Fall, in all of its leaf-changing-crisp-breeze-pumpkin-spice-latte glory, is my favorite season. Okay, to be fair, I have never had a pumpkin spice late (I should try it at least ONCE, right?) but it IS on my to-do list.
There is just something about the worst of the summer heat and humidity fading away, to be replaced with cooler temperatures, crisp evenings, and warm sweaters that makes my heart happy. How about you? Do you love fall as much as I do?
Fall not only means the end of summer, but the end of summer vacation and the return to school for kiddos and college students. It’s time to break out your favorite tea, cider, or coffee, and settle in with some GREAT books. I hope you have your favorites all lined up and ready to go — or, as in my case, creating a tower of Pisa replica on my nightstand!!
Dive into crime and corruption, adventure and avarice, with this limited edition collection of nine fast-paced whodunits. Follow hardened detectives and amateur sleuths as they chase down clues and risk it all to solve the case. Discover ruthless villains and unfortunate scapegoats who will thrust you deep into worlds of murder and mayhem.
Whether you prefer fast-paced thrillers, cozy murder mysteries, or historical whodunits, this collection comes with plenty of twists to keep you on the edge of your seat… plus hours of binge-worthy reading to leave you turning the pages long after dark!
Fans of James Patterson, Janet Evanovich, and Gillian Flynn will devour this collection where suspense, lies, and secrets are just the beginning.
Featuring stories from… USA Today bestselling author, M.R. Graham USA Today bestselling author Sarah Biglow USA Today bestselling author Heather Marie Adkins Amy McKinley Amy Richie Emma Calin Alan Chaput Jess Reece Theresa Sederholt
Get it here on your favorite platform HERE for 🔥FREE🔥
It’s true. We do. You–our readers–are the entire reason for what we do.
You might have heard the writerly advice at some point to “write what you want to read” but I’ll tell you a secret: most of the authors that I know, personally, don’t do that. We write because we have stories to tell, ideas that are burning a hole right through our soul with the brightness of the need to be told. And we want YOU to read them, to smile and laugh and cry with us, just as we did while writing them.
There are so many ways that you can help authors continue to do what they love to do. Buy their books (obviously, haha), but other ways are just as impactful. Share with your friends. Post your latest and favorite read on Facebook or other social media platforms. And perhaps one of the sneakiest, but most important ways you can support your fave authors is to leave a review.
Retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple use algorithms that are influenced by the number and quality of reviews left on books that determine whether they will put those titles in front of other readers that may or may not be familiar with them. This is often called the “also boughts” – the section that says readers like you also bought these books.
Does the idea of leaving a review give you the heebie jeebies? Do you hate the idea of trying to write paragraph after paragraph, critiquing for each and every book you read? Not to fear, my friend. Simply leaving a starred review with a single line of “I liked it” is enough to impact the book’s overall standing.
Won’t you consider saving an author and leaving a review today?
Tomorrow my (now) 6th grader goes back to school, and I am pretty sure neither of us are prepared for summer to be over. She will be starting middle school, and I find myself feeling melancholy lately over the changes that this summer has brought. When I was a kid myself, of course, it never occurred to me that my parents might feel just as sad about the summer coming to a close as I did, but now that I have a preteen barreling into young adulthood at full speed, I find myself longing for sweeter days of chasing fireflies with a mason jar, swimming all day, and sleeping in late.
How about you? Whether you have children or not, is there anything about the end of the summer that brings an emotional shift to your heart? What do you do to celebrate these last, few, precious days?
As for us, we will be soaking up the sun on this last, gloriously schedule-free day, and then on Wednesday not only does my kiddo start school, but my new writing schedule will begin. Eight FULL hours per day, dedicated to completing works-in-progress, and starting new projects as well. These next few months are going to be bringing some amazing stories, and I can’t wait until I am able to share them with you.
Welcome to Jess’s Word Rebels, where the words fly fast and free, and readers aren’t limited to any one favorite genre. Grab a cup of coffee (or your preferred brew), sit back, and enjoy the adventure!
As I looked through the Facebook author and book groups that I belong to recently, I noticed that there was something missing, something preventing me from really enjoying the content, and that sparked an idea. What if I could create my own Facebook group that would be the ONE place where my readers, family, and friends could hang out, get some fun content, participate in weekly giveaways, AND not be restricted to one kind of literary genre?
And so, Jess’s Word Rebels was born.
This will be a group that encourages discussion of favorite authors, books, themes, memes, jokes, trivia, and basically all things literary. Click HERE to join today!
You might recall that a couple weeks ago I announced that there would be no vacation for me this summer, BUT my wonderful husband surprised me with a short trip to Cleveland last week–which unfortunately meant that I did not have time to send out my regular newsletter. Let me tell you guys, though, having a few days to just get away, even if it wasn’t to a place some people think of as a vacation destination, was AWESOME.
We visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, and most interesting to me, the Ohio State Reformatory Historical Site — the location where the movie The Shawshank Redemption (and many others) was filmed. It is purported to be one of the most haunted sites in the US, and I have to admit, there were plenty areas of the prison that skeeved me out quite a bit. I didn’t catch sight of any ghosts, but I could have used with a sage cleansing afterwards, haha.
If you ever get a chance to visit the OSR historical site, I definitely recommend it. Even if you aren’t the superstitious type, it was still a really fascinating experience. As a moderately (okay, super-duper superstitious) person, I was able to get PLENTY of writing inspiration, that is for sure!
In my last newsletter I talked about taking a break after the release of Getting Back to Oz Book Three: Almira’s Heart. But man, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry, as the saying goes.I had hoped to spend all of July in the peaceful setting of my 5 acres, relaxing by the pool and just creating art for myself–not to sell or promote, just to enjoy.
Not that I am complaining, because that plan was changed with the unexpected commission of two different art pieces needed by the end of the month, AND another publishing opportunity that I wasn’t even looking for, but am very thankful to be a part of.
So now I won’t be relaxing like I thought I was going to be, but that doesn’t mean that this month won’t be just as amazing and I had originally planned, right? PLUS I will get to share something with you all very soon that will be a brand new venture for me, and a super cool summer read for you!
So many of my friends are posting on social media about the vacations they are, or are about to go on, and I’m here in my office, feverishly working to finish the final details so that Getting Back to Oz Book Three: Almira’s Heart can get out into the world on time.
Am I jealous?
Okay, maybe a teensy bit. But I am more excited to get this incredible book out into the world. Besides, most of them have promised to take my book with them and send me pictures of them reading it when they reach their amazing destinations!
So how about you? Is this summer a va-cation or a stay-cation for you and your family?
Well, until I can arrange for my next vacation, I am going to keep putting my heart and soul into this writing thing. It’s sort of like giving myself homework for the rest of my life, but I will let you in on a little secret: this is the BEST homework ever!
Have you pre-ordered your copy of Almira’s Heart yet? You can click on the image above (or below) and get your copy now before it goes live next week, all for about the price of a fancy coffee at Starbucks (but without all the calories!).
Last week’s question — tell me what your favorite classic novel is to enter to win a PAPERBACK copy of the first book in the Getting Back to Oz trilogy, Winnie’s Courage — made me so nostalgic as I was reading through all of your replies! Please help me congratulate SHIRLEY E. for winning the giveaway! Shirley, I will be reaching out via email for the details to get your signed copy of Winnie’s Courage mailed out to you!
P.S. – next week I will be sending out a “mini” newsletter each day, Monday through Friday, with games and giveaways to celebrate the launch of Almira’s Heart, so you will have FIVE times the opportunity to win some really fun prizes! I can’t wait to see you there!
You guys, I can’t believe it’s almost here. In two weeks, the third and final installment of my Getting Back to Oz trilogy will be available for all the world to read. This is a journey three and a half years in the making, and I have to admit, I will be a little sad to say goodbye to these incredible characters that have lived in my head for so long. My greatest hope is that you–my wonderful readers–will love them as much as I do, and enjoy their adventures for years to come.
Best of all, if you just. can’t. wait. (I know that I can’t!) for the 25th, Book Three is available for pre-order on Amazon right now! Click the link here or on the image above to order your copy now, and have it delivered to your Kindle device the day it’s released!
Want to know a little bit more about this fantasy adventure series that turns your favorite childhood fairy tales on their heads? Keep reading!
The Emerald City of Oz. Two witches destined to destroy each other. A magic compass leading to salvation … or ruin?
When a charismatic stranger arrives in Oz, it plunges the land into chaos, tipping the already volatile relationship between the Good Witch of the North and the Wicked Witch of the West into all-out war.
Before the final blow can be dealt, Almira West– the wicked witch herself– is ensnared by an old, old magic contained in a magic compass by a powerful witch ages ago, and finds herself transported into foreign lands both wild and dangerous, with not one, but two unusual companions.
Forced to rely on Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale and San Diego book lover Winifred Jones, Almira battles monsters, mad queens, and magicians in an effort to get back to Oz. Unaware of the threats that await her return, Almira will need every ounce of cunning and magic she possesses to keep her friends and herself alive long enough to defeat her enemies and reclaim her throne.
Pick up this exciting conclusion to Jess Reece’s Getting Back to Oz trilogy today and join Almira on her quest to restore the balance of power in Oz, avenge her murdered family, and redeem her hardened heart.
I had really hoped to have some amazing news for you guys today–that the third installment in my Getting Back to Oz trilogy, Almira’s Heart was on track and ready to release today–but that isn’t going to happen. It’s not for a lack of trying, but I am one of those (un)lucky people with a slew of chronic illnesses, and try as I might, sometimes my body just says STOP. REST. RECOVER.
And so I must.
The hard part, for someone like me, is that I love my readers so much, that it physically hurts not to be able to meet a deadline on time. It feels like a monumental failure. It feels like I am letting everyone down, and it’s doubly frustrating that there is nothing I can really do about it.
So, I decided to share this “behind the scenes” part of my life today because I know some of you are facing something similar. Maybe you have fibromyalgia, or arthritis, or Crohn’s disease, or any of a thousand debilitating conditions. No matter health issue impacts you, it can lead to varying degrees of guilt, sadness, and isolation. Well-meaning friends and family offer support, advice, or in some cases, “tough love.”
But we can’t tough love our way to health. We have to learn to respect our boundaries, to honor what our bodies are capable of (they are, after all, trying so very hard to just do the thing they are supposed to do), and accept (some of) the limitations our health imposes.
Today, I am working hard on the final steps to get Almira’s Heart into your hands. Will it be delayed? Yes. Will I give up? NEVER.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.
