Looking for some new biography and memoir books for your library? There are so many new releases this week that you’re bound to find a new favorite. You can pick up new books from Richard P. Allison, Andrew McMahon, Mark Messier, and many more. Enjoy your new biography and memoir books. Happy reading!
Don't miss these new science fiction books by bestselling authors HD Smith, Tara K. Rafacz, Faith Hunter, Terry Maggert, J.N. Chaney, Jodi Taylor, David Weber, and Eric Flint. Enjoy your new science fiction books!
Release Date: August 31, 2021
The first in a series of books that blend magic and technology set 800 years in the future where the Earth has been abandoned for new worlds...Genevieve Harlow lives a mundane life on planet Tau as one of the working class forced to do as her House commands. Her lack of magical aptitude and orphan status make any advancement impossible. The House elites know nothing of Genevieve’s life—why would they—until she stumbles on a secret that will change the nine worlds forever. Liam Anderson, an elite of unknown lineage, makes a living as a relic hunter and purveyor of ancient goods. Some call it smuggling, but the laws are vague at best. But Liam is in the wrong place at the wrong time when his fate becomes intertwined with Genevieve’s, putting both their lives in danger. He’s running from more than his past, but Genevieve’s secret is greater than either of them can possibly imagine.
Release Date: September 30, 2021
Book 8 of the exciting Iron Made Series by Tara K. Rafacz...Leaving Earth isn't meant to be easy. Having a relationship with another person isn't, either, and after heartbreak, loss, and massive life changes (including death, coma and God's miracle in her life), Gin is poised for the future. Her body is still healing and recovering; the colony is still set on its path to grow. Will her relationship with Stephan do the same?
Release Date: October 17, 2021
Book 2 of the Backyard Starship Series by Terry Maggert and J.N. Chaney...Van left his old life behind, but some things remain the same. Even in space, crime still exists. After taking a Peacemaker job to find missing fuel, Perry finds something far more sinister than simple theft—a voice, crying out in a forge of heat and flame, and the discovery reveals a series of acts so vicious that nothing short of revenge will suffice. Following leads across the stars, Van, Perry, and Torina discover the wealthy elite are doing more than just taking fuel. They’re stealing lives. But it takes money to make justice, and Van has to work. Torina’s land must be restored, and the Dragonet needs new armor, and Van’s sword isn’t going to sharpen itself. So Van throws himself into the life of a Peacemaker, where he discovers that doing his job—and doing it well—makes him a target. He’s got the will. He’s got the sword. And he’s got help. Now all he needs is a little fuel. And maybe a gun or two.
Release Date: October 18, 2021
From the author of the best-selling Jane Yellowrock and Soulwood series comes a tough new heroine who is far more than she seems...Time is running out for Shining Smith and her crew to gather the weapons they need to rescue one of their own. But will they even make it to the ultimate battle? First, they’ll need to hit the road to Charleston—a hell ride full of bandits, sex slavers, corrupt lawmen, and criminal bike gangs looking to move in on Shining’s territory. Shining’s human allies will do anything to protect her—because they must. But will victory be worth it if she must compel more and more people to do her bidding? And will her feline warriors, the junkyard cats, remain loyal and risk their lives? Or are they just in it for the kibble?
Release Date: October 14, 2021
From the bestselling author of The Chronicles of St. Mary's...Life is good for Team Weird, now heroes and fully-fledged Time Police officers. Luke can't wait to bear arms. Jane has a date. And Matthew still hasn't had his hair cut. But Time waits for no one and neither do criminal masterminds. A major threat to the Timeline is looming, one far deadlier than mere idiots who want to change history. And when a familiar face becomes a Very Important Lead, will conflicting family loyalties spell trouble for Team Weird? One missing. One guilt-ridden. And one facing the end of their Time Police career before it's even begun. Not so good then, after all.
Release Date: October 5, 2021
The Crown Of Slaves Saga continues from New York Times bestselling authors David Weber and Eric Flint...The Solarian League lies in defeat, crushed by the Grand Alliance of Manticore, Haven, and Grayson. Some Solarians will never accept the war guilt of the League, because they know the Grand Alliance was just as bad. Because they deeply resent the way in which the Grand Alliance pretends to be the innocent "good guys." And in the fullness of time, those Solarians will seek vengeance upon their enemies. Not all Solarians feel that way, but even some of those who accept that there was an interstellar conspiracy cherish doubts about its origins. But it is still out there, and now defeated Solarians and agents of the victorious Alliance must join forces to find it. Even if they don't believe in it, it believes in them. They must find it and identify it, to prove to revanchist Solarians that there was a conspiracy. And they must find it and destroy it to end its evil once and for all...
In the mood for a new biography or memoir? Check out these instant bestsellers by Vernon Brewer II, Richard P. Allison, Jay Caspian Kang, Farah Stockman, Albert Samaha, and Stephanie Grisham. Enjoy your new non-fiction picks!
Release Date: June 23, 2021
A textured semi-autobiographical look at Vietnam day-by-day with one foot in the summer of love and the other in a jungle combat boot...Brewer's story describes the path of a young man from a Northeastern high school to combat with an elite airborne brigade in Vietnam. There are quite a few books on Vietnam, so it takes some effort to make one stand out. Brewer has succeeded because he answers a very good question with considerable descriptive talent. It's quite clear that Brewer is just about there as a wartime novelist.
Release Date: October 26, 2021
A #1 bestselling new release by Richard P. Allison...Readers get a front-row seat to the jaw-dropping true accounts written by the retired investigator who experienced them and attempted to hold these doctors accountable. His stories show a direct correlation between doctors’ questionable conduct with illegal administrating, dispensing, and prescribing of opioids and the craze that plagues our nation today. Couple this with the addictions that unwaveringly rival those we see in the worst of America’s inner cities.
Release Date: October 12, 2021
A riveting blend of family history and original reportage that explores—and reimagines—Asian American identity in a Black and white world...The unforgettable story of Kang and his family as they move from a housing project in Cambridge to an idyllic college town in the South and eventually to the West Coast. Their story unfolds against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding Asian America, as millions of more immigrants, many of them working-class or undocumented, stream into the country. At the same time, upwardly mobile urban professionals have struggled to reconcile their parents’ assimilationist goals with membership in a multicultural elite—all while trying to carve out a new kind of belonging for their own children, who are neither white nor truly “people of color.”
Release Date: October 12, 2021
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Farah Stockman gives an up-close look at the profound role work plays in our sense of identity and belonging, as she follows three workers whose lives unravel when the factory they have dedicated so much to closes down...This is the story of a community struggling to reinvent itself. It is also a story about race, class, and American values, and how jobs serve as a bedrock of people’s lives and drive powerful social justice movements. This revealing book shines a light on a crucial political moment when joblessness and anxiety about the future of work have made themselves heard at a national level. Most of all, American Made is a story about people: who we consider to be one of us and how the dignity of work lies at the heart of who we are.
Release Date: October 12, 2021
A journalist's powerful and incisive account of the forces steering the fate of his sprawling Filipino American family reframes how we comprehend the immigrant experience...Tracing his family’s history through the region’s unique geopolitical roots in Spanish colonialism, American intervention, and Japanese occupation, Samaha fits their arc into the wider story of global migration as determined by chess moves among superpowers. Ambitious, intimate, and incisive, Concepcion explores what it might mean to reckon with the unjust legacy of imperialism, to live with contradiction and hope, to fight for the unrealized ideals of an inherited homeland.
Release Date: October 5, 2021
The frankest and most intimate portrait of the Trump White House yet...Stephanie Grisham rose from being a junior press wrangler on the Trump campaign in 2016 to assuming top positions in the administration as White House press secretary and communications director, while at the same time acting as First Lady Melania Trump’s communications director and eventually chief of staff. Few members of the Trump inner circle served longer or were as close to the first family as Stephanie Grisham, and few had her unique insight into the turbulent four years of the administration, especially the personalities behind the headlines.
Who doesn't want to fall in love this October with a new romance book? Check out these new bestselling romance books by Willow Winters, Vanessa M. Knight, Pru Warren, Misha Bell, Judith Keim, Lisa Renee Jones, and S.E. Smith. Enjoy your new romance reads!
Release Date: October 14, 2021
Three talented women are brought together by a man they all love, becoming his Desert Flowers, who work together to save his hotel from being ruined by the company buying it...When Lily Weaver is asked to help Alec Thurston, the one man she’s ever truly loved, and to come to Palm Desert, California, she doesn’t hesitate. He’s dying of cancer and needs her help in overseeing the sale of his hotel, The Desert Sage Inn, to another hotel group. ily arrives at Alec’s house to find two other women summoned to help him. Rose Macklin was once the social director at Alec’s hotel, and Willow Sanchez is like a daughter to him. They join forces to help him, lovingly accepting his nickname for them: the Desert Flowers, similar to the well-known Charlie’s Angels.
Release Date: October 19, 2021
In the vein of her Inside Out series, New York Times Bestselling Author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the dark, seductive world of the Necklace Trilogy...Allison Wright is delivered a package meant for a different Allison—a unique, expensive necklace. Determined to right the confusion, she seeks out the proper recipient, a journey that takes her to the doorstep of Tyler Hawk, a good-looking, recluse billionaire who deals with fine collectibles such as the necklace. She also learns that Allison, his employee, quit her job registering and restoring his vast assortment of collectibles. Ironically, Allison is home to care for her sick mother, on leave from her job at Riptide, the world-renowned auction house, and her love of such things has her jumping at the opportunity. Soon, she is spending every waking moment immersed in the job the other Allison left behind.
Release Date: October 19, 2021
A new standalone raunch romance by Misha Bell...A daredevil prince wants to pay me mega-bucks to train him to hold his breath underwater for ten minutes? Sign me up. Except I’m a magician, not a stunt consultant. My record-beating dive without air was a trick. Of course, I can’t tell that to my client, the royally hot Anatolio Cezaroff, a.k.a. Tigger. Not if I want to be able to pay my rent. Also, I’m not exactly comfortable around germs. All germs, including those lurking on uber-attractive men. So falling for my gorgeous client is out of the question, and I fully intend to keep my distance. That is, until he offers to train me in bed.
Release Date: October 19, 2021
A funny, sexy romantic adventure that proves the adage: a good scoundrel is hard to find, and even harder to keep! Ellyn is in a “cousin contest.” Her aunt will give away five million to her favorite niece, and she’ll choose the winner on a luxurious cruise to paradise. Ellyn thinks she’ll do whatever it takes to win—including bringing a scoundrel on board to romance Aunt Cor. Artie’s life as a con man has had its ups and downs—but now he’s hit rock bottom. Then Ellyn meets the former “Phoebus Apollon” and offers him a lifeline. Now Artie has to make a choice. He could marry Aunt Cor for her fortune and become “Uncle Artie.” Or forget the money and win the treasure he never knew he wanted: Ellyn’s heart.
Release Date: October 13, 2021
A new romantic suspense by Vanessa M. Knight...Julie Connolly's worst fears come alive: Cody is kidnapped. Her only hope comes from Ben Mooring, a man she hates nearly as much as her father. Though Ben Mooring lost his chance with Julie years ago, she and Cody still mean the world to him. He practically raised the kid for years when he was with Julie. When Cody goes missing, Ben drops everything to search for him. He might never win a spot in Julie's life again, but he can't rest while Cody is in danger and Julie needs him. Julie and Ben join forces to find Cody, but they have to work quickly. If she doesn't find him soon, she might lose her son forever.
Release Date: October 26, 2021
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal best-selling romance author, W Winters, comes a provocative tale of a club designed for wealthy sinners...Not everyone knows about The Club, which is by design. The main floor entertains the elite. There are dim lights, stolen touches and the liquor flows to ensure the guests get exactly what they want. There are high-profile clients, cuffs and collars, contracts, and secrets in every corner. But it’s what lies beneath these floors, down the spiral staircase, that intrigues me the most. There’s a man who stays in the corner of the darkest rooms. In this world of sinful tastes, he is the ruler, the devil, the boss. Declan Cross. I knew him once when times were different and the years have changed everything. He makes me an offer, one that speaks to the very soul of my desire. One I can’t say no to and one that changes everything...
Release Date: October 19, 2021
Internationally acclaimed S.E. Smith presents a new action-packed story full of romance and adventure. Brimming with her signature humor and beloved characters, this book is sure to be another fan favorite! Adalard and Samara discover that time may change them, but not their enemies. Can Adalard and Samara survive the challenges that threaten to tear them apart, or will their enemies succeed despite the precautions and sacrifices they’ve taken?
Don't miss out on these must-read fantasy books this Fall! We're sure you'll enjoy these new fantasy releases by Jennifer Estep, Shari L. Tapscott, Jake Andrews, Joanna White, Jacque Stevens, Julie L. Kramer, and JC Andrijeski. Enjoy your new fantasy books!
Release Date: July 6, 2021
Bestselling author Jennifer Estep returns to her Crown of Shards world with an all-new trilogy and a bold new heroine who protects her kingdom from magic, murder, and mayhem by moonlighting as a spy...Gemma Ripley has a reputation for being a pampered princess who is more interested in pretty gowns, sparkling jewelry, and other frivolous things than learning how to rule the kingdom of Andvari. But her carefully crafted persona is just an act to hide the fact that Gemma is a powerful mind magier—and a spy. Gemma is undercover, trying to figure out who is stealing large amounts of tearstone from one of the Ripley royal mines when she encounters Prince Leonidas Morricone of Morta—her mortal enemy. Gemma tries to steer clear of the handsome prince, but when she finds herself behind enemy lines, she reluctantly joins forces with Leo.
Release Date: October 20, 2021
The second book in Crown and Crest, a connected fantasy romance series full of humor, adventure, and a good helping of epic action...Lady Clover’s life suddenly takes a turn for the worse when she’s framed for necromancy by Princess Camellia. She and the princess both know she’s not a dark magic user, but little good that does Clover when Camellia disappears. The kingdom is in turmoil over the abduction of their beloved princess, and Clover is determined to find her way into the rescue party—even if Henrik, the most handsome commander in all Caldenbauer and the man of her reoccurring dreams, is in charge. He suspects Clover’s guilty. Clover thinks she should have pushed him into the troll pit when she had the chance. Once again, they’re at odds, but they have no choice but to play nice if they want to find Camellia—especially when they discover their mission will take them into the heart of Ferradelle, the High Vale elves’ territory. They’re going to need a guide. Thankfully, they know an elf who just might help them, for a price.
Release Date: October 20, 2021
Book 9 of The Mystics by Joanna White...Life for Keisuke and Emelina has never been easy. They’ve endured a lot, but it would be worth it in the end for peace and a home to raise their family. But peace is harder to achieve than it looks when so many people out there crave power. The Origin Warlock included. The time for him to strike has come, but he isn’t just a Warlock anymore. He is the ultimate Mystic—a being with the powers of all Mystics in his body. And no one can stand in his way. When their united army goes to face him, hundreds die. The devastation left in his wake leaves them with broken spirits that can’t be mended. Or can they? How do you fight a being with all the powers for himself, one that can fight and kill hundreds of Mystics at once? Years of battles and secrets, blood and pain, come down to this final war, one that will push them to their limits and past their breaking points. Straight into a desperate last hope that will either save the world or destroy it.
Release Date: October 21, 2021
If you like inspirational heroines, unique love stories, and non-stop twists and turns, this action-packed fantasy retelling is for you...After playing Robin Hood for months, Marian is starting to wonder how well she knows Robin of Locksley. Her husband could just be depressed, returning from a war that should have claimed his life. He could just be adjusting to their new life in the forest. Marian wants to be patient, but after surrendering Locksley to the sheriff and his men, the villages need Robin Hood more than ever. When a fight for a king’s ransom costs much more than gold, everything boils to the surface. How can Marian continue to take the name or even stay married to a man she now despises? And who will wear the hood in the end?
Release Date: October 21, 2021
A new fantasy by USA Today Bestselling Author Julie L. Kramer...Great spies think alike… ...but can they work together? Will can move things with her mind. Which makes her job as a spy a little easier, at least most days. Unless she’s stuck with Seeley, another gifted spy and a big pain in her asset. The arrogant, charming Seeley isn’t exactly the partner she wanted. He can see through others’ eyes, an invasion Will would never welcome. And he’s determined to take the lead. On her case. Not on her watch. The two hardly get along on a good day when they’re just passing in the office, but when they’re sent on a delicate mission by one of the most infamous spies in history, the Red Duchess, they must learn to work together or die alone. Someone has betrayed them. And their only hope lies in each other...
Release Date: October 20, 2021
The fourth and final installment of the Light & Shadow series by JC Andrijeski...Alexis lost all her powers when she closed the last portal. Her lover, her partner, nearly died, stabbed and shot by the remaining members of his family. Now they’ve returned to Los Angeles, knowing only that they are running out of time. She saved her friends, saved her world from the dark beings known as The Others… only to find out they have been here all along, that they never left, and now their dark magicks are fighting a final battle for the soul of her world. Everyone believes only Alexis can save them. To do so, she must conquer her own demons, her own weaknesses, her own fears, and relearn the true meaning of what it means to be a Lightbringer.
What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write What If I Never? Inside Out is really the series of my heart. It is passionate, mysterious, unexpected. Missing that world and the entire feeling I had when writing it, inspired me to write a series in the same vein. In this case, the new series is in the same world as well. Inside Out spoke to my soul in so many ways and I think that made me the best I could be when writing. I hope that readers will feel I captured that intensity and passion with The Necklace trilogy. What's your favorite scene from your new release, What If I Never? There is a scene where Allison is faced with the ghost of her past when Dash ends up being there for her, which I really love. This particular ghost tends to make Allison feel very alone, and Dash manages to fill the night in ways no one else could for her. If you had to write a blurb for the last book you read, what would it say? Love is murder and nothing is as it seems. Since it was a mystery if I say much more I’ll give away the secrets. And the book is called Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier. What romantic couple from literature makes you swoon? Which one is over-hyped? I guess it’s not really literature but Pretty Woman the movie is so swoon-worthy to me. It is so old now and still to me personifies what a good romance should have inside the covers. As for over-hyped, Romeo and Juliet. They die. That is not romantic to me. What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write? Since I write romance and thrillers I enjoy reading both but I do tend to read more thrillers. Often that is simply because if I’m writing romance I try to stay away from any other story that might in any way start consuming my mind, when mine should be, consuming me at the time. Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write What If I Never? I write in bed. I know that sounds nuts but I find a big pillow behind me and my back does not hurt. And there is always a dog, a cat, and coffee. And probably BEAT BOBBY FLAY in the background with the sound off right until the judging starts. 🙂 I love watching his show but as for cooking, I’m a master with the microwave and that is about it. What's the best advice you've ever received? To focus on me and no one else. Envy is dangerous because your story will never be anyone else’s story and if you focus on someone else, you are never fully focused on realizing your own potential.
Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the new book What If I Never? (Necklace Trilogy Book 1) Connect with Lisa Renee Jones
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What's the story behind the story? What inspired you to write Capture the Crown? Capture the Crown is book #1 in my Gargoyle Queen epic fantasy series, and it is set in the same world as my Crown of Shards series, which features gladiators, gargoyles, shapeshifters, and more. I’ve always loved Robin Hood and Scarlet Pimpernel type stories where the main character is much more than what they present themselves as and how other people view them. In Capture the Crown, my heroine, Gemma Ripley, is known for being a pampered princess, but she uses that persona – and other people’s low expectations of her – to secretly moonlight as a spy and protect her kingdom. So it was a lot of fun for me to write a character with some hidden depths. If you woke up in the world of Capture the Crown, what is the first thing you would do? I would eat a toasted cheese-and-jam sandwich, which is the favorite food of my heroine, Gemma Ripley. What's your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write? I love reading all kinds of books, and my favorite genres to read are fantasy, romance, YA, spy thrillers, and anything (books, comics, etc.) with superheroes. Fantasy is my favorite genre to write in, simply because the possibilities are endless when it comes to the types of characters/creatures, worldbuilding, and magic systems that you can write about. What fictional world would you most like to visit? The Marvel Cinematic Universe. I love the Marvel superhero movies and TV shows, and I think it would be a really cool place to visit. What book did you expect to hate, but ended up loving? Back in college, I took a detective fiction class, and I decided to read Bank Shot by Donald E. Westlake as part of the class. I had never read Westlake before, so I didn’t have any expectations about the book, but I absolutely loved it. Bank Shot is part of Westlake’s Dortmunder comic crime caper series about a group of thieves, and it is one of my all-time favorite book series. What's your favorite thing about writing? What's your least favorite thing about it? My favorite thing is when I finish writing a book. It’s always a great feeling of accomplishment to know that I’ve written something that folks will hopefully read and enjoy. However, I do get tired of reading – and re-reading – my own books. Authors must re-read their own books for revisions, copyedits, and page proofs, and after a while, it can get a little tedious. What scene in Capture the Crown was your favorite to write? I always love writing action and fight scenes and coming up with ways for my heroines to defeat the villains. So some of my favorite scenes in Capture the Crown are when Gemma Ripley finally faces off with a couple of the villains near the end of the book. Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by? I love the quote from the movie Galaxy Quest: “Never give up, never surrender!” It definitely applies to writing and so many other things in life. What will your next adventure or writing project be? Tear Down the Throne, Gargoyle Queen #2, will be out on May 3, 2022. Also, I will be publishing A Sense of Danger, a stand-alone urban fantasy about spies with magic, on Nov. 16. Happy reading, everyone!
Jennifer Estep is the author of the new book Capture the Crown (A Gargoyle Queen Novel Book 1) Connect with Jennifer Estep
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What’s behind the story? What inspired you to write Psalm of the Iron Maid? Psalm of the Iron Maid, book 8 in the Iron Made series was written as the closer of a cycle; when I conceived of the Iron Maid series, it was as a series of cycles advancing the story in short stories, novellas and novelettes of varying length. Psalm of the Iron Maid, book 8, closes the foundational cycle of the series: We’ve gotten to Mars, established a stubborn colony, and are making ready for the next wave of pioneers to come. More personally for Gin, whom the first cycle circles, it’s the fulfillment of promises that she left Earth believing God for. It also sets things up for the next cycle, beginning the healing process between Gin, her sister and brother, who feature much more heavily. If you woke up in the world of Psalm of the Iron Maid, what is the first thing you would probably do? Probably jump, just to see how my body would react. Mars has less gravity than Earth, which would make me way less, even if it means I’m still the same mass. What is your favorite genre to read? Is it the same as your favorite genre to write? I used to be drawn to science fiction, which is the primary genre I do write in, and with a brush of a different color, too. More often than not lately, I’m reading non-fiction, and I do believe in justifying just about anything I read as research. It comes out somehow in my work. Maybe not today, but it will. And I typically end up writing science fiction. What fictional world would you most like to visit? Visual media: Firefly and Star Trek are a good toss-up. Fiction, specifically writing, it’s a three-way tie between C.S. Lewis’ Narnia series, Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, and Anne Perry’s William and Hester Monk series. What is your favorite thing about writing? That I’m creating. I’m converging ideas about personalities and people, how the environment interacts with us, and we with it and exploring ideas and issues within myself. Hopefully, in doing so, I can hold up some sort of mirror so that the reader can see threads of themselves in the pages. What is your least favorite thing about it? That I don’t have the time to go on a ten-day writing binge anymore. Maybe again, someday soon. Lately, it’s been piecemealing my writing sessions, a thousand words here, a thousand there. It's not for lack of ideas – no, I go through mundane tasks and write the pages in my head but they burn up before I can get them down on paper. What scene in Psalm of the Iron Maid was your favorite to write? The proposal. I’m not going to elaborate or give anything away more than that. It wasn’t in the original document – I completely rewrote the piece from the original. But I felt it needed to happen in this piece because it tied so much up. Do you have a motto, quote, or philosophy you live by? God’s got this. "We are yours, David! We are with you, son of Jesse! Success, success to you, and success to those who help you, for your God will help you." 1 Chronicles 12:18 b What will your next adventure or writing project be? I’m currently working on an alternate history-fantasy piece involving Vikings. Definitely not a historically accurate piece. Trying to compose another fantasy piece with a more realistic take on werewolves not related to any other werewolf work that I have. We shall see what time allows and I will let people know.
Tara K. Rafacz is the author of the new book Psalm of the Iron Maid (Iron Made Book 8) Connect with Tara K. Rafacz
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By Judith Keim
I love writing a series of books. Sometimes, I think it’s easier than writing a stand-alone; other times, I know it’s not. The advantages of writing a series seem obvious–the setting and many of the characters tend to remain the same. But in order to make each book different, a different kind of work is necessary.
In the Desert Flowers/Desert Sage Inn series, each woman’s story is quite different. Yes, they’re brought together to help Alec Thurston as he is dying. But each woman, of different ages, has a unique history with him and their time at the Inn. I like creating differences like this, giving the reader a chance to know these women as individuals who come together for a common cause, building friendships along the way. Friendships among women, family, and women working together to overcome obstacles are common themes in my books.
Weaving them together from Book #1 through the end of the series is interesting and frustrating work. Book #1 contains the most threads for understanding the main characters and their goals. These threads are then pulled through the following books to make the characters consistent even as they face surprises and challenges along the way. But, of course, the books would be boring if consistency was the main goal of storytelling. It is those very surprises and life lessons that build the story in each of the books.
In Lily, the newly released book in the series, early readers have loved her character and have lived with her through the pain and joy in her story. In the upcoming book, Willow, we follow Willow’s journey. And in Mistletoe and Holly, we have a sweet closing. Both Willow and Mistletoe and Holly will be released in 2022. Stay tuned!
Judith Keim is the author of the new book Lily: The Desert Flowers (The Desert Sage Inn Series Book 2)
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If you were in an elevator with a stranger and had one minute or less to describe Frenchy's Whore before the doors opened, what description would you give? I would say it is one of the most powerful and at the same time one of the most subtle book ever written on day to day life in one of the USA's premier Airborne Infantry Brigades with no punches pulled...while at the same time is an unrequited love story, with powerful writing induced images. What part of Frenchy's Whore was the hardest to write? What part was the easiest? The hardest part to write was about the Brothers of mine who were killed in action, the battle scenes, and the names are true. The whole book is a true story. The easiest part to write would have been of the interaction between the Brothers in Arms. What books are on your to-be-read pile right now? Dak To by Edward Murphey and Giant Killer What's your favorite genre to read? Biographical books about Vietnam. Is it the same as your favorite genre to write? Yes Do you have any quirky writing habits? Where did you write Frenchy's Whore? I do not know of any habits except clearing my mind and focusing on the mental images of what i want to transcribe. I have been writing Frenchy's Whore in my head since I lived it back in Vietnam in 1968. I started actually writing it on an old typewriter while an English student at Brockport State University of New York where it won the Brockport SUNY's Writer Forum Scholarship. What's the best advice you've ever received? From Professor Bill Heyen: "Less is More" If you could choose one thing for readers to remember after reading Frenchy's Whore what would it be? That war is pornographic, that even if you survive the battle part of you will still die.
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