcoming events, and don't forget to sign up for her newsletter to receive exclusive discounts and other exciting perks. 

 

༺ CONNECT WITH THE AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER ༻

 

Author on Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok: @harleywylde

 

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress

 

༺ PREORDER THE BOOK ༻

 

Amazon


༺ THE LAST WORD ༻

 

Harley Wylde continues to deliver the blend of action, emotion, and sizzling romance that MC romance readers love. With compelling characters, dangerous enemies, and a hero willing to risk everything for the woman under his protection, Rogue promises an exciting journey from the very first page. Be sure to check out the excerpt, learn more about the book, and add this upcoming release to your reading list.

 

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Thursday, July 16, 2026

Paranormal Romance Teaser: So Passes the Night by Cassidy McKay

Today, we have a paranormal romance novel to share. Learn about So Passes the Night and author Cassidy McKay! 



Paranormal Sea Adventure Romance

Date Published: July 17, 2026


 

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about the book


One wild night, two sexy seamen and a voluptuous woman -- three broken souls seeking completion.

First Mate Cade Talbot disobeyed a direct order, sacrificing himself to save his best friend. Since then, Captain Grant Rowen rules his ship with an iron fist, demanding strict compliance from all aboard.

 

Coffers are low, and when a lone woman requests passage to St. Thomas, Captain Rowen accepts her payment. But the stormy sea crossing holds more than just nature's surprises. 

 

Aurora Journade reveals that she not only speaks to spirits, she makes love to them --and she doesn't follow orders. With Aurora's help, Cade has one last chance to reach out to his captain. Not even death can keep them from seeking passion's redemption. 

 

pre-order the book
 

  

about the author

Cassidy lives in the beautiful state of Washington and is surrounded by mysterious rain forests, tempestuous oceans and enough gorgeous scenery to inspire stories for at least another two hundred years.

 

She's been reading romances since she was thirteen, and writing them since she was fifteen. However, the serious writing bug didn't bite until much later in life, inspired by her talented husband (who is also a writer!).

 

connect with the publisher

Publisher on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok: @changelingpress



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