Posted in Freebies and Special Offers, Sea Scope

SEA SCOPE, A Great Psychological Mystery, on Sale September 30 to October 4

My standalone psychological mystery, Sea Scope, is 99 cents through October 4. Featuring a lighthouse and a twenty-year-old mystery, it makes a great read.

This 5-star rated book has been awarded a silver medal by Readers Favorite, a Best Cover Award by Top Shelf Magazine, and is a Recommended Read of the Indies Helping Indies Review Project.

mybook.to/SeaScope

Sarah Collins needs an escape. Mourning her brother’s death and the impending breakup of her marriage, she returns to her childhood home in South Carolina, where her family operated an inn.

Sarah hasn’t been back to Sea Scope for twenty years; not since she and her brother Glen discovered a body by the nearby lighthouse. She never understood why her parents left Sea Scope so suddenly, or the reasons behind her father’s suicide.

After Sarah returns to the inn, she faces long-buried memories, text messages and strange clues. Something is not right in Sea Scope. Reunited with people from her past, she tries to figure out what’s going on in her childhood home.

When past and present collide, Sarah must face truths about her family, and what happened that summer day by the lighthouse. But will she survive to tell the tale?

Posted in Freebies and Special Offers

My Medical Mystery, MEMORY MAKERS, is on Sale Through September 27

mybook.to/memorymakers

Twenty-five years ago, Lauren Phelps and her sister Patty were kidnapped from their backyard on Long Island. Lauren escaped her captor, but Patty was killed.

Ever since, Lauren has suffered from nightmares of the “Shadow Man.” Trying to recall his face and avenge her sister’s murder, Lauren, now a kidnapping investigator, enrolls in a clinical trial for a new memory drug.

At the offices of Memory Makers in California, she receives the injections of the Memory Makers’ serum, and begins to experience flashbacks of repressed memories. Along with the flashbacks, she receives threats from an anonymous source that point back to her childhood trauma.

Soon, Lauren becomes involved with a fellow trial participant who seeks to recall his own traumatic past. But can Lauren discover the identity of the “Shadow Man” before history repeats itself?

What reviewers are saying:

*****I was enthralled with the way the story unfolded and the past was finally revealed along with the identity of the killer. But who will walk away from the final showdown? I’ll leave you to read that for yourselves, all I’ll say is that it’s a great read from start to finish, and gets 5 stars from me.

*****This book is one I found very difficult to put down. It just kind of enveloped me and then sucked me into the world of Lauren, her family and friends and subsequently her enemies. I found myself totally mesmerized by the crime commited against her and her sister as a child and the way this horrible act had affected so many different peoples lives. 

*****I particularly liked that the idea of aiding dementia victims was the final goal. Loved the characters.

Posted in pets

Celebrating Rescue Pets on Remember Me Thursday

Remember Me Thursday falls on September 23. This is the day we honor rescue pets and encourage pet adoption. Two years ago, I posted the adoption story of my cats, Harry and Hermione, from the Golden Paw Society Rescue. You can read it here. This year, I recommend Second-Chance Cats: True Stories of the Cats We Rescue and the Cats Who Rescue Us. Harry and Hermione’s story was published in this book along with that of other rescue cats. I also recently published Meows and Purrs: A Collection of Cat Poems, This book features photos and stories about all the cats I’ve had. One special poem, “Two Cats are Better Than One,” explains why adopting more than one pet is best.

Two Cats are Better Than One

Double the trouble,
double the fun.
Two cats are better than one.

When you look to adopt a kitten,
ask for a sibling or two.
It’s the best thing you can do.

You’ll never regret taking another.
They’ll grow up as friends and play together.

Don’t worry about the litter pans.
They’ll share one box of sand.

No cat food will go to waste.
Just pick up a case.

Make room on your bed and under the covers.
You’ll never be lonely with one or the other.

Double the charm,
double the love.
Two cats are better than one.

If you open your heart to two fur babies,
You’ll know it’s the best things you’ve done
because two cats are better than one.

To learn more about all my cats, told from their own points-of-view about their rescues, life with our family, and stories they’ve even “pawed” themselves, along with lots of photos, check out my book, Pet Posts: The Cat Chats. 

There are many ways to get involved this special day.

1. Post on social media using #SeeTheLight and #RememberMeThursday.

On September 23, let’s make sure everyone who opens their social media accounts sees a message about pet adoption! Encourage your fans to post by sharing your personal rescue story or one of our ready-made graphics. Here are a few to get you started! Check out our Blogger Resource page for more shareables, blogger badges, customizable photo frames and more.

2. Enter the #RememberMeThursday Contest.

You and your fans can win big for a favorite pet adoption organization by entering the #RememberMeThursday Contest! There are two ways to enter:

  • Submit your pet’s photo and story to our contest page.
  • Post a picture of your pet on social media using the hashtags #RememberMeThursday and #SeeTheLight.

Harry and Hermione’s story was entered in the contest. You can find it by going to the contest page, clicking “vote,” and scrolling through the pet photos until you find the one featuring them. https://remembermethursday.org/contest/

3. Join the Remember Me Thursday Virtual Global Candle Lighting Ceremony.

This event will unite animal rescue advocates from all over the world.
DATE: Thursday, September 23, 2020
TIME: 9 a.m. Pacific Time
WHERE: Virtually on Zoom

To participate, sign up here: https://remembermethursday.org/remember-me-thursday-events/

Posted in Freebies and Special Offers

My Time-Travel Novel, TIME’S RELATIVE, is on Sale Through September 21

http://mybook.to/timesrelative

It’s the fall of 1998, and librarian Samantha Stewart is looking for a new job. After seeing an ad for a high-paying position at a company called Virtual Software that entails research and travel, Sam investigates the company and learns that its president has gone missing, and that it’s currently being run by the vice-president Greg Parsons.

Before Sam makes it to the interview, she’s visited by a strange woman who introduces herself as Jane Oldsfield: a time traveler whose mission Greg Parsons is trying to prevent.

Sam ignores the woman and goes on the job interview anyway. Soon, she finds herself involved not only with Greg Parsons, but also Philip Montmart, a chain-smoking detective with a vendetta for his wife’s killer, and the time-traveling Oldsfield and her feline accomplice.

Witnessing world events that have yet to happen in her lifetime, including 9/11, Hurricane Sandy, Y2K hysteria and the COVID pandemic, can Samantha figure out Oldsfield’s plans?

Read what reviewers are saying:

*****Prepare yourself for a thrilling roller coaster ride of a story that will make you hold your breath as you flip the pages as fast as you can read them. Loved it!!

*****I loved the characters in this book.

Posted in Reviews

Review: The Lighthouse Witches by C. J. Cook

***** 5-stars

In 1998, Liv, a single mother of three daughters, takes on a project involving the painting of a mural in a lighthouse on an island in Scotland called Lon Haven. She soon learns of a local legend involving the killing of women accused of witchcraft and the wildlings that were rumored to take over the bodies of missing children and destroy their families.

Although Liv doesn’t initially believe these crazy stories, she begins to wonder about them when two of her daughters disappear, and one returns bearing the branded numbers that are said to differentiate a wildling from the real child. The story changes perspective from Liv to her daughter, Luna, twenty years later. Luna, now grown, is still searching for her sisters. When she is contacted with the news that her younger sister, Clover, has been found after all this time and is at a hospital, she rushes there expecting to see a woman close to her own age. Instead, she finds a young girl who seems to be Clover but hasn’t aged. How can this be? The book answers this question as it goes back and forth in time.

I found the explanation an interesting twist. My only criticism of this absorbing book was that it sometimes was difficult to keep the characters and time periods clear. Other than that, I found the writing compelling with realistic characters. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys supernatural novels that take place in different time periods.

This review was from the NetGalley ARC. The book will be released on October 5, 2021.