The Physician’s Daughter
by Martha Conway

Publication Date: September 1, 2022
Zaffre

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

From the author of The Underground River comes this compelling new novel of female perseverance. Set in the aftermath of the Civil War, The Physician’s Daughter is the story of two people trying to make their way in a world that is struggling to escape its past.

It is 1865, the American Civil War has just ended, and 18-year old Vita Tenney is determined to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a country doctor like her father. But when her father tells her she must get married instead, Vita explores every means of escape – and finds one in the person of war veteran Jacob Culhane.

Damaged by what he’s seen in battle and with all his family gone, Jacob is seeking investors for a fledgling business. Then he meets Vita – and together they hatch a plan that should satisfy both their desires. Months later, Vita seemingly has everything she ever wanted. But alone in a big city and haunted by the mistakes of her past, she wonders if the life she always thought she wanted was too good to be true. When love starts to compete with ambition, what will come out on top?

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Praise

“In the proud tradition of female characters from Jo March to Meredith Grey, Vita Tenney takes her place as a determined woman unwilling to let society or her family control her destiny. I was captivated by The Physician’s Daughter. The novel stays with you.”
–Tony Phelan, executive producer of Grey’s Anatomy and Council of Dads

“Vividly realised, and impeccably researched, with a determined female lead”
–Kayte Nunn, author ofThe Botanist’s Daughter

“A riveting read set during the American civil war about a pioneering young woman dead-set on becoming a doctor.”
–Inga Vesper, author of The Long, Long Afternoon

About the Author

Martha Conway is the author of several novels including The Underground River, which was a New York Times Book Editor’s Choice (titled The Floating Theatre in the U.K. and Europe). Her novel Thieving Forest won the North American Book Award for Best Historical Fiction.

Martha’s short fiction has appeared in the Iowa Review, Mississippi Review, The Quarterly, Carolina Quarterly, and other publications. She has reviewed fiction for the San Francisco Chronicle and the Iowa Review, and is a recipient of a California Arts Council fellowship in Creative Writing. In addition to writing, Martha is an instructor of creative writing at Stanford University’s Continuing Studies Program. She received her BA from Vassar College in History and English, and her MA in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. Born and raised in Ohio, she now lives in San Francisco with her family, where the fog reminds her of lake-effect cloud cover in Cleveland.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 26
Review at Gwendalyn’s Books

Tuesday, September 27
Review at Amy’s Booket List

Wednesday, September 28
Review at Bookworlder

Friday, September 30
Review at Reading the Past

Monday, October 3
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks

Tuesday, October 4
Review at Novels Alive
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, October 5
Review at The Page Ladies

Friday, October 7
Review at Cover Lover Book Reviews

Sunday, October 9
Review at Older & Smarter

Monday, October 10
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Tuesday, October 11
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective

Friday, October 14
Review at Coffee and Ink
Excerpt at A Darn Good Read
Review at Reading Is My SuperPower

The Unlikely Spy
by Sophie Schiller

Publication Date: September 2022

 

 

Casablanca meets Notorious in a Hitchcock-style thriller of espionage, romance, adventure, and intrigue.

1917. Emma Christensen is a young widow who returns to the Danish West Indies to reclaim the life and the villa she left behind. When she discovers her husband has disinherited her in favor of his young heir—an illegitimate son—she turns to the one thing she knows, gambling, and soon finds herself deeply in debt.

Emma is approached by Cornelius Smith, a representative of an American shipping line, who offers an alternative: infiltrate the suspicious Hamburg-American Line and spy on its nefarious leader, Julius Luckner, to gain valuable business intelligence for his firm.

It doesn’t take long for Emma to realize that both Smith and Luckner are not as they seem. Close to the Allies but even closer to the enemy, Emma bravely engages in missions that could blow her cover at any moment. But with the Panama Canal at stake, how far will she go to help the Allies?

A gripping and suspenseful World War I spy thriller from an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer.

Pre-Order on Amazon

About the Author

Sophie Schiller is an author of historical fiction and spy thrillers. She loves stories that carry the reader back in time to exotic and far-flung locations. Kirkus Reviews has called her “an accomplished thriller and historical adventure writer.” Publishers Weekly called her novel, ISLAND ON FIRE, “a memorable romantic thriller”, her novel RACE TO TIBET, “a thrilling yarn,” and her TRANSFER DAY, “a page-turner with emotional resonance.” Kirkus Reviews called her latest novel, THE LOST DIARY OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON, “an engaging coming-of-age story of heartbreak, bravery, honor, and triumph.” Her latest novel is THE UNLIKELY SPY, a historical spy thriller set during WWI. She graduated from American University, Washington, DC and lives in Brooklyn, NY.

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 26
Review at Bibliotica

Tuesday, September 27
Review at Dive Into a Good Book

Thursday, September 29
Review at The Page Ladies

Friday, September 30
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, October 4
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Thursday, October 6
Review at Bookworlder

Sunday, October 9
Review & Guest Post at Older & Smarter

Monday, October 10
Review at Coffee & Ink
Excerpt at A Darn Good Read
Review & Excerpt at A Baker’s Perspective

Wednesday, October 12
Review at Novels Alive

Have you Eaten Rice Today?
by Apple Gidley

Publication Date: September 6, 2022
Vine Leaves Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

The Emergency rumbles through the jungle, the kampongs, and towns as the communist uprising in 1950’s Malaya adds poignancy to the salutation, ‘have you eaten rice today?’ when hunger drives some terrorists to surrender.

Simon Frampton returns to Malaya as a rubber planter after failing to settle into civilian life in England after the War. His knowledge of the jungle is again put to use when a war-time covert force is reformed and renamed, Ferret Force, made up of Malays, Chinese and Europeans.

Dee Cunningham, an Australian nurse longing to escape the confines of Townsville, Queensland, joins the British Red Cross to help set up and run rural clinics in Malaya.

The violence of guerrilla warfare becomes the backdrop to their love story, but miscommunication leads to sadness. It is not until sixty years later, when Simon’s grandson Max comes to stay at his Dorset farm, when he finds a box filled with envelopes with Australian stamps, and the truth comes to light.

Have You Eaten Rice Today? is a poignant exploration of Malaya’s violent history, merdeka, and how love is found in unexpected places.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound | Kobo

Praise

“Moving between England, Australia and Malaysia, between the past and the present, between the old and the young, this is both a cracking story with compelling settings, and an absorbing and moving testimony to the complementary powers of romantic and familial love. It explores the meaning of a happy ending, and stresses the importance of seizing second chances, however late in the day they are presented to us, and however temporary the joy they bring.” Rosie Milne, Circumstance; Truth and Lies in the Malayan Jungle

“I found this book difficult to put down. Excellently written with memorable characters faced with the dangers of guerrilla warfare, interlaced with a once in a lifetime romance… in the hands of this master storyteller all the threads of the story come together in a wonderful climax…. at times Gidley’s writing reminded me of Pearl S. Buck and Nevil Shute.” Sally Cronin, Life is Like a Mosaic

“An absorbing story set in 1950s Malaya during the Emergency uprising. The backdrop and historical period are brilliantly evoked, from the dangers of jungle warfare to the bustle and glamour of Penang. At its heart is a poignant love story – the second half of the book follows up in more modern times – with strong, engaging characters about whom you come to really care. Based loosely on the author’s own parents, this is an emotional and satisfying read.” Janet MacLeod Trotter, The Raj Hotel Series

“A gripping read that reminded me of the haunting sadness of classics such as A Town Like Alice and Brief Encounter, while becoming thoroughly absorbed in the authentic descriptions of post-war Malaya, rural Queensland, and sleepy Dorset, which the author describes with a pen dipped in affectionate familiarity.” David Field, The Tudor Saga Series

“Gidley’s vivid writing pulls you into the past and into the steamy, predator-ridden jungles of wartime Penang with adept story-telling that flows between 1948 and present day. The author creates a wraparound sensory experience for not only historical fiction buffs, but anyone drawn to intense, character-driven, drama-filled suspense.” Anne O’Connell, Deep Deceit

About the Author

A transient life has seen Anglo-Australian Apple Gidley live in countries as diverse as Trinidad and Thailand, Nigeria and the Netherlands, and another eight in between. St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands is home, for now. Her roles have been varied-editor, intercultural trainer for multinational corporations, British Honorary Consul to Equatorial Guinea, amongst others. Gidley started writing in 2010 and is now working on a contemporary novel whilst researching for two more historical fiction books. She has short stories in anthologies, and also writes a regular blog, A Broad View.

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The Myrtle Wand
by Margaret Porter

Publication Date: October 11, 2022
Gallica Press

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

The Myrtle Wand, a retelling and a continuation of the classic ballet Giselle, restores original story elements to transform a tale of blighted romances and betrayals into a quest for redemption and restorative love.

Princess Bathilde de Sevreau, her school friend Myrte, and the peasant girl Giselle have heard the legend of the vilis, ghostly maidens who rise from their graves by night to roam the forest, seeking revenge on faithless lovers. Each will fear being ensnared by that spectral sisterhood…

Bathilde, destined for a marriage of convenience with Albin, Duc de Rozel, leaves her ancestral château for the Sun King’s sophisticated and scandalous court. As participants in royal ceremonies and entertainments, the princess and the soldier gradually recognize their deep feelings for each other, as well as mutual hopes for a happy and satisfying union. But the tragic consequences of Albin’s brief masquerade as a commoner and the amorous Louis XIV’s quest for a mistress divide the betrothed couple. Together and separately, they must overcome conflicting duties and unexpected dangers to determine their fate.

Praise

“An absorbing and touching tale . . . a fully realized, moving portrait of the storied court of Louis XIV.” ~ Kirkus Reviews

“Lushly atmospheric . . .rich with historical detail. Porter imagines the story behind the iconic Giselle, transporting us to France during the early reign of the Sun King.” ~ Leslie Carroll, author of Royal Romances

About the Author

MARGARET PORTER is award-winning, bestselling author of The Myrtle Wand (October 2022), The Limits of Limelight (September 2021), Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr, and twelve other historical novels. After studying British history in the U.K., she worked professionally in theatre, film, and television. A historian and avid traveler, Margaret returns to Great Britain and Europe for research. She lives in New England with husband and dog, dividing her time between an architecturally unique book-filled house in a small city and a waterfront cottage on one of the region’s largest lakes.

More information is available on her website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, October 11
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Michelle the PA Loves to Read

Wednesday, October 12
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks

Thursday, October 13
Review at A Potpourri of Opinions

Friday, October 14
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Saturday, October 15
Review at 100 Pages a Day

Sunday, October 16
Excerpt at Reading Is My Remedy

Monday, October 17
Review at Jorie Loves A Story
Review at History from a Woman’s Perspective

Tuesday, October 18
Review at Little But Fierce Book Diary

Our Daughters’ Last Hope
by Elaine Stock

Publication Date: September 19, 2022
Amsterdam Publishers

Genre: Historical Fiction/WWII
Series: Resilient Women of WWII, Book 2

 

 

A mesmerizing story, set during one of the world’s most harrowing carnages, of two mothers as they cross enemy lines for the sake of their daughters’ futures.

Amsterdam, the Netherlands 1940 Herta, and her family, Jewish refugees, are living contentedly until the Nazi invasion, which echoes the persecution and fear they experienced before fleeing Germany. Across town, another wife and mother, Julia, also faces upheaval when her husband becomes more involved in the Nazis’ effort in controlling the world.

When their husbands go missing, one accused falsely of crimes and the other to fight on behalf of the Nazis, Herta, despite the heartache, takes charge and places her daughters into hiding believing they’ll keep safe. Meanwhile, Julia, as the only parent home, chooses to redefine family. These unexpected developments bring Herta and Julia together… until their true identities surface and they’re thrown into dangerous consequences that could harm not only them but their daughters.

Following We Shall Not Shatter, Book 1 of the Resilient Women of WWII Trilogy, this story of friendship questions whether two mothers, acting to ensure their children’s future, can put aside the issues of faith and heritage that could bring the Nazis right to their doorstep.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Books-a-Million | Book Depository

About the Author

Elaine Stock writes Historical Fiction, exploring home, family and friendships throughout time. She enjoys creating stories showing how all faiths, races, and belief systems are interconnected and need each other.

Elaine’s grandparents, on both sides of her family, narrowly escaped World War II by immigrating from Poland and Austria to the US. Fascinated by the strong will of people to overcome the horrors from this era, she wrote We Shall Not Shatter, Book 1 of the Resilient Women of WWII Trilogy inspired by her deaf great aunt who was left behind as a teenager in Poland and perished in the Holocaust, while her other deaf siblings were permitted to enter the US when their young ages helped them to circumvent medically-revealing exams. Other extended family members also remained in Poland to lose their lives in the Holocaust.

Although multi-published in award-winning Inspirational Fiction, and a past blogger and online magazine contributor, Elaine now pens novels for the General reading audience. She is a member of Women’s Fiction Writers Association and The Historical Novel Society. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she has now been living in upstate, rural New York with her husband for more years than her stint as a city gal. She enjoys long walks down country roads, visiting New England towns, and of course, a good book.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | Amazon

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 19
Feature at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, September 20
Review at A Baker’s Perspective
Feature at What Is That Book About

Monday, September 26
Review at The Page Ladies

Tuesday, September 27
Feature at Reading Is My Remedy

Thursday, September 29
Review at Books, Writings, and More

Friday, September 30
Feature at Coffee and Ink
Feature at CelticLady’s Reviews

Giveaway

Enter to win a copy of Our Daughters’ Last Hope by Elaine Stock (paperback or eBook, winner’s choice).

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on September 30th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Our Daughters’ Last Hope

The Other Side of Certain
by Amy Willoughby-Burle

Publication Date: September 21, 2022
Fireship Press

Series: Love for Certain, Book 1
Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

For the love of love…and books

Mattie Mobley planned to be a teacher, but when times grew tough during America’s Great Depression, and there were no teaching positions in her hometown of Asheville, NC, Mattie found work starting a school and helping the Pack Horse Librarians just over the mountains in the rural town of Certain, Kentucky. She’s not certain at all that this is a good situation, but she’s determined, and honestly, a little desperate. Of all the things that Mattie does have—money, comforts, a good name, she doesn’t have what matters most—friends, love, and a purpose of her own.

Daniel, “The Grizzly Bear,” Barrett had a lovely life for a little while. Overcoming his family’s bad name and worse reputation, he made a life for himself in Certain. He was married with children and a figure of respect in his church, but desperate times called for desperate measures and a terrible tragedy was the result. Now exiled with his children along the wily run of the Hell for Certain Creek, Daniel has gotten used to being the town pariah again. It’s in his blood after all. Right? Maybe not, but he’ll need the powerful influence of love not only to change his own mind about himself but to convince his estranged extended family and the whole town as well.

Can one librarian with a saddlebag full of books make people see the difference between fact and fiction? Mattie loves a good story, and this may be her best one yet. Fiction tells the best truths and the best truth of all is love.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise

“As a fan of southern fiction, I had high expectations for The Other Side of Certain, and Amy Willoubhy-Burle exceeded them all. She weaves an inspiring story of redemption and finding home in a rough-around-the-edges town that both intrigues and entertains from page one. Simply put, the book is lovely! With thought-provoking dialogue, characters you can’t help but cheer for, and poignant symbolism, Burle tackles the topic of hell on earth and in man-displaying God’s grace and mercy throughout. The ending will leave readers with a smile on their faces and hope in their hearts.” -Beth Pugh, award-winning author of The Valentine Proposal and The Santa Run

“Welcome to Certain, where mountain legends sway minds and secrets rule hearts. The Other Side of Certain is richly grounded in research, taking the reader on a sweeping journey. In the midst of the Great Depression, Mattie and Daniel discover the power of hope and the beauty of second chances.” -Rachel Scott McDaniel, award-winning author of The Mobster’s Daughter

“Amy Willoughby-Burle’s The Other Side of Certain is a heartwarming, enduring tale of how libraries in even the most remote, impoverished towns can change lives since books are ‘so much more than little black words on a white page.’ Reading opens up new worlds for those involved and learning to read helps them heal to love again. A smashed stained-glass window becomes a metaphor for broken things being restored in this small Kentucky locale where many things are uncertain. The author carefully reconnects the shattered, colorful pieces of her character’s journeys and situations into a beautiful and memorable design.” -Delores Topliff, author of Books Afloat, Christmas Tree Wars, and Wilderness Wife

About the Author

Amy Willoughby-Burle grew up in the small coastal town of Kure Beach, NC, and now lives in Asheville, NC with her husband and four children. She teaches creative writing and works as a freelance editor when not working on her own fiction. She is also the director of Wildacres Writers Workshop. She is the author of the novels The Lemonade Year and The Year of Thorns and Honey. Her award-winning short fiction has been published in numerous journals and in her collection, Out Across the Nowhere. Her fiction focuses on the importance of family and friends and centers on the themes of forgiveness, second chances, and finding beauty in the world around us. She likes to write about the wonder and mystery of everyday life.

Visit her online at www.amywilloughbyburle.com. You can also Amy on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Wednesday, September 21
Review & Excerpt at Books, Cooks, Looks

Thursday, September 22
Review at Pursuing Stacie
Review at McCombs on Main

Friday, September 23
Review at A Baker’s Perspective

Monday, September 26
Review at Reading is My SuperPower

Wednesday, September 28
Excerpt at Heidi Reads
Review at Novels Alive

Thursday, September 29
Excerpt at Novels Alive
Review at Books Less Travelled

Friday, September 30
Review at Bookworlder
Review at View from the Birdhouse

Monday, October 3
Review at Jorie Loves a Story

Tuesday, October 4
Excerpt at What Is That Book About

Wednesday, October 5
Review at Tammy Reads

Thursday, October 6
Review at Older & Smarter

Saturday, October 8
Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Tuesday, October 11
Excerpt at Coffee and Ink
Review at Robin Loves Reading

Wednesday, October 12
Interview at Jorie Loves a Story

Friday, October 14
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Giveaway

Enter to win this fun prize package including:

Tote Bag
Journal & Pens
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Paperback copy of The Other Side of Certain

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on October 14th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

The Other Side of Certain

Shoot the Horses First: A Collection of Histories
by Leah Angstman

Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Kernpunkt Press
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook; 238 pages

Genre: Literary / Historical / Short Stories

 

 

***Finalist for the Shorts Award for Americana Fiction***

Through a historian’s lens and folkloric storytelling, the pieces in SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST revel in the nuances, brutality, mythology, and tiny victories of our historical past. A launderer takes us inside the linens of the richest families in early Baltimore. A child on the Orphan Train has his teeth inspected like a horse. Civil War soldiers experience PTSD. While one woman lands on an island of the Wampanoag tribe, a woman 200 years later finds Apache in a harsh frontier. Children survive yellow fever, the desert heat, and mistaken identities; men survive severed fingers, untested medicines, and wives with obsessive compulsive disorders. Frederick Douglass’ grandson plays violin at the World’s Fair on Colored American Day, a woman with disabilities is kept hidden away like she doesn’t exist, and a botanist is denied her place in a science journal because she is female. Themes of place, war, mental illness, identity, disability, feminism, and unyielding optimism throughout harrowing desperation resurface in this collection of stories that takes us back to time immemorial, yet feels so close, and all too familiar.

Available for Pre-Order

Praise

“I’m astonished by the historical breadth in this collection of stories and by the sensibility that unites them. It’s a thrill to be dropped, so vividly, into such a wide variety of settings and periods—and even more of a thrill to discover the strong new voice of Leah Angstman. Read it!”
—Ethan Rutherford, author of FARTHEST SOUTH and THE PERIPATETIC COFFIN AND OTHER STORIES

“In SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST, Leah Angstman blasts readers from the Twitterfied nowscape into the manifest past—to an America connected by the burgeoning railroad and shattered by civil war. As inventive and complex as the era itself, these sixteen fictions of nineteenth-century friction contain surprises on every page. Whether it’s an impromptu snowball fight on a battlefield during a ceasefire or a wayward orphan finding hope at the end of the line, Angstman astonishes us with complicated characters and crystal-clear prose. She is the literary heir to Shelby Foote, Willa Cather, and E. L. Doctorow. Get off the internet and read this book!”
—Ryan Ridge, author of NEW BAD NEWS, HUNTERS & GAMBLERS, AMERICAN HOMES, SECOND ACTS IN AMERICAN LIVES, WEIRD WEEKS, and OX

“Rudyard Kipling said, ‘If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.’ Nothing demonstrates the wisdom of that better than SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST by Leah Angstman. This is an immersive, expansive, and unforgettable collection of fictional histories. Drawn from various points in America’s past and clearly well researched, these stories are harrowing and hopeful by turns. All through, there are unexpected kindnesses and betrayals and acts of heroism and transformation. Characters so deeply wrought they seem to leap off the page. Soaring and vast and lyrical, this book is a must-read.”
—Kathy Fish, author of TOGETHER WE CAN BURY IT, RIFT, and WILD LIFE

“Angstman’s work is a joy to read. These characters see their worlds in the way that we see ours: naturally, and independent of the vastness of time in which life eventually situates itself in memory. Each one of these stories breathes troubling, beautiful life into the history that inspires it. The exhaustive research that must have gone into this collection lives in an easy harmony with the stories it undergirds, and it’s Angstman’s chief achievement here to strike that balance with poise and grace. Fear, love, heartache, and wonderment: it’s all right here, between both worlds.”
—Schuler Benson, author of THE POOR MAN’S GUIDE TO AN AFFORDABLE, PAINLESS SUICIDE

“SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST puts the ‘story’ in history. With scholarly rigor and the soul of a bard, Leah Angstman weaves tales of defiance and resilience that bring the past to life and show us what endures.”
—Jennifer Wortman, author of THIS. THIS. THIS. IS. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE

About the Author

Leah Angstman is also the author of the historical novel of seventeenth-century New England, Out Front the Following Sea, available now from Regal House, and the novel of the French Revolution, Falcon in the Dive, forthcoming from Regal House in spring 2024. She serves as the executive editor for Alternating Current Press and The Coil magazine and is a founding Quartermaster member of the American Battlefield Trust. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Nashville Review. She’s recently been a finalist for the Laramie Book Award, Chaucer Book Award, Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Da Vinci Eye Award, Clue Book Award, Richard Snyder Memorial Prize, Cowles Book Prize, and Able Muse Book Award; a semifinalist for the Goethe Book Award; and longlisted for the Hillary Gravendyk Prize. This is her first collection of short stories.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Medium | Ello | Mailing List

The Highlander’s Tudor Lass
by Heather McCollum

Publication Date: August 22, 2022
Entangled Publishing/Scandalous

Genre: Historical Romance
Series: Brothers of Wolf Isle, Book 3

 

 

Callum Macquarie would give anything to go back to the Highlands and Wolf Isle. Instead, he’s stuck circling an undefended English castle in too-tight breeches, longing for his bed and his plaid. But he has an oath to keep: to bring home the bonny Anna Montgomerie and her sister before that devil of a blaggard pirate Jundeau finds them first. Only the lass he’s come to rescue has no interest in going back to Scotland with him. Or ever.

To hell with Callum and his oath. Anna won’t step one foot in Scotland—no matter the danger. Not after what she’s left behind, and not while there’s a chance she can remain in England. But she has a plan. And the only hitch involves a braw, fiercely protective highlander who refuses to leave…and whose touch burns hotter than fire.

Now Anna and Callum are caught between the threat coming for Anna. Staying means danger. Leaving means death. And a blazing attraction that could spoil everyone’s plans.

Each book in the Brothers of Wolf Isle series is STANDALONE:

* The Highlander’s Unexpected Proposal
* The Highlander’s Pirate Lass
* The Highlander’s Tudor Lass

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Heather McCollum is an award-winning, historical romance writer. With over twenty books published, she is an Amazon Best Seller and a Readers’ Choice winner.

The rugged beauty and rich history of Great Britain captivates Ms. McCollum each time she visits. The country’s history and landscape have been a backdrop for her stories since her very first book.

When she is not dreaming up adventures and conflict for brawny Highlanders and feisty heroines, she spends her time educating women on the symptoms of Ovarian Cancer. She is a survivor and resides with her very own Highland hero and three spirited children in the wilds of suburbia on the mid-Atlantic coast.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

Grave Intervention
by Shira Shiloah

Publication Date: September 20, 2022
Salty Air Publishing

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 

The Past Rarely Stays Buried

Dr. Amir Hadad, a successful radiologist, hears an intruder. Hiding in the dark, the stranger whispers, “I can’t rest.”

Alarmed and unwilling to risk his family’s safety, Amir contacts the police. Only there is no trace of an intruder, no marks of forced entry. If there is a stalker afoot, the police cannot find him.

As the days wear on and Amir continues to hear the same disembodied voice speaking to him, he worries about his sanity. The Irish lilt has escalated from pleas for help to threats unless Amir helps the voice find rest – and revenge.

Inspired by true events set in Naperville, Illinois, Dr. Shira Shiloah takes readers through suspenseful twists and turns in her latest novel. GRAVE INTERVENTION, a paranormal medical suspense, blurs the lines between real and imaginary to expose the hidden side of a historical suburban town.

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | IndieBound

Praise

“Shira Shiloah creates a masterful story of intrigue… Grave Intervention will appeal to thriller and mystery audiences, as well as those who appreciate a solid story filled with satisfyingly unpredictable twists and turns throughout.”
—Midwest Book Review

“Real life stressors collide with mysterious hauntings in Shira Shiloah’s newest thriller, Grave Intervention. A beautifully drawn family drama that encompasses fascinating history and realistic medical scenes, Shiloah presents a unique and compelling story of life, love and the power of forgiveness.”
—Tammy Euliano, MD Author of Fatal Intent and Misfire

“Grave Intervention by Shira Shiloah is very frightening, and I had goosebumps while reading. The story had my attention from the beginning and kept me on the edge of my seat… The characters… were introduced in such a way that I felt I would never forget any of them. Well written and has a good pace; the chapters just flow into each other.”
-Readers’ Favorite, 5-Star Review

Notable Winner, 2022 Gutsy Great Novelist Chapter One Prize.
—Selected by Joan Dempsey

About the Author

Dr. Shira Shiloah released her debut #1 bestselling medical thriller, EMERGENCE, in 2020. Her upcoming psychological thriller, GRAVE INTERVENTION, will be released September 20, 2022. Drawing on her unique observations as an anesthesiologist and novelist, she creates authentic characters and true-to-life medical scenes.

Dr. Shiloah received her medical degree from the University of Tennessee and completed her Anesthesiology residency at Northwestern University. She believes reflective writing can help physicians address conflicting emotions about their professional roles and give deeper meaning to their heroic work.

As a former hobby-writer turned bestselling author, Dr. Shiloah helps other aspiring writers start, complete, and sell their writing with a simple step-by-step formula that turns writing dreams into debut novels.

Before choosing Memphis as her hometown, Shira lived in Brooklyn, Jerusalem, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. She enjoys traveling the world with her husband and relaxing with her rescue pup.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Shoot the Horses First: A Collection of Histories
by Leah Angstman

Publication Date: February 28, 2023
Kernpunkt Press
Hardcover, Paperback, eBook, Audiobook; 238 pages

Genre: Literary / Historical / Short Stories

***Finalist for the Shorts Award for Americana Fiction***

Through a historian’s lens and folkloric storytelling, the pieces in SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST revel in the nuances, brutality, mythology, and tiny victories of our historical past. A launderer takes us inside the linens of the richest families in early Baltimore. A child on the Orphan Train has his teeth inspected like a horse. Civil War soldiers experience PTSD. While one woman lands on an island of the Wampanoag tribe, a woman 200 years later finds Apache in a harsh frontier. Children survive yellow fever, the desert heat, and mistaken identities; men survive severed fingers, untested medicines, and wives with obsessive compulsive disorders. Frederick Douglass’ grandson plays violin at the World’s Fair on Colored American Day, a woman with disabilities is kept hidden away like she doesn’t exist, and a botanist is denied her place in a science journal because she is female. Themes of place, war, mental illness, identity, disability, feminism, and unyielding optimism throughout harrowing desperation resurface in this collection of stories that takes us back to time immemorial, yet feels so close, and all too familiar.

Available for Pre-Order

Praise

“I’m astonished by the historical breadth in this collection of stories and by the sensibility that unites them. It’s a thrill to be dropped, so vividly, into such a wide variety of settings and periods—and even more of a thrill to discover the strong new voice of Leah Angstman. Read it!”
—Ethan Rutherford, author of FARTHEST SOUTH and THE PERIPATETIC COFFIN AND OTHER STORIES

“In SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST, Leah Angstman blasts readers from the Twitterfied nowscape into the manifest past—to an America connected by the burgeoning railroad and shattered by civil war. As inventive and complex as the era itself, these sixteen fictions of nineteenth-century friction contain surprises on every page. Whether it’s an impromptu snowball fight on a battlefield during a ceasefire or a wayward orphan finding hope at the end of the line, Angstman astonishes us with complicated characters and crystal-clear prose. She is the literary heir to Shelby Foote, Willa Cather, and E. L. Doctorow. Get off the internet and read this book!”
—Ryan Ridge, author of NEW BAD NEWS, HUNTERS & GAMBLERS, AMERICAN HOMES, SECOND ACTS IN AMERICAN LIVES, WEIRD WEEKS, and OX

“Rudyard Kipling said, ‘If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.’ Nothing demonstrates the wisdom of that better than SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST by Leah Angstman. This is an immersive, expansive, and unforgettable collection of fictional histories. Drawn from various points in America’s past and clearly well researched, these stories are harrowing and hopeful by turns. All through, there are unexpected kindnesses and betrayals and acts of heroism and transformation. Characters so deeply wrought they seem to leap off the page. Soaring and vast and lyrical, this book is a must-read.”
—Kathy Fish, author of TOGETHER WE CAN BURY IT, RIFT, and WILD LIFE

“Angstman’s work is a joy to read. These characters see their worlds in the way that we see ours: naturally, and independent of the vastness of time in which life eventually situates itself in memory. Each one of these stories breathes troubling, beautiful life into the history that inspires it. The exhaustive research that must have gone into this collection lives in an easy harmony with the stories it undergirds, and it’s Angstman’s chief achievement here to strike that balance with poise and grace. Fear, love, heartache, and wonderment: it’s all right here, between both worlds.”
—Schuler Benson, author of THE POOR MAN’S GUIDE TO AN AFFORDABLE, PAINLESS SUICIDE

“SHOOT THE HORSES FIRST puts the ‘story’ in history. With scholarly rigor and the soul of a bard, Leah Angstman weaves tales of defiance and resilience that bring the past to life and show us what endures.”
—Jennifer Wortman, author of THIS. THIS. THIS. IS. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE

About the Author

Leah Angstman is also the author of the historical novel of seventeenth-century New England, Out Front the Following Sea, available now from Regal House, and the novel of the French Revolution, Falcon in the Dive, forthcoming from Regal House in spring 2024. She serves as the executive editor for Alternating Current Press and The Coil magazine and is a founding Quartermaster member of the American Battlefield Trust. Her work has appeared in numerous journals, including Publishers Weekly, Los Angeles Review of Books, and The Nashville Review. She’s recently been a finalist for the Laramie Book Award, Chaucer Book Award, Eric Hoffer Book Award, National Indie Excellence Award, Da Vinci Eye Award, Clue Book Award, Richard Snyder Memorial Prize, Cowles Book Prize, and Able Muse Book Award; a semifinalist for the Goethe Book Award; and longlisted for the Hillary Gravendyk Prize. This is her first collection of short stories.

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Giveaway

Enter to win an ARC of Shoot the Horses First & horsey prize pack!

The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on July 26th. You must be 18 or older to enter.

Shoot the Horses First Cover Reveal