A darkly twisted story that became almost too believable! The story begins as a tender love story. Harriet Reed is a writer. And she has fallen in love with not only a devastatingly handsome man but one who is also from one of the wealthiest families in America. The Holbecks are mega-wealthy But Harriet or Harry, as she is affectionately called has no idea at first. Edward Holbeck is estranged from his family. That’s just the beginning. As their relationship grows, he slips a ring on her finger. And not just any ring, but his great-grandmother’s wedding ring. This is where things start to change. Now, although she is terrified she wants to meet his family. After all, how bad could they be? As an orphan, she longs for a big family. But Edward warns that they are ‘different.’ Still, Harriet is ready to meet them. She is ill-prepared for the luxurious wealth they possess. And even more ill-prepared when her future father-in-law asks for a private meeting with her in his study. He hands her a tape that will change her life, everyone’s lives. So many secrets! Then she finds out the family plays games, and not the innocent kind of board games most families play. Their games are terrifying and eventually turn deadly. The twist in this story left me reeling. Told in first person through Harriet’s POV, it was easy to become immersed in the story. The author did a great job of scattering backstory in bits and pieces throughout so there was never a big info dump. As things unravel, I found myself glued to the book and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I had to know the identity of the murderer and it was shocking! I could easily see this book as a movie. It’s a psychological thriller with an unexpected twist.
Everyone knew that Roanne never got angry—until the night she killed her ex-husband and herself.
Roanne, a nice, suburban lady in her sixties who works at a Hallmark shop and volunteers at the Food Bank in Round Rock, Texas, calls her lifelong friend, Connie, confesses to murder, then puts the gun to her own head. Connie, spurred by Roanne’s last words about a lifetime of unspoken rage, sets aside her work as a cozy mystery writer and cupcake shop owner to confront the men who have stolen her dignity while she remained silent, including a bully brother, a rapist, and an ex-spouse.
On a journey to reclaim her inner power and to make peace with the loss of her treasured friend, Connie’s mission is to avoid the same tragic path as Roanne, but she takes along a gun, just in case.
With pathos and humor, Paper Targets, by Patricia Watts, calls us to speak our own narratives, even when it is uncomfortable or risky, and shows us the magnificence of a friendship that transcends time.
Patricia Watts worked as a journalist for more than 20 years for newspapers in Texas, Hawaii, and Alaska. Following her news career, she tried her skill as a paralegal and then spent ten years investigating discrimination cases for the Alaska Human Rights Commission. Her novels include: Ghost Light and The Big Empty, crime mysteries co-written with Alaska author Stan Jones; The Frayer, suspense noir; and Watchdogs, a steamy thriller. Her home base is San Diego. She earned her B.A. in journalism at Humboldt State in California. She is the mother of a son and daughter and has eight grandchildren.
I had a fabulous time in New Orleans. It was fast and furious. We crammed a lot into two days.
Despite the crazy atmosphere, I love the food, the music, the architecture, and the history. Every time I go, I learn something new about this city. Did you know it was settled by prisoners sent over from France so they could empty out their prisons? I didn’t know that tidbit of history until on a carriage tour during this visit. New Orleans was instrumental in the fight for freedom. And, was where the notorious pirate, Jean Lafitte, spent a good deal of time. One of my favorite places to visit is Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop, built in 1732. It has survived floods, hurricanes, and progress. And they only installed electric lighting within the past few years. Before that, it had gas lights.
LaFitte’s Blacksmith Shop, New Orleans, La. 2022
I’ll share just a few more photos.
Classic New Orleans Architecture
Had to laugh at this one. The reader didn’t know how to spell Tarot.
The Vampire thing was new this time. It had never been a focus before.Shooting an episode of “Your Honor” This is Isiah Whitlock, Jr. Film shoot setupMe and my best friend of 40 years A Mint JulepThe classic RiverboatYou can see some strange sights on Bourbon Street things on Bourbon Street!
And now for the NEWS!!
Saddled Hearts is available for preorder! The release date is October 19th! I am SUPER excited about this story and can’t wait to share it!
Colt Layne owns the Layne Horse Sanctuary. He lives an idyllic life between caring for the animals and playing music with his band. That is until a stranger appears with unreasonable demands. When someone murders the man, Colt is arrested. He’s been framed, but by whom and why?
He needs to talk with his deceased grandfather. But that’s impossible. Or is it?
Sage Coventry is gifted with the ability to communicate with the deceased. Skeptical but desperate, when Colt consults with her, he gets more than messages from beyond the grave as she breezes into his heart with sweet patchouli fragrance and tempting lips he longs to kiss.
The race against time to clear his name and save the ranch launches them on a mission that brings shocking revelations.
Anita Dickason is one of the most enthusiastic authors I’ve ever featured here, and I am thrilled to share her new book with you as well as my review!
DEADLY KEEPSAKES
A Tori Winters Mystery
by
ANITA DICKASON
Categories: Mystery / Women Sleuths
Publisher: Mystic Circle Books
Pages: 360 pages
Publication Date: July 1, 2022
Scroll down for the giveaway!
When Tori Winters becomes the star witness in a murder trial, someone tries to kill her. Terrified, she’s not giving the killer a second chance. With all her worldly possessions packed in her car, Tori is on the run. A mysterious phone call about an inheritance leads her to Granbury. After all, who would look for her in a small, quaint Texas town?
Instead, Tori’s life is about to spin into an existence where nothing is as it seems. The historic house she inherits is steeped in secrets from the past. Secrets that may prove deadly. A stranger in a strange town, who can she trust? There is the disinherited step-grandson and the lawyer and his son. What are they hiding?
Tori’s inheritance may not be a blessing when a killer strikes again. It could be her death warrant.
Award-winning author Anita Dickason is a twenty-two-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department. She served as a patrol officer, undercover narcotics detective, advanced accident investigator, SWAT tactical officer, and the team’s first female sniper.
Anita’s extensive law enforcement experience and knowledge provide the inspiration for her plots, and characters. She writes about what she knows, cops and crime.
Her works have received multiple awards from Book Viral Millennium Book Awards, Readers’ Favorite Book Awards, Literary Titan Book Awards, Independent Author Network Book Awards, and Speak Up Talk Radio Firebird Award.
This week it’s my daughter’s *** birthday! It seems like yesterday that I was teaching her to walk and now she’s a mother with an almost-grown son of her own. Where does the time go?
This is one of my favorite pictures of her as a baby- isn’t she cute? 🙂
I’ve read a couple of interesting contemporary romances from NetGalley, a wonderful middle-grade mystery from blogger, Darlene Foster, as well as a suspense from Jan Sikes.
From the momentLucy– Miss ‘my self-worth comes from setting myself impossible standards of perfection’ – meetsZack– Mr ‘I’m your infuriatingly laidback yet impossibly ripped new yoga teacher’ – it’s hate at first sight.
Interior designer Lucy is a workaholic, and it ends up costing her when she takes her job to a wedding stagette, ruining the night for everyone. To make amends, Lucy gets drunk and sends out a…
I am thrilled to have Mountain Laurel Christmas featured in the Christmas In July Promotion at N.N. Light’s Book Heaven today! Please take a minute to go over and share! Much appreciated!
Country superstar, Cole Knight, has it all—fame, fortune, fast cars, and willing women. Yet, he’s dying inside, drowning in a swirling pool of self-contempt and relentless guilt.
It’s easier to lose himself in a whiskey bottle than face the hard truth—he hasn’t delivered on a sacred promise made to his father. And it rips out pieces of his heart and soul each time the memory surfaces.
It’s almost Christmas, and the sting of that failure drives him back to the tiny cabin in the Cumberland Mountains where he lost his entire family.
But has he waited too late to put the shattered pieces back together?
Good morning beautiful souls! I missed you last week while I was away. We had a jam-packed week of fun in the Florida sun at Universal Studios and Volcano Bay. The kiddos loved it. They are big Harry Potter fans, so that was a big treat for them.
Now it’s back to the real world, although I will be away again next Monday.
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Within the structure of our Universe, there is a perfect balance. This meditation brings such a state of peaceful harmony, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I recently bought a new deck of Oracle cards and wanted to use them in the weekly reading.
Photo by Jan Sikes Rune Oracle Cards
The card I drew for this week is Isa. I added the actual rune with this symbol to the photo.
Photo by Jan Sikes
The meaning of Isa is Ice. The keyword is intuition.
Odin holds a stick on the end of which shines a transparent stone as if might have been carved from ice. This symbolizes the purity of truth. There is such power in this card. He almost looks angry and most certainly determined. I love all the different colors and symbols on his robe.
The rune is associated with thought and intuition. We might have unexpected flashes of awareness occur that can pierce the veil of illusion and sometimes cause turmoil, both internal and external.
Courage and moral strength are needed to be able to sustain our truth unwaveringly.
Isa protects us from overly harsh criticism and enhances our critical thinking and self-esteem.
My Takeaway:
This is pretty straightforward. The truth is our strength in any and every situation. Unexpected awareness can shake us out of our comfort zones. Harsh criticism is something we, as authors, often experience. I think the message in this is to remain unwaveringly in our truth, keep our self-esteem and never stop believing in our stories.
He’s Faced Countless Perils on the Battlefield, but Nothing so Dangerous as Falling in Love.
Luke Davenport has been fighting all his life–for respect, for country, and for those unable to fight for themselves. But now that his Horsemen brothers are domesticated, he’s left alone to battle the wildness within. When an opportunity arises to take a job on his own, tracking down a group of rustlers, he jumps at the chance.
Damaris Baxter has mastered the art of invisibility. Plain and quiet, she hides in books and needlework, content to be overlooked. Until her brother dies suddenly, leaving her custody of her nephew. She moves to Texas to care for Nathaniel, determined to create the family for herself that she never thought she’d have and to give him the family he desperately needs.
When Nate finds himself knee-deep in trouble, Luke’s attempt to protect him leaves Damaris feeling indebted to the Horseman. But suspicions grow regarding the mysterious death of Damaris’s brother. And the more questions they ask, the more danger appears, threatening the family Luke may be unable to live without.
Voted #1 Reader’s Favorite Christian Romance Author of 2019 by Family Fiction Magazine, bestselling author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She makes her home in Abilene, Texas, with her husband and three children.
The Hanger’s Horsemen series was loosely inspired by a pair of television shows I watched as a teen and young adult back in the 1980s and 1990s. The A-Team inspired my team of four ex-military mercenaries and their determination to help the powerless fight against injustice. The Magnificent Seven inspired the western flair along with the drive to help those in need.
My Horsemen have names inspired by the four gospel writers. I didn’t want to be too predictable, however, so I gave one a twist: Mathew, Mark, Luke, and Jonah. Not too much was made of this in the books, since they frequently call each other by last names, rank, and nicknames, but sometimes I have fun including things just for my own personal enjoyment. This was one of those times.
Book 1 – At Love’s Command
Haunted by the horrors of war, ex-cavalry officer Matthew Hanger leads a band of mercenaries known as Hanger’s Horsemen who have become legends in 1890s Texas. They defend the innocent and obtain justice for the oppressed. But when a rustler’s bullet leaves one of them at death’s door, they’re the ones in need of saving.
Book 2 – The Heart’s Charge
When Horsemen Mark Wallace and Jonah Brooks hear rumors of missing children, they partner with two ladies who run a local foundling home to investigate. As they work to uncover the truth, love and danger grow hand-in-hand until a final, sinister scheme threatens to destroy them all.
Book 3 – In Honor’s Defense
He came to stop a gang of rustlers and wound up tangled in a murder plot. The boy next door holds the key to the truth, but it’s the boy’s aunt who might end up holding the Horseman’s heart.
I hope everyone in the United States is enjoying the 4th of July holiday.
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What a powerful tarot spread this week! Take a look!
Photo by Jan Sikes
I don’t recall ever drawing the Queen and King of Swords together, but I did today.
The Queen of Swords represents independent clear thinking. She is a no-nonsense influence, seeking truth with unbiased judgment. When interacting with others, she will not tolerate mistruths or excessive ‘fluff’. She prefers to get to the heart of the matter without engaging in too much chit-chat or gossip. She is a quick thinker and highly perceptive, piercing through the noise and confusion to get straight to the point. While she maintains empathy for others, she also will not tolerate any kind of deception. It’s not that she doesn’t care, she simply doesn’t have time for anyone who is not 100% true and authentic.
The King of Swords is the ultimate symbol of intellectual power and authority. He has the courage and intellect to achieve all that he desires. When this card appears in a Tarot reading, you are in your power, ruling from a place of authority and respect. You stand firm in your truth and express yourself with deep conviction. As a result, others pay attention to what you have to say. Under the influence of this mighty king, you have a clarity of mind and can perceive the truth, so it is up to you to take the lead by providing an objective point of view and making decisions based on impartial judgment. Sounds like the perfect match for his queen, doesn’t it? As a professional advisor, he may come across as detached or disinterested in your personal circumstances unless it relates specifically to his skillset. This is so he can provide only the most relevant guidance to you.
Both the King and Queen lead from the head, not the heart.
The Wheel of Fortune reminds you that the wheel is always turning and life is in a state of constant change. If you’re going through a difficult time rest assured that it will get better from here. Good luck and good fortune will make their return in time. Similarly, if things are going well, know this, too, will change. This cycle shows why it is so important to cherish the blissful moments in your life and make the most of them while they are within reach – because in a flash they could be gone. The Wheel of Fortune is also known as the wheel of karma and reminds you that ‘what goes around comes around.’ Be a kind and loving person to others, and they’ll be kind and loving to you. Be nasty and mean, and you will get nasty and mean turning back your way. So, if you want happiness and abundance, make sure you’re sending out that positive juju in kind. What you send out into the Universe will come back your way. The Wheel of Fortune card asks you to be optimistic and have faith that the Universe will take care of your situation in the best way possible. Meditation and visualization can reinforce your intention to bring increased abundance, good fortune, and prosperity to you.
MY TAKEAWAY:
This week calls for clear unemotional thinking and acting from a point of truth without judgment. Be kind to everyone you meet. Remember, karma is real. Remain optimistic regardless of your situation!
Isn’t this a gorgeous dragon card? I love it!
I have been asked by Patty Fletcher to explain the dragon card for those who are not sighted and I am happy to oblige. This is the Air and Fire Dragon and he expands our creative energies. He is a beautiful combination of blues and oranges with a volcano erupting in front of him. His message: Harness your creativity, excitement, and enthusiasm. Communicate your passion.
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