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Six Paws Under: Psychic Sleuths and Talking Dogs (A Jaz and Luffy Cozy Mystery Book 7) by Max Parrott

Stepping onto the island near Blackwood Cove, Luffy by her side, Jasmine breathed in deeply. There was no one waiting at the dock for her, but then she had no way of knowing whether anyone else had arrived. Each contestant was taking the journey from the mainland separately, as the producer didn’t want them to meet too soon. He had explained to Jasmine that the meeting was one highlight the viewers enjoyed.

Even though they weren’t in view, Jasmine knew there were cameras somewhere watching her. Cameras, with viewers on the other side. Joining the competition was a choice. She knew, technically, what she was getting into, and all she could really hope for was good editing. Glancing down at Luffy, the stillness of his tail a sign he still wasn’t happy, she picked up her bag.

If they got through to the end, it would be around a month on the island, with a group of strangers. There were eleven, including her, according to the information packet they sent when she became a contestant. The producer had been excited to have a genuine celebrity on the island, even though Jasmine still did not see herself as one. To her, it was simply a way to get the money she needed. Even if she didn’t win, maybe being on telly would be enough for others to invest money in her business.

As Jasmine made her way along the path, she studied the island. It was privately owned, in the hands of the producer, and the competition was in its third year. Three years of people being willing to put their life on hold for a month to live on an island. She shook her head. Until she applied herself, she couldn’t understand the choice, but the money was worth it. Hopefully.

Thanks to the time she’d spent watching the show, after deciding she was going for it, Jasmine knew a little about the layout of the island. Getting from the dock to the main house was easy enough, as long as you followed the path. More than once people got lost, missing a turning somewhere, but there were people around to help. People they would not see unless something went seriously wrong.

Reaching the end of the path, Jasmine opened the door, stepping into the house. Warmth surrounded her. There was no one else in the living room, a sign she might be the first to arrive, or they were off somewhere exploring. It didn’t seem likely it would be all that long before someone else would arrive, and waiting was probably the best option.

The living room had a large sofa and different seats scattered around. The beanbag chair was Jasmine’s choice. Nestling herself, bag by her side, she looked at Luffy. He looked back at her, silence unnerving but not unexpected. From the beginning, he’d made his displeasure with her choice obvious. Luffy didn’t like to break his daily routine, but he acknowledged the need for investment in his best friend’s business. He stayed by her feet, possibly having softened since he noticed there was quite a lot of unchartered land to explore.

Jasmine looked around the room, once more searching for the cameras she knew were there. The game show crew carefully hid them to ensure none of the contestants could cover them. One rule of the game was that you could not hide from the cameras while you were in the house, other than in the bathrooms. Not a surprise, considering what they’d all signed up for.

Finally, a guy stepped into the house. He was pulling a suitcase behind him. Jasmine’s eyes met with his for a moment, and he narrowed his eyes at her. “You the first one here?”

“Possibly. I didn’t find anyone else here, but I also didn’t go hunting. I’m Jasmine. You?”

“Sam. Dog yours?”

“Yeah, this is Luffy.” Luffy raised his head, thumping his tail. “We go everywhere together.”

“Why are you here?”

“The prize money. Can’t help thinking it’s the primary reason most of us are here. Unless you have some other story.”

Download Six Paws Under while it’s on sale on Amazon December 1st – 6th.

The Ordeals of Elly Robin by P.D. Quaver

The Ordeals of Elly Robin was conceived as a sort of multi- volume, historical fantasia. The title intentionally echoes The Perils of Pauline, an early movie serial. And the publishing strategy harkens back to the days when novels were commonly published in serial form. Thus, though the books can be read separately, they together form a single vast novel—and a multi-sided portrait of the United States at the dawn of the twentieth century.

It was a fascinating period characterized by enormous change. Horses were replaced by automobiles and live theater by a virtual reality of flickering images. Rickety machines built of wood and canvas took to the skies. And the United States was in the process of becoming an industrial and—with the advent of the First World War—military powerhouse that would dominate the world.

Adrift in this turbulent landscape is Elly Robin. Her travels, adventures, and—yes—ordeals will take her (and the reader) from vaudeville stages to hobo jungles to mining towns to the gilded palaces of the rich; she will witness the San Francisco earthquake, the birth of jazz, the horrors of the First World War; Zelig-like, she will encounter the likes of Emma Goldman, Louis Armstrong, Jack London and George Gershwin.

It will be an extraordinary journey, undertaken by a most extraordinary girl.

Download The Ordeals of Elly Robin while it’s free on Amazon December 1 – 5.

Messages in the Lyrics: When God calls on you, Will you listen? by Jerry Collins

“I don’t understand how I was chosen to write music but in late November 2016 shortly after the national elections I began to receive so many lyrics they were falling onto paper. I learned along the way how to construct my music compositions and I got them copyrighted. I chose to outsource my recording artists and receive the copyright for the sound recordings.”

Jerry provides his first printed lyric songbook to compliment his music. Jerry has provided some of his best songs, some that were re-written to become stand-out songs, some that could be improved and some that are drafts that are unreleased.

Download Messages in the Lyrics while it’s free on Amazon November 30th to December 4th.

When We Remembered Everything: A Child’s Understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease by A.B. Reckas

The Garden is a place of pure wonder. It’s where fairies rock their babies to sleep in rosebud cradles and gnomes carry mail to and from the Apple Tree—the hub of all great things, the giver of apple pies. It’s also where Princess Alison can retreat from the outside world that is always in a hurry and wants her to talk louder and say the right thing and be something she’s not.

Here in the magical Garden, she finds comfort while struggling with severe anxiety when her single mother is away at work. Before she leaves for the day, Mommy puts hugs into Alison’s blankie—hugs that she can use later if she’s feeling lonely. But what if one day the hugs run out and Mommy doesn’t come back? Always, she harbors a fear that Mommy will die—a fear she doesn’t talk about often because it makes the grownups ask too many questions.

There is only one true comfort: the Queen of the Fairies (who also answers to Grandma). She is the keeper of all magic and Alison’s light of safety. She chases the scary creatures of the Garden back into the shadows and never scolds the little princess for being shy or anxious. Instead, the Queen breathes power into her being with art and stories. One of their favorite pastimes is to take a treat from the jar and a pile of books, and then read until the hard candy and the hurt are gone and the pages of Little Red Riding Hood seem to taste of butterscotch. She teaches Alison to love herself and find strength in honoring exactly who she is—a daughter of Greece and Scotland with magic woven into her soul.

But something strange is happening in the Garden. The Queen is forgetting things that only just happened and struggles to paint the way she used to. She’s the greatest artist Alison has ever known. Why do her paintings look all wrong? When she peers into the Garden, Alison can now see the witch stepping boldly into the sunlight surrounded by her wolves with bloodlust in their gleaming eyes.

The witch has grown tired of hiding. She’s going to get her revenge on the little princess she always hated. Day by day, she fills the Queen’s mind with darkness. The witch is carrying out her evil plan in the worst way possible: destroying the Queen of the Fairies piece by piece.

The fairies flee as the walls of their magical Garden crumble, and the world becomes windswept and gray. The ones who have managed to stay don’t even recognize the princess anymore. And then a day comes when the Queen herself can’t remember Alison’s name.

It’s like she’s no one. Like she never existed.

As the final wall falls, Alison must learn how to keep the light of safety lit for everyone in her kingdom, while honoring a great Queen who can no longer hold the torch.

In a story that will appeal to “Bridge to Terabithia” fans, “When We Remembered Everything” is a child’s perspective of losing a loved one to Alzheimer’s disease and the journey to reclaiming memories of being loved beyond measure.

Even after being forgotten.

Download When We Remembered Everything while it’s free on Amazon November 30th – December 1st.