#WOTR25 #AttendingAuthor #AuthorInterview – Joel Shoemaker

Joel  Shoemaker

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Joel Shoemaker has been a librarian for a decade and a magician for three! He lives in central Illinois with his husband, a frog, a colony of cherry shrimp, and his dog, Maximus. He consumes an inordinate amount of cheese.

How did you hear about this event?

This is my second year! I believe I first heard about it from my friend and half-table mate, Jackie Lawson!

How many years have you attended?

2

What genres do you write?

LGBTQIA+ affirming faith stories seem to be what I keep coming back to, but my work is also simply humor, as in my anthology about teeth.

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

My newest book is a picture book called Silas on Sundays! I’ve written two sequels for Silas and so I hope people read it and KEEP reading. 🙂

What is one fun fact about you?

A fun fact about me is that I just learned what happens when you put Dawn in your dishwasher. Do NOT put Dawn in your dishwasher, is what I learned…

What are your social links?

https://www.facebook.com/shoemakermagicianauthor

https://www.instagram.com/magicianactor

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21950012.Joel_Shoemaker

What are you buy links?

Writersontheriver.com

#WOTR25 #SecretRelease #Prequal #SiblingBestFriend #Contemporary #HolidayNovella – Secrets of Timber Creek, Book 5 by SJ Chaynie

This wasn’t the Christmas I had in mind. I didn’t plan on having no electricity, no heat, and for the man I’d spent the majority of my life running from to find me. But here I am. Freezing, bleeding, and standing on the doorstep of Adam Harper’s cabin. The cop who happens to be my best friend’s older brother. I should be anywhere else but here. I should have taken his silence for the last two years for what it was. But I’m desperate. The one night we shared may have been a mistake, and he may be Timber Creek’s biggest playboy, but I need help. One knock on his door, one simple question, and I’m suddenly swept back into his arms. But this was just temporary, and once Christmas was over, I’d be back to my normal life.
Except it appears Adam Harper may have other plans……he wants all of my secrets. And he wants to expose ours.

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Twinsie Angie

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

I was so excited when I got an email saying SUPRIZE to this novella drop.  I was so not ready to say goodbye to the gang of Timber Creek, so this gem was appreciated and needed.

We have always seen Bekka and Adam together in the series and NOW we get their book.

Bekka and Tilly have been BFFs since Bekka and her mom moved to town.  Bekka is quiet but appreciates all Tilly and family have done to accept her with open arms.  The only things Bekka doesn’t appreciate is being another notch in Tilly’s manwhore brother’s bed.    Ouch the way he ignored her.

Adam is a man who loves women and not being tied down.  When a chance encounter with Bekka one-night flips him off his kilter he is not sure what to do when he discovers who she really is.  So he does what nay man does and stalks her…LOL  but really that is what the town police officer does.  I mean he calls it duty but whatever.

I freaking loved this story.  The chemistry was amazing, and the storyline kept me turning each page of the kindle wanting to know when they would just admit it all to each other……STUBBORN people.

Since I am not ready for a goodbye can we have another surprise book…I mean a surprise baby would be great in the spring!!  LOL

Review by Twinsie Melinda

I received this book from the author for an honest review.

I absolutely love when I am having a bad day and see that S.J. Chanynie sends me a surprise book about a series I absolutely love. How can you not love the characters from Timber Creek.

This is Adam and Bekka’s book and I could not be happier to hear their story.

When Bekka and her mother came to Timber Creek she hooked up with a stranger for one night. Little did she know that he would turn out to be the big brother of her best friend. Bekka became a part of Tilly’s family. Bekka was able to hide how things were going in own family from everyone in the town even her BFF and her family. When Bekka’s past comes knocking on her face literally. With nowhere else to turn she finds herself on her one-night stands porch.

Adam is the town playboy never staying with one girl. When he realizes he had a one-night stand with her little sister’s best friend, Bekka. He knows he has to put and keep distance between him and Bekka. No way he was getting involved with his little sister’s friend.  He does a good job of ignoring and avoiding her since that night. That is until she shows up on his porch with a busted face everything changed after that night.

Like any police officer it is his job to find out what happened to Bekka and help her even if she doesn’t want him nosing around in her business. He finds out about the secrets she has been keeping from their family. He now on a mission to make things better for her.

I love these two as much as I do the other characters. These two made my heart happy they have such amazing chemistry. I loved their 10 get to know you questions. My favorite question and answer was about her Blue and white shirt. AWWW. This is one series I cannot get enough of and sure am going to miss it. I loved this Surprise book.

S.J. Chaynie is a small-town Texas girl who has found a love for writing. She enjoys writing romance, with a sprinkle of suspense, and a little humor. If she is not busy writing her newest ideas, she is spending time with her husband and two beautiful daughters. She believes a good book and a lot of laughs is the best medicine. She brings suspense, love, angst, and sometimes the occasional heartbreak to her stories. Always a HEA, but every character and story she holds close to her heart and hopes they touch yours as well.

#Twinsieoftheday – Winter Frost (Chris Matheson Cold Case #2) by Lauren Carr

It all started with a chance encounter in the city with Blair, his late wife.

Chris Matheson and the Geezer Squad, working under the guise of a book club, dig into the events surrounding his late wife’s supposed death halfway around the globe. A state department employee shoots himself in the back three times. A CIA operative goes missing. A woman is targeted by an international assassin three years after being declared dead in a terrorist attack overseas.

Nothing is as it seems.

In his most personal cold case, Chris fights to uncover why the state department told him that Blair, the mother of his children, had been killed when she was alive. What had she uncovered that has made her a target? Who terrified her so much that she had gone into hiding and why are they now after him?

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Brandy

I received this book for an honest review.

This book has lots of action. It starts with a bang and keeps going. Chris’s dead wife is back, but not for
long as she is the target of an assassin because she found out some nasty secrets. It’s up to Chris to try
to figure out what happened and why Blair hid for so long. Blair was good at hiding, and even her best
friend didn’t know what was going on. Some things you think you have all put together, but then comes
a subtle little twist that puts a whole different perspective on things.
The narrator is awesome. There are several characters, and the he is great at giving them individuality
and keeping it from being confusing when switching characters. I also enjoyed the unusual pets and
situations with the pets when Chris’s mom gets involved. Did not see some of that coming. Loved the
character of Chris’s mom. She’s a hoot.
In all a good mystery that will keep you wondering if you have it exactly right or if you missed
something. There is a bit of violence and no adult content.

Selling over half a million books worldwide, Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—thirty titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services and iRead Book Tours, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Learn more about Lauren Carr and her books (including the list in order) by visiting her website at www.mysterylady.net

#wotr #attendingauthor #ya A Snap of Fate (A Snap of Magic 3) by Danielle Keil

Being a witch is no longer as fun as Cecilia Chevalier thought it would be.

So far, all it’s done is cause problems. Not only when her magic misfires, but between people she loves.

She just found out her best friend is really a villain. And the new kid is not only a vampire, but her protector. Witchy business is confusing.

Now, she’s on the run, having to leave her home, her friends, and her grandfather behind as she and Xavier venture out to safety…

… and to her mother.

Along their journey, they meet new people, find out more secrets, and suddenly, everything changes again.

Then there’s Xavier, who ends up being more than just her protector. And Cecilia isn’t all that mad about it.

She has decisions to make, magic to use, and more family secrets to discover.

Goodreads https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/219632296-a-snap-of-fate

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DHYHMMTY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_d_asin_title_351_o01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Review by Twinsie Dee

i bought this book and here is my honest review

Cecilia has found herself waking up in a unfamiliar place no idea how she got there then all of a sudden she remembered the events that happen her best friend and Xavier were fighting, the gate in the cemetery it was all coming back to her vampires are real, she’s a witch, and her best friend was a hunter and she had no idea any of this was possible let alone happening around her. Her whole life was full of secrets and the biggest of all her mother is alive. With trying to navigate her new life CC thinks or hopes she finally knows the truth to everything or at least, until she finds herself looking at a stranger who happens to look just like her. Life is crazy and when you just learned all of this it’s even crazier in just a blink of an eye or a snap of a finger in CC’s case, but she’s learning that she’s unstoppable in the best way possible or is it. this was such a cute and fun ending to this short series.

Danielle Keil grew up and spent the majority of her life in the Chicagoland area. A recent transplant, she is enjoying the Mississippi life, especially the pool in her backyard.
Danielle is happily married for over 10 years, and has two young children, a daughter and a son, who are exact replicas of her and her husband.

Danielle’s love language is gifts, her Ennegram is a 9w1, and she loves everything purple.
The way to her heart is through coffee, chocolate and tacos (extra guac).

#WOTR25 #AttendingAuthor #AuthorInterview – Heather Long

Heather Long

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Hi, I’m Heather Long. I love books. Not just a little bit, but a lot. Books were my best friends when I was growing up. Books didn’t care if I was new to a town or to a class. They were always there, my trustiest of companions. Until they turned on me and said I had to write them.

I can tell you that my own personal happily ever after included writing books. I’ve always said that an HEA is a work in progress. It’s true in my marriage, my friendships, and in my career. I am constantly nurturing my muse as we dive into new tales, new tropes, new characters and more.

How did you hear about this event?

I’d heard about it via friends who attended

How many years have you attended?

This will be my first! I am so excited!

What genres do you write?

Contemporary Romance, Paranormal, Romantasy, Reverse Harem, Military, and Dark Romance

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

The Bay Ridge Royals series 🙂 Starts with Shamelessly Loyal.

What is one fun fact about you?

I am a fount of random (sometimes useless) trivia. I just love collecting facts.

What are your social links?

Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/groups/HeathersPack
Facebook Author Page: https://facebook.com/HeatherLongAuthor
Instagram: https://instagram.com/HeatherVLong
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@HeatherLongAuthor

What are you buy links?

Writersontheriver.com

#Twinsieoftheday – Crimes Past (Mac Faraday Mystery #13) by Lauren Carr

It’s a bittersweet reunion for Mac Faraday when members of his former homicide squad arrive at the Spencer Inn. While it is sweet to attend the wedding of a late colleague’s daughter, it is a bitter reminder that the mother of the bride had been the victim of a double homicide. The brutal slaying weighing heavy on his mind, Mac is anxious to explore every avenue for a break in the cold case—even a suggestion from disgraced former detective Louis Gannon that one of their former friends is the killer. When the investigator is brutally slain, Mac Faraday rips open the cold case with a ruthless determination to reveal which of his friends is a cold-blooded murderer.

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Brandy

I received this book for an honest review.

This story is interesting for sure. I listened to this on audio and the narrator is excellent. There is the
main story about the two cops that are killed on their wedding day, and then there is a second murder
that gets stumbled upon. There is a lot of players in this story as the cops are killed on their wedding day
and the reception is packed with cops. Cops with secrets. You do need to pay a bit of attention to keep
track of all the players and all the lies that start to come out. Justice is a long time coming and boy is it a
twisted path. There are plenty of lies that partners will tell to protect each other and their personal lives.
The second case involves a nasty neighbor that has it out for dogs and a bad history. I will admit I got a
chuckle when the two cases briefly crossed paths. The dogs are a hoot and help blow the case wide
open.
There are some hints of naughty but no explicit details. In all its a twisted tale that will keep you
guessing even after confessions have been uttered. My only real complaint was trying to keep track of
everything and everybody.

Selling over half a million books worldwide, Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, Thorny Rose, Chris Matheson Cold Case Mysteries, and Nikki Bryant Cozy Mysteries—thirty titles across five fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, crime fiction, police procedurals, romance, and humor.

The owner of Acorn Book Services and iRead Book Tours, Lauren is also a publishing manager, consultant, and virtual book tour coordinator for independent authors.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions.

She lives with her husband, and two spoiled rotten German shepherds on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

Learn more about Lauren Carr and her books (including the list in order) by visiting her website at www.mysterylady.net

#Review – Scream For Us: A Dark Halloween Novella (Order Of The Unseen #0.5)

*Top 30 Amazon best seller*
*Best of Booktok*

Good girl Quinn didn’t expect her night to turn to mayhem once she stepped into a legendary Halloween party. After needing a quick rescue from a stranger, she finds herself locked in a captivating game of infatuation with three masked men. Her one demand? The game ends at dawn.

As desire collides with danger, how much can Quinn take before the sun comes up? Will her condition of only one night be enough? Or will her masked men leave their mark?

DISCLAIMER:
This novella contains little to no plot.
For the longer version with plot, please proceed to Bloodshed.

Reading this novella is not required in order to read the rest of the series.

Scream For Us contains mature and graphic content that is not suitable for all audiences. This is a Dark Romance/Thriler/Horror, Why Choose Novella. Please check trigger warnings at the beginning of the book before proceeding.

Oh boy this book was fun. I’ve been on a Halloween dark romance kick and I’m so glad I came across this one. What’s better than one masked man? Three!

Quinn is a good girl and ends up at a Halloween party. She meets three men all wearing masks of serial killers from famous horror movies. Ghostface, Jason and Michael. She meets Ghost first and he protects her from the very start.

She vows to only have one night with him, which ends up being the three of them. Why choose right?

I’m sure she feels like she’s gotten in a little over her head, especially when the guys find out that she was bullied and hurt by people a few years before. Bloodshed happens but that doesn’t stop Ghost and Quinn from…um…enjoying themselves.

If you’re looking for a novella about three hot masked men, a heroine who brings them to their knees and basically no plot but all the smut, this one is for you. And better yet, it’s centred around Halloween! Best holiday ever!

I will definitely be reading the rest of this series. I’m dying to know what these guys are about, where they come from and why they are the way they are.

One click here

#WOTR25 #AttendingAuthor #AuthorInterview #EventSponsor – Nicole Craig

Nicole   Craig

Tell us your name and then a bit about yourself.

Nicole Craig – I’ve been writing since 2020, but did not get published until 2024 due to working full-time as a teacher. Now I’m retired and loving that I can sit behind my computer all day to make stories happen. I’m married for 28 years to The One, and we adopt geriatric and special needs cats. I’m a bowler, I do community theatre, I’m a huge Milwaukee Brewers fan, and, of course, I love to read!

How did you hear about this event?

Anna Blakely talked about the event in 2023, and in 2024 I attended as a reader.

How many years have you attended?

1 (as a reader)

What genres do you write?

Protector Romance / Romantic Suspense

What is a book of yours you wish more people read?

“Good Enough” is my debut novel, and it’s a first in series for The Deadman’s Tribe.

What is one fun fact about you?

I was peed on by a rhinoceros. I fell in the dolphin tank at SeaWorld. I was bitten by a monkey in Honduras. Take your pick. I should not be allowed around animals.

What are your social links?

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092491410648
Reader’s Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/3624387751170522
FB Author Page – https://www.facebook.com/nicolecraigauthor/
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nicolecraigauthor/
Website – https://nicolecraigauthor.godaddysites.com/

What are you buy links?

Writersontheriver.com

#Twinsieoftheday – Astraeus (The Oceanstone Initiative Book 1) by Haley Havanagh

Astraeus (The Oceanstone Initiative Book 1)

One pre-apocalyptic Earth. One desperate space mission to find a solution. One unexpected alien.

When Dr. Sakota Thorell signed onto the mission to scout out a new, habitable planet, she knew discovering extraterrestrial life was always a possibility. But she never expected to find an alien adrift in space, nor for that alien to be so intriguing. Sakota feels an instant and undeniable attraction to Astraeus, but he represents a million possibilities, and just as many threats.

There are others hunting Astraeus, and his rescue may cost Earth its last hope.

Goodreads

Amazon

Review by Brandy

I received this book for an honest review.

This is an interesting one. A science ship is in space looking for a new planet as earth is dying. First
contact with an intelligent alien species starts by finding him floating in space still alive. The medical
doctor wants to study him, the head of security wants to use his own methods to get answers. Astraeus
has a few tricks up his sleeve though, and nothing is exactly what it seems.
The doctor manages to get her way, but just barely.
Sakota
must find a way to get answers and quickly.
As she learns more about the alien, she gets more and more drawn to his story. Of course, nothing is
straight forward as Astraeus doesn’t know who to trust, and there is danger in the depths of space, and
it is coming.
There is a bit of romance, but not a lot and no adult content. The ending is a bit edge of your seat as you
wait to see who will survive, who will make a valiant last stand, and who gets taken out. There is some
violence towards the end.

Haley Cavanagh is a military veteran, wife, and mother. She is a multiple award-winning and best-selling author and the two-time recipient of the League of Utah Writers Silver Quill Award in 2020 and 2024. Haley is an alumna of Columbia College, a musical theater nut, and she loves to dive into any book that crosses her path. Haley resides with her family in the United States and enjoys spending time with her husband and children when she’s not writing. She loves to hear from her readers and encourages you to contact her via her website and social media.

#Review – No Place To Hide: A Dark Romance Novella (Havoc’s Playground Book 1) by Harper Ashley & Wren Hawthorne 

Blair
All I wanted was one night.
A simple night of fun with my friends at the carnival.
I didn’t know I’d spend it learning things I never knew about myself.
Every twist and turn of our game brings us deeper into our desires.
But what’s a little pain if it’s mixed with unimaginable pleasure?

Jackson
All I wanted was one night.
A simple night of peace doing my job.
I didn’t know I’d spend it pushing the boundaries with a girl I just met.
The stakes get higher the longer the game goes on.
For the first time in my life, will only one night be enough?

No Place To Hide contains mature and graphic content that is not suitable for all audiences. Please check the content warnings at the front of the book before proceeding.

Oh man, now this is the book I’ve been needing to pull me out of whatever this slump thing is that I have going on here.

While this was a novella, it felt like it was longer. The authors did a fantastic job of that. Sure, I want more but that’s only because I’m greedy. *cough cough* Jackson. *cough cough*

So we meet Blair who is at a carnival and is looking for some fun. She needs some changes from her regular good girl life. She no longer wants to be this picture perfect princess.

Well…in comes Jackson to save the day.

Jackson works at the carnival and is this quiet, grumpy, ex-con. When these two meet, the sparks fly instantly.

Things quickly heat up and they end up playing a game of Hide & Seek. Sounds super innocent right?

This is definitely one of the hottest novellas I’ve ever read and I really can’t wait for book 2 to this. I need to know what happens.

This novella, although it’s short, does come with some possible triggers, so please read with caution. Your mental health matters.

Also, I read this novella just before Halloween, so it fit the season perfectly.

One click here