Tag Archives: Canadian authors

99-cent Ebook preorder!

99-cent Ebook preorder! And not for the book you were expecting!

I don’t do 99-cent preorders anymore.

So why am I doing one for this book?

And what book is it, if it’s not the next Green Dory Inn mystery?

Announcing the Expanded Anniversary Edition of Heaven’s Prey,
now with 6 new chapters + prologue.

Expanded Anniversary Edition of Heaven's Prey preorder sale: ebook 99 cents. Ends Nov. 1/23.

So, why 99 cents? I hope many of my followers have read the earlier version. Why should I ask you to pay full price for a story when you know how it turns out?

For that matter, why suggest you buy it at all? 

How about those 6 extra chapters I mentioned? Plus the prologue.

If you’ve been with me awhile, you may have noticed my books combine mystery/suspense with a strong serving of Christian women’s fiction. It took time for me to discern the pattern, and by then Heaven’s Prey was already out there in the world. It’s not completely lacking in that aspect, but I had cut out the first part of Ruth’s story before submitting it to the publisher.

Last year, I reread the book. Reached the end, and started asking, “What about this part? Or this one? I didn’t see them anywhere.” And I realized they deepen who Ruth is. And they match my pattern of blending the mystery/suspense with Christian women’s fiction.

They also give readers the opportunity to walk with a Christian who’s grieving. Who’s angry. Whose faith shakes but ultimately stands. 

You know what? That’s me some days. And I suspect it’s you too. So let’s start the story with “everyday” Ruth. Before she becomes the prayer warrior God sends like Ezekiel to call a wicked man to repentance. 

May we never encounter a person with this depth of evil. And yet, may we trust our God and rely on His faithfulness to carry us through whatever paths He brings us into.

If Heaven’s Prey is new to you, be aware the subject matter is darker and more intense than my later books and comes with a content warning. The villain is a serial rapist-murderer. Not a nice man. But he’s a soul in need of salvation.

Not for you? I get it. I couldn’t read something like this if I hadn’t written it (because I know what does and doesn’t happen). Even so, it took a long time to write because I’d tiptoe through scenes and have to go back and deepen them. 

If you can, please pick up a copy and consider leaving a review to raise visibility. If you can’t, please share with any friends who read darker fiction.

The print book will release later in November, but the ebook 99-cent preorder sale ends November 1. The buy links are collected here: books2read.com/heavens-prey-special.

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99-cent Ebook Sale (Ends Aug. 27/23)

If you were waiting for a sale to get your copy of Bitter Truth, now’s the time. The ebook is 99 cents until end of day Sunday, August 27 on Apple, Google Play Books, Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Smashwords, and probably a few more. To make it easy for you, here’s a link that will let you choose your preferred store and country: books2read.com/bitter-truth.

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Review: A Cast of Falcons, by Steve Burrows

Cover art: A Cast of Falcons, by Steve Burrows

A Cast of Falcons, by Steve Burrows (Dundurn, 2016)

Detective Chief Inspector Domenic Jejeune is a Canadian serving on the local police force in Norfolk, England.

By this point in the series (book 3) his colleagues are beginning to trust that however erratic his methods, he’ll solve the crime. Except this time he seems distracted by an unconnected death that’s not even local.

This time the mystery centres around rival research groups and a controversial plan to mitigate global warming. The murder victim had switched sides and is found on the property of his former employer. With the company owned by wealthy internationals, Jejeune’s superintendent insists he not turn the investigation into a political crisis.

As the story plays out, it’s interesting to watch the developing relationships between the characters. And as always, readers will find richly detailed natural settings and sightings of birds both rare and common.

There are some continuing threads from previous books, but a person could begin here and not be lost.

A Cast of Falcons is book 3 in the Birder Murder Mystery series, which is at least 7 books long. Book 1 is A Seige of Bitterns. For more about the book and about Canadian author Steve Burrows, visit steveburrows.org.

[Review copy from the public library.]

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Short-listed for an Award!

Text: Short-listed for The Word Awards! Cover art: Bitter Truth
More text: descriptors of the book, including "mystery-suspense meets Christian women's fiction"
Available on all digital platforms and in print on Amazon. Click for buy links.

Short-listed in The Word Awards 2023. Finalist in the Angel Book Awards 2022.

Attempted murder. A hostile rescuer. And an amateur sleuth’s vow to catch the attacker before he strikes again.

Against all odds, Landon Smith and her ordinary-hero neighbour Bobby Hawke survived a murderous plot six weeks ago. Now, she’s determined to leave solving mysteries to the experts—like handsome local police officer Dylan Tremblay.

But when her friend Ciara is nearly killed in a daring daylight attack, Landon can’t sit this out. Not when she knows the anger of being a victim.

Her faith tells her to leave room for God’s vengeance. Her heart says to retaliate.

The fight to expose Ciara’s enemy will uncover secrets and betrayal that could cost Landon her life.

Discussion questions included. If you like clean mystery/suspense and Christian women’s fiction, read Bitter Truth today! Buy link: books2read.com/bitter-truth.

Ebook Discount

Happy Read an Ebook Week!

Click the image to find my books at 75% off in this sale.

To help you choose a book to read this week, you can find my entire collection at a promotional price at Smashwords from March 5-11. [I goofed and set a deeper promotion than I intended, so the most you’ll pay for any of my books is $1.50 USD and two of my titles are free this week, only at the Smashwords site.]

This is a coupon-based sale, with the price reduction appearing at checkout. For any questions about how to load your purchases (or freebies!) onto your reading device of choice, visit Smashwords FAQ and select your details under the “Getting Started” section.

Find my books on my Smashwords page (or click the image above) or check out the full catalogue.

Included in the Angel Book Awards!

I’m excited to share that my newest release, Bitter Truth, received second place in the Angel Book Awards (mystery/suspense category)!

Congratulations to first-place Carrie Stuart Parks with Woman in Shadow and third-place Mary Dodge Allen with Hunt for a Hometown Killer. I feel like my characters are in good company!

You can see the full list of winners at the Faith & Fellowship Book Festival page on Facebook. Here’s the link to the announcement post.

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Interviewed at Fiction Finder!

I missed sharing this interview back in May. Pop by and have a read. Fellow Canadian writer Pearl Fredericksen asked some fun questions, including “If I were not an author, I would be __).”

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Fiction and Fencing Lessons

The Canadian magazine Faith Today did a quick Q&A with me recently, just three questions about my mystery/suspense fiction and about those fencing lessons I mention on my “about” page. Pop over for a 2-minute read!

Here’s the interview link: Faith Today Q&A. If you click the link at the start of this post it’ll take you to the magazine homepage… where Canadians can subscribe for free!

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Review: Boughs of Folly, by Sandra Orchard

Boughs of Folly, by Sandra Orchard (Annie’s Fiction, 2022)

Cover art for Boughs of Folly. Christmas tree, gingerbread village, cat.

After 20 years away from her Georgia hometown, Jillian Green is back: living with her grandmother and great aunt in an antebellum mansion and slowly improving her baking skills at her grandmother’s Chocolate Shoppe bakery.

Christmas is approaching and she’s excited to decorate the mansion for the upcoming Merry Mansions tour. When one of the decorating team is found dead on the grounds, Jillian’s great aunt cries murder. Since the elderly woman is convinced her dead husband communicates with her through her cat, nobody takes the claim seriously—until handsome coroner Hunter Greyson agrees.

Jillian’s curiosity draws her into the murder investigation and also into a stranger’s quest to locate his long-lost high school sweetheart. As clues and complications multiply, she discovers the two mysteries may have a common thread.

Boughs of Folly is a feel-good Christmas cozy mystery that fits into a collection of books set in the same town, which means it comes with a well-established set of characters. This is a bonus for fans of the other books who get to see their fictional friends again. Not having read the other books didn’t affect me in terms of understanding the story although I did feel like there were a lot of people to keep track of.

Most fun thing about the book: the mansion’s decorations include an outdoor manger scene with lifelike sheep that Jillian remembers her grandfather regularly moving around so people would think they were real. Another good thing would be all the bakery goods references.

The mystery is satisfyingly tangled but it all comes out in the end. In traditional cozy fashion, readers will find a clean story with appealing characters and setting, a bit of humour, food, friendship, hints of romance, and a quirky pet.

Boughs of Folly is part of a three-book set called Jingle Bell Mysteries (with Klaus for Suspicion and Deck the Hearse) from Annie’s Fiction. Annie’s is a subscription book club delivering members a new read every 4-6 weeks. The Jingle Bell Mysteries set is available for purchase through Annie’s site without taking a subscription, so it’s a great way to check out the types of books they offer. For more about the book bundle or to order, click here: Jingle Bell Mysteries.

Believe it or not, this is Sandra Orchard’s 25th book. For more about the author and her mystery and romantic suspense books, visit sandraorchard.com.

[Review copy provided by the author. I wasn’t required to write a review, and my opinions are my own.]

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99-cent Ebook Sale: Unknown Enemy

Come to the Green Dory Inn for the mysteries, stay for the characters.

Book 1, Unknown Enemy, is 99 cents for Kindle, Kobo, Nook, Apple, and Google Play until July 5. Great time to discover a new-to-you Christian fiction series set in beautiful Nova Scotia!

Buy your copy here: https://www.books2read.com/unknownenemy

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